The Archaeology of Death and Memory in the Brazos Valley
Cemeteries are one of the most visible connections of a community to the past, and consequently to a shared community identity.
Historic African American cemeteries, and their churches, helped anchor the communities they served. For rural settlements of Black Texans in the Jim Crow South, this role was even more vital. Today, archaeological research focused on these cemeteries can help tell the stories of the generations that are memorialized within them.
Cemetery Archaeology & Freedom Colonies
This project is focused on documenting and preserving the archaeological remains of historic African-American cemeteries in the Brazos Valley.
Following emancipation, many formerly enslaved Texans joined together to form close-knit communities in what are now known as freedom colonies. In some cases, a cemetery is all that remains to serve as a physical reminder of those who called the community home. During this period, burial practices for these communities often involved more than a headstone - household items were often left to provision the deceased, and the grave sites themselves were often marked with objects, such as upturned beer bottles, either instead of or in addition to a headstone. These traditions, which largely ceased by World War 2, leave behind fragile, yet incredibly informative, archaeological artifacts. Due to their often delicate nature, these artifacts are at high risk of destruction and are rarely preserved in cemeteries today.
Canaan Cemetery
Canaan Cemetery is currently the focus of the ADMBV Project, and offers one of the most well-preserved examples of African-American burial practices in Texas.
Occupying over six acres in Brazos county, the cemetery was in use by the 1870s and served at least seven communities of Black Texans. The rural location of the cemetery, while contributing to significant vegetation overgrowth, helped protect the fragile remains of post-emancipation burial practices. Glass and ceramic pieces of household items, foodstuffs, and even industrial supplies, dating from the late-19th and early-20th century have been found throughout Canaan Cemetery.
When a community-led cleanup effort began at Canaan Cemetery in 2021, we launched the ADMBV Project on behalf of the Brazos Valley African American Museum to preserve, document, and research the physical remains of the cemetery.
Canaan Cemetery Project Goals
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Establish an archaeological map of Canaan Cemetery, including all burial markers, artifacts, and suspected burials. Archaeological mapping will aid in the study of the development and use of the cemetery, as well as further understanding of post-emancipation burial practices.
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Identify, document, collect, and catalog all artifacts on the surface of the site. Artifact research will then be conducted to study significant aspects of community life, such as health, economic practices, and gender roles.
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Collect oral histories from the descendant community.
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Create a genealogical map of the cemetery.
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Compile all data into a publicly accessible narrative to represent the history of this period in the Brazos Valley.
The Artifacts from Canaan Cemetery
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Historic glass fragments found near a headstone.
Almost one thousand artifacts have been recovered from Canaan Cemetery to date. Most are glass or ceramic fragments.
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Historic glass bottle fragments before collection.
The thick layer of vegetation at Canaan Cemetery helped preserve these artifacts for over a century.
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Artifact cleaning and preliminary recording at the end of a field day.
Following collection, all artifacts were taken to an archaeological conservation laboratory for cleaning and study.
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Examples of the different artifact types found at Canaan Cemetery.
A collection of glass artifacts after documentation and cleaning, Included is a medicine bottle top, the base of a beer bottle, the top of a whiskey shoo-fly bottle, and an insulator.
