Collaborative Documentary Archaeology and the Spatial Reclamation of African American Cemeteries in Central Florida

In this article we discuss documentary archaeology’s ability to support an engaged archaeological pedagogy by locating and documenting previously unrecorded African American cemeteries in Central Florida. Our research grew out of a series of class assignments, semester projects, and independent research. In describing these approaches and our real-world results, we illustrate how empowering students supports the development of a deeper understanding of the issues impacting these places while contributing to their preservation and documentation. Our multiyear project identified 56 previously unrecorded African American burial grounds in a ten-county region of Central Florida. We also discuss the numerous challenges this work faces including: many cemeteries are small, abandoned, or located on private property; the associated African American community may no longer reside in the area; and the various structural and institutional means that contribute to the erasure of these communities from Florida’s historical landscape. By documenting these places, we aim to honor the memories of those buried within them while promoting awareness of the struggles these communities continue to face.