Hi, Nan,

A recent report by Public Archaeology Laboratory of Pawtucket, RI, discusses
information pertaining to the exhumation and reburial of human remains that
had been interred in Boston's Central Burying Ground.  Over 900 individuals
were removed when the Boston Transit Commission constructed the Tremon
Street subway through the pedestrian mall on the Common.  This was not an
archaeological excavation but the work was overseen by Dr. Samuel A. Green,
a former mayor of Boston!

The study that PAL has done is on behalf of the MBTA, which seems determined
to run the Silver Line (currently a bus route) underground along some of
these highly sensitive areas and elsewhere on/through the Common and other
parts of Boston.  Who knows, someone might end up excavating some burials
scientifically, which would be a first for Boston, much more accustomed to
turfing folks out of their final resting places to make room for whatever.

The PAL report is:
Cherau, Suzanne G.
2008    Reconnaissance Archaeological Survey MBTA Silver Line Phase III
Project, Boston, Massachusetts.  PAL Report No 1508–1.  Submitted to
URS/DMJM+Harris JV and Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, Boston,
MA, by PAL, Pawtucket, RI.  Copies available from Massachusetts Historical
Commission, Boston, MA.

City Archaeologist Ellen Berkland probably has more info on cemeteries
within the city and whether there has been any study of below ground
remains; she's been doing geophys on Rainsford Island at the cemetery there
(the Harbor Islands are, to my mind, Boston's "front yard"!).

All best,
Mary B.
On Mon, Jun 23, 2008 at 3:52 PM, Nan A. Rothschild <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:

> Hi all,
>
> First I want to thank the many respondants who answered my (and Diana
> Wall's) query last year about urban site reports. We are working our way
> thru the material you sent and it has been very helpful.
>
> We have another question: does anyone know of excavations in white or
> Euro-american cemeteries? We have information from African-American
> cemeteries, and there are gravestone studies from Euro-American cemeteries
> but we cannot find examples of excavation in the latter (which is
> interesting, of course).
>
> Thansk again for any information you have,
>
> best,
> Nan
>
> Nan A. Rothschild
>
> Research Professor
> Barnard College
> 212 854-4315
>
> Director of Museum Studies
> Columbia University
> 212 854-4977
>