Project Overview
The Laurel Cemetery project began in the Summer of 2014 as an inter-institutional project for students interested in cultural resource management, history, archeology, and environmental science. Initially begun as a collaboration between faculty from the University of Baltimore and Coppin State University, the project expanded to include students from the Community College of Baltimore County, Towson University, and Morgan State University. Additionally, volunteers from the Agnes Kane Callum Baltimore Chapter of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society have contributed significantly to researching the identities of interred individuals and locating their descendants.
Phase 1
Archaeological excavation intended to assess the presence and condition of burials still interred at the original site began on June 22, 2015 and was formally concluded in July 2017. Since the site of the former cemetery is currently being used as a shopping center, excavation was done in an open field adjacent to the parking lot. Additional research methods used in this project to investigate the cemetery include mapping and remote sensing with magnetometer and ground penetrating radar.
Results from the magnetometer and ground penetrating radar confirmed the existence of burials under the parking lot as well as under the unpaved areas of the property. Artifacts recovered during excavation include: human skeletal remains, caskets and casket hardware, gravestones, and early 20th century household items.
Phase 2
The second component is ongoing and includes an ethnographic and historical study aimed at understanding the material, sociopolitical, and symbolic contexts surrounding the use and ultimate destruction of Laurel Cemetery.
Our research team is currently conducting archival research to collect historical documents and information about the cemetery, to create a comprehensive listing of burials, and to identify and collect oral histories from descendant community members. Goals are to gain an understanding of the size of the cemetery, the significance of its operation in the African American community, reasons for its decline, and legal processes and protests concerning its demolition and partial removal.
Another major goal is to erect an historic marker at the site.