N.Y. leaders hope to protect historic African burial ground in Queens
New York leaders hope to protect a historic African burial ground in Elmhurst, Queens.
In 2011, a woman's body was discovered buried in an iron coffin on the property. Archeologists later determined she was likely in her 20s and had died of smallpox in the 1800s.
It turned out, she wasn't alone. Hundreds of others, including many formerly enslaved African Americans, lay alongside her below what is now a vacant parking lot.
The land was once owned by St. Mark AME Church, but it was forced to relocate, and the land was purchased by an LLC called 90 Queens.
Ever since then, St. Mark AME Rev. Kim Detherage has been part of a group of locals fighting to properly memorialize the site.
"It would have been nice to know that there was a history of freed Black slaves here that were part of the abolitionist movement," Elmhurst resident Greg Cassagnol said. "Those ancestors that are laying under that rubble, their spirit is pushing us onward and upward. So this isn't gonna stop."
That group received from reinforcements Friday from New York Attorney General Letitia James and Queens Borough President Donovan Richards.
James announced her plans to intervene with the property, which is in foreclosure. Should the current owners need to sell, James says she'll make sure any new buyer "knows exactly who is buried there and is aware of their legal obligation to protect them."
Richards, meanwhile, has a buyer in mind: the city.
"The mayor ran on equity and inclusion and the importance of making sure everybody is seen, and I would hope that he follows through on this," he said. "Do not auction off our ancestors. That's why we're here."
The borough president has pledged to chip in from his own budget and says he spoke to the mayor about covering the rest last week.
A spokesperson for Mayor Zohran Mamdani's office sent CBS News New York the following statement Friday, which is the same statement they sent us regarding the issue back on Sept. 3:
"The site at 47-11 90th Street in East Elmhurst Queens is a 19th- to early-20th-century African American burial ground associated with what is now St Mark's AME church and is the site of many burials.
"We understand the concerns about this site, which reflects an important and complex period of Black history in this city following the abolition of slavery in New York State in 1827.
"We have heard the calls to formally designate the site as a New York City landmark. The LPC is an independent entity, and I would refer you to them for next steps in this important process.
"At this site, though, the Department of Buildings has taken strong enforcement actions and secured a stipulation from the owner and the commercial tenant to cease their inappropriate and illegal operations by the end of November, and we are prepared to take additional action if they fail to live up to that agreement."
CBS News New York's multiple attempts to contact the property's majority owners have been unsuccessful.
