Four acres of woods, long overgrown with bushes and brambles, sit nestled in the tiny oceanside community of Machias, Maine. Underneath lies a forgotten history that will give the area a much different complexion.
Researchers at the University of Maine at Machias are combining the disciplines of history, folklore studies, literary and cultural studies and archaeology to study that lost history -- investigating a post-Revolutionary War, African-American community in Machias, known as the Atusville District.
"Our project will contribute to an important reevaluation of local history and folklore in the Downeast region, bringing to light an unrecognized story of African-American presence, cultural contribution and historical struggle," says Dr. Marcus LiBrizzi, assistant professor of English, and a coordinator of the project. "We're hoping to revise or even deconstruct the kind of popular conceptions of what Downeast culture really is."
"We know that there was a black community in Machias beginning in the 1770s and fading out by the middle of the 20th century," says Dr. Kay Kimball, assistant professor of history at UMM and co-coordinator. "We know that there were slaves in the area and, following the revolution and when Maine became a state, the black community in Machias was small, but stable. We know approximately where they lived and know some folklore and stories about their presence. We have these tantalizing bits and pieces to go on."
LiBrizzi, Kimball, and UMM archaeologist Dr. Mike Kimball, are collaborating with their own students at UMM as well as students from local middle and high schools, on the project. They will review local newspapers and public records, interview local historians and area residents and descendents of the Atusville settlers, and to finally locate and stabilize the Atus Cemetery, a historic site in danger of disappearing.
"Archaeology's role in research is to connect what's on or in the ground with what actually happened - what life was really like," says Dr. Mike Kimball, assistant professor of anthropology at UMM. Using ground-penetrating radar, he and his team will be able to determine where the actual burials are and how intensely the burial ground was used. They hope to use that knowledge to make inferences about the structure of the Atusville community.
Ultimately the group hopes to bring a new appreciation of multiculturalism and regional identity to the Downeast region. "African-Americans, in addition to Native Americans and white Europeans, have contributed to the formation of culture Downeast. The picture that will emerge will be more complex than traditional depictions, reflecting an uncovered historical richness," says LiBrizzi.
The project is part of larger efforts nationwide to illuminate the African experience in America, including studies of New York City's African Burial Ground -- an 18th century burial ground covering five to six acres and containing an estimated remains of 10,000 to 20,000 people.
"Although the scale of our Atusville project is small by comparison, its significance within the context of Maine's history and culture cannot be overstated," says Mike Kimball.
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