Nearly 100 Forced Laborers Buried More Than A Century Ago Recovered From School Grounds [View all]
Nearly 100 Forced Laborers Buried More Than A Century Ago Recovered From School Grounds
Madison Dapcevich
27 Jul 2018 00:05
Construction crews have unearthed the graves of 95 people thought to be black prisoners forced into labor more than a century ago.
The long-forgotten cemetery was first discovered in April after the Fort Bend Independent School District broke ground for a new educational center. Since archaeologists began work in mid-June, 48 individuals have been exhumed. Of those, analyses have been completed on more than 20. Experts with the Texas Historical Commission believe the bodies belong to black convicts forced into labor camps after the abolishment of slavery.
“All of [the remains] are male, except for one female of the ones that have been analyzed so far,” said onsite bioarchaeologists Dr Catrina Whitley in a statement. “They’re ranging from 5 feet, 2 inches to 6 feet, 2 inches in height, and anywhere from 14 years of age to 50 to 70 years of age.”
Scientists say of the bodies unearthed, some could have been former slaves. All look to be of muscular build with some “misshapen bones” that suggests a life of hard labor and repetitive movements. Buried 0.6 to 1.5 meters (2 to 5 feet) beneath the surface, the discovery could help historians paint a better picture of what life looked like at this time.
More:
http://www.iflscience.com/editors-blog/nearly-100-forced-laborers-buried-more-than-a-century-ago-recovered-from-school-grounds/