In light of America’s 250th birthday on Saturday, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu revealed that conservators at the city’s historic Granary Burying Ground discovered what is believed to be one of the oldest headstones belonging to a free Black man in America.
“That discovery is likely one of the oldest gravestones of a free Black person in America,” Wu said around the 13-minute mark of her speech at Faneuil Hall. “It’s been there all along. We just had to go look and share the story.”
In June, city archaeologists used a 251-year-old map to locate a Revolutionary War fort built on the eve of the Battle of Bunker Hill, according to Wu, who referenced the work in her commemorative speech. The trench where the gravestone was discovered was located, along with musket balls and gun flints from the battle, one of the earliest battles of the war for independence from England.
The gravesite was identified as belonging to a man named Sebastian Lake, a former slave who died free in 1729. The site is set to be among 40 new historical markers placed around the city to highlight Boston’s hidden history, including sites where students walked out in protest of segregation.
“Every kid growing up in our city should know what’s possible here. If a child in Roxbury or Chinatown or Mattapan learns that people like them built this country and this city, then leading it doesn’t sound so crazy,” Wu said.
Wu is among several leaders across the country who are calling for a broader view of American history and a deeper dive into the country’s untold stories. Under the Trump Administration, various entities across the country have been forced to remove stories and plaques regarding mentions of slavery, Black heroes and more through an executive order.
“While the federal government tries to narrow the story of America, Boston keeps expanding it,” Wu said.
