Group Seeks Landmark Status For Harlem Burial Ground

A group of Harlem activists say they are concerned that an African burial ground is being desecrated by city agencies as they move ahead with construction projects near the site. NY1's Cheryl Wills filed the following report. Hidden underneath the bus depot on East 126th Street is the final resting place for New Yorkers like Jane Anthony, Henry B. Edwards and Eliza Johnson. They were enslaved Africans who were buried there in the mid 17th century just off Harlem River Drive. It's an area that is quickly becoming known as the city's 'other' African burial ground in Harlem. And now there's an emerging movement to preserve and protect the cemetery that had been abandoned. "The presence of the early Africans and their contributions to what became this city, this state, this country is woefully neglected," said Eric V. Tait, Jr. of the Harlem African Burial Ground Task Force. The burial ground came to light in 2008 when the Department of Transportation started expanding the Willis Avenue Bridge. The property, which sits at the foot of the burial ground, is where construction workers allegedly found human body parts while digging. The cemetery is owned by Elmendorf Reformed Church, which is the oldest sanctuary in Harlem. "They emphasized one thing. That was 'We're going to be very respectful of the bones.' And they repeated, 'We're going to be very respectful of the bones.' Well that unnerved us because if they said that they must have found something," said Reverend Patricia Singletary of Elmendorf Reformed Church. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority plans to replace a nearby bus depot in 2015. Activists fear both of these construction projects will disturb what the Harlem African Burial Ground Task Force considers sacred territory. "It's been a groundswell of grassroots efforts that have bubbled up to the surface now. I don't think that either of the city's agencies or the mayor's office can ignore the task force any longer," said Steptoe & Johnson attorney Daniel Levoie. Both the city and Harlem activists want to prevent a repeat of the protests that surrounded the burial ground that was discovered in 1991 during the construction of a federal office building in Lower Manhattan. That area is now a National Historic Landmark. MTA New York City transit emphasizes it inherited the bus depot after it was built by the Third Avenue Railway in 1947. In a statement, the agency says, "We are open to discussion with the community and elected officials about our plans to replace the depot in a way that meets our very substantial operating needs." Meanwhile, the DOT is continuing the extension of the Willis Avenue Bridge and in a recent letter to the Elmendorf Reformed Church said, "We voluntarily decided to expand the size of the Sensitive Monitoring Zone to include the area around East 127th Street and First Avenue..." The task force is seeking landmark status for the burial ground and they just might get it. Just days ago, the New York State Board for Historic Preservation recommended the Elmendorf Reformed Church for the state and national registers of historic places. It's still not clear if the church's burial ground will be a part of the designation.