Hidden History: Whitefield Square field survey seeks possible unmarked burials

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) -Savannah city leaders have partnered with an archaeological team this week to search for possible human remains beneath Whitefield Square, where enslaved and free people of color were buried in the 1700s and 1800s.

Archaeologists with the Lamar Institute are surveying the square using ground-penetrating radar to determine what remains below the surface. The technology sends microwave beams into the ground and waits for signals that bounce back, according to Daniel Thornton-Elliott of the Lamar Institute.

“We’re looking for dead folks,” Thornton-Elliott said.

Historical questions about burial ground

Whitefield Square, one of the last squares laid out in Savannah, served as a primary burial ground for African Americans in the 1700s and 1800s. Conflicting records have left questions about whether remains were ever moved or if many still rest below.

“So we’re doing ground-penetrating radar with the Lamar Institute to help us see if there are any human remains under the square,” said Luciana Spracher, the city’s archives and history officer.

The Lamar Institute is a local archaeological and historical research non-profit with its lab located in Rincon. The technology used does not require any digging.

Plans for historical marker

The archaeological data will help the city create a new interpretive historical marker acknowledging the burial ground and honoring those laid to rest.

“We just want to make sure we’re historically accurate and also if there are remains that we’re honoring those remains, human remains,” Spracher said.

The findings will determine whether further investigation is needed, Spracher said. The number of remains discovered will factor into what happens next.

The Lamar Institute hopes to have findings to the city by New Year’s.