Archeological and Historical Investigation and Descendant Community Outreach on an African American Graveyard: The Case of Bull Hill Cemetery
TexasIn April 2008, the Texas Historical Commission and the Summerlee Foundation completed the Bull Hill Cemetery preservation project. Bull Hill is an African American cemetery that may date as early as the 1830s. It was used for the interment of African Americans until the first half of the 20th century. Sometime in the 1960s, the cemetery was closed and nearly disappeared from the collective memories of both African American and White Falls County residents. From March to August 2007, the cemetery was documented according to the THC's Standards for Preserving Historic Cemeteries (n.d.) and Preserving Historic Cemeteries: Texas Preservation Guidelines (2001). Non-invasive remote sensing geophysical archeological methods were also employed to learn more about the cemetery.
In addition to the technological innovations archeologist James E. Bruseth used to uncover the cemetery's past, the scholarly research methods anthropologist Nedra K. Lee used to engage the community also makes this ideal for practicing preservationists seeking successful models for their own projects. A particularly important part of the project was community outreach to the local African American descendant community, with careful attention being paid to issues of race and power in interpreting the past. This aspect of the work at Bull Hill ultimately served to highlight the lives and experiences of African Americans in a small rural Central Texas community. Read More>>
