Despite Commonwealth policy of equal historic preservation, African-American and Indigenous-African historic homes and communities lack preservation of both narrative and historic architecture, archaeology.
In those cases like the Lucy Foster home, Black historical archaeology was long the neglected domain of White researchers. The Foster home was first investigated by the Bullens, who are also responsible for many excavations of Indigenous sites, and sadly, cemeteries.
In more recent times, the Black legacy narrative of Massachusetts has seen voice from academics of color, as in Vernon Baker's book on the Lucy Foster home:
The Calvin Swan home lies far toward the opposite end of Massachusetts in Northfield. Here we find the common case of Black Historical Archaeology: all that remains are cellar holes, stone foundations, amorphous rock piles, and the stone collar of what was likely the family's well spring. Calvin Swan was a carpenter, and later lumber miller, who was also an abolitionist and Methodist committee leader. Across the mountain, alongside some of the state's richest farmlands, lie the stately houses designed by famous White architects that Calvin Swan helped to build - all in perfect state of preservation and still occupied.
The Northfield Town history of Calvin Swan emphasizes his successes, while the Swan family's physical and economic marginalization status - and that of the Gulf community are completely ommitted, along with any recgonition of the extreme disparity in their states of preservation. Thought the site long qualified for state preservation assistance, that opportunity was not taken.
Also absent from town and other histories of Calvin Swan are the voice of Mr. Swan and his descendants, as well as details about their forward history.
In all these respects, the Calvin Swan home is typical of Black Historical Archaeology.in America. Despite being impressive personal achievement as persons and as communities, they are physically, socially, and economically marginalized while being disproportionately likely to be erased under water or other infrastructure, or to be in a neglected state of preservation.
Drowning Lands refers to the municipal taking and disappearing of historic Black, Indigenous, and poor White communities largely benefiting White people of privilege and often renamed for soldiers of racial oppression.
An exceptional case: The Fitch-Hoose House, and the Gulf Community of Dalton present some exceptions. While few Black American historic homes are preserved, the Fitch-Hoose house received attention. It could be argued that the preservation efforts gilded an historically humble home, but it is a win for preservation for a community that was in danger of complete invisibility.
The Gulf Community of Dalton is also typical of historical archaeology of Black America in presenting both individual achievement and historic marginalization, eventual dispersal, and eventual decay under preservation neglect. Despite the structural racism of archaeology and historic preservation, and the lack of anchoring Black historic narratives, the Gulf carries great stories of personal struggle, achievement, and overcoming barriers.
Black American Historic Archaeology finds an early root at Parting Ways community, also once called New Guinea, a place that counts among its residents Black Americans who helped to free America, to establish the nation we became.
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