Remains Tell Stories of Delawares Earliest Enslaved

Burials uncovered in Rehoboth Bay give a first-hand account of the hard life faced by those forced to labor on a 17th-century Delaware plantation

By Jason Daley
smithsonian.com
December 8, 2017 3:55PM

These days, Delaware’s Cape region is known for being a beachy playground. In stark contrast, life in the area’s tobacco fields in the 17th-century was characterized by being brutal and short, especially for the enslaved people who worked the plantations. As Michael E. Ruane at the Washington Post reports, archaeologists are now getting a first-hand account of their lives in the fields from human remains found in Rehoboth Bay.

These may be the earliest remains of enslaved people found so far in Delaware, according to a press release.

Archaeologists began to dig on the grounds of a former plantation called Avery’s Rest, which was once owned by local judge, planter and sea captain John Avery, in 2006. Back in the 1970s, the area was designated as a historically significant site, which is what triggered the round of excavations in the 2000s, when the state learned that the area was being considered for development.

Since then, researchers have uncovered artifacts and buildings on the site. The burials were discovered in 2012. In total, researchers have uncovered 11 of them dating between the 1660s and 1690s. They’ve since transferred the remains to the Smithsonian for analysis and DNA testing.

Read more: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/remains-tell-story-delawares-earliest-slaves-180967456/#8wXzO0t2u7mG0XHl.99