Archaeologists May Have Found Home Built by One of New England's First Black Property Owners

Pompey Mansfield was an enslaved man who won his freedom, purchased land, constructed a house and became a prominent community leader

Eli Wizevich
Reporter

July 10, 2024

Researchers have unearthed the stone foundations of a house that may have belonged to Pompey Mansfield (known as “King Pompey”), an enslaved man from West Africa who won his freedom and became one of the first Black landowners in colonial New England.

At some point after his birth in the early 1700s, Mansfield was abducted and brought to Massachusetts. Historians don’t know how long he was enslaved or when he was freed. In 1762, he appears to have purchased two acres of land, where he eventually built a small house.

“King Pompey was an esteemed leader in the Black community, but his home and property have always been a mystery,” says Kabria Baumgartner, a historian at Northeastern University and member of the research team, in a statement. The researchers wanted to solve that mystery. They started their search with a crucial piece of evidence: an 1829 map of northeastern Massachusetts featuring a tiny square marked with the words “Black King Pompey.” However, the map alone would not be enough.

“I have learned over the years of doing archaeology, looking for sites on early colonial and even historic maps, it’s hardly like you can enter them into your GPS,” Meghan Howey, an archaeologist at the University of New Hampshire and member of the research team, tells Beth Treffeisen of Boston.com.

More:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-find-homestead-belonging-to-one-of-new-englands-first-black-property-owners-180984679/