Browse Exhibits (5 total)
Brazoria
Throughout the 19th century, thousands of enslaved Africans lived on Brazoria County plantations and worked the land and sugar mills. The story of plantation life is often told through its owners, and historical and archaeological research at these sites is needed to better approach the difficult and challenging narratives of enslaved people. The Texas Historical Commission, with participation by Rice University, is currently working to develop these sites into nationally significant cultural destinations that utilize the rich historical and archaeological records to document the role of African Americans in settling and developing Texas. Two plantations are included in the Texas State Historic Site where the research is occurring – Varner-Hogg Plantation and Levi Jordan Plantation.
In September 2021, the Mellon Sawyer seminar team visited these two plantations and had a meeting with the Texas Historical Commission at the Levi Jordan plantation.
For more information about Rice's Archaeology Project at Varner Hogg, see: Rice archaeologists’ new video series gives inside look at historic plantation site | Rice News | News and Media Relations | Rice University
For more information on the Levi Jordan plantation, see: Levi Jordan Plantation History | THC.Texas.gov - Texas Historical Commission
For more information on the Varner Hogg plantation, see: Varner-Hogg Plantation State Historic Site | West Columbia, Texas | Texas Historical Commission | history and Digitally Mapping Varner-Hogg Plantation (arcgis.com)
Ghana
In November 2022, our team travelled to Ghana to visit important slave trading forts, museum collections, and remembrance sites. This leg of our work explored the complicated and continuous links between Africa and the Americas as well as the deep-seated multi-ethnic nature of Ghana. It was completed with crucial collaboration from Samuel Acquaah, Professor Kofi Baku, and Assistant Professor Hermann von Hesse.
For more information on Frederiksgave Plantation and Common Heritage Site, see: Frederiksgave Plantation Booklet.
For more information on the Ussher Fort Slave Museum and Documentary Centre, see: Ghana inaugurates the rehabilitated Ussher Fort Slave Museum and Documentary Centre - UNESCO World Heritage Centre
To learn more about the Osu Castle, another important heritage site in Ghana, see: Osu Castle - Christiansborg Archaeological Heritage Project. Accra Ghana
Jamaica
During October 2022 the seminar organizers, with the guidance of Chief Michael Grizzle and Colonel Wallace Sterling, toured important sites of Maroon and Jamaican histroy ranging from St. James to Portland Parish. In addition to visiting key Maroon communities, such as Trewlany and Moore Towns, we endeavored to historical fixtures such as Sam Sharpe Square and the Greenwood Great House.
For general information on key cultural sites within Jamaica, see: Atlas of Cultural Heritage and Infrastructure of the Americas: Jamaica.
Rio de Janeiro
In June 2022, we made our way to Rio de Janeiro to commence the international component of our seminar. Our time there enabled us to better engage with the evolving legacies of African slavery in Brazil by exploring issues such as the endurance of diasporic religions, Afro-Brazilian environmental management, and political responses to new land regulations under the 1988 Constitution. The help and guidance of Miriam Bondim, Monica Lima, and Emerson Luis Ramos were essential in bringing the experience to fruition.
Salvador, Bahia
On April 24-25, 2023, participants of the Mellon Sawyer seminar gathered in Salvador, Bahia, for a series of roundtable discussions (cf. "Mellon Sawyer Seminar in Salvador, Bahia" under "Our Meetings" tab).