Newburgh Colored Burial Ground

Newburgh Colored Burial Ground is a historic cemetery and national historic district located at Newburgh in Orange County, New York.

Newburgh Colored Burial Ground
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
The cemetery is located in part under this parking lot and to the right of the building
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Location	Broadway & Robinson Avenue (US 9W), Newburgh, New York
Coordinates	41°30′2.53″N 74°1′16.89″W
Area	0.9 acres (0.36 ha)
Built	1820
NRHP reference No.	10000137[1]
Added to NRHP	March 31, 2010

The district consists of an archaeological site for a 19th-century burial ground containing approximately 100 graves located on the west and northwest sides of the Newburgh City Courthouse, possibly extending under adjacent Robinson Avenue. The cemetery was active between about 1832 and 1867.^[2]

In 1908, a school building was built on top of the cemetery, apparently without removing the graves or remains of those interred there.^[3] In 2008, renovations at the Broadway School unearthed the remains of 105 individuals. Six sets of remains were left on-site,^[4] while the other 99 were taken into custody of the State University of New York at New Paltz.^[5] The Broadway School building is now the City of Newburg Courthouse.

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010.^[1]

In 2022, the City Council of Newburgh agreed to develop a memorial park in Downing Park.^[5]

References

1. "National Register of Historic Places". Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 3/29/10 Through 4/02/10. National Park Service. April 9, 2010.
2. William E. Krattinger and Douglas Mackey (October 2009). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Newburgh Colored Burial Ground". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Retrieved May 31, 2010. See also: "Accompanying five photos".
3. "200-year-old bones unearthed from Newburgh's 'Colored Burial Ground' may rest in Downing Park". Times Union. August 28, 2021. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
4. "Postmortem examinations and the embodiment of inequality in 19th century United States". sciencedirect.com. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
5. "City Council agrees on location for the Newburgh Colored Burial Ground Memorial". Mid Hudson News. May 20, 2022. Retrieved July 28, 2023.