Mass Grave Site Of Enslaved African Americans Documented In Bowie On MLK Jr. Day

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a group of people gathered on the side of a steep hill behind the chapel at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Bowie to help clear the brush and overgrowth from an area believed to be the final resting spot for more than 500 enslaved African Americans who worked and lived on the church's property.

Volunteers arrived armed with chain saws, rakes and other tools to try and get to the grave markers. Catholic University helped with the search, and Laura Masur, an assistant professor of anthropology there, guided the grave identification process, which consisted of grave markers akin to rocks or other objects.

By using ground-penetrating radar, Masur said more than 150 graves have already been documented.

Read more at WTOP