Excavating Enslavement in the Garden State: Historical Archaeology of an Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century Plantation Near Trenton, New Jersey

Abstract

ABSTRACT The William Green House is the last remaining building of what was once a 360-acre agricultural plantation, on what is now the campus of The College of New Jersey. This article presents archival research demonstrating a presence of indentured servitude and enslaved labor during the eighteenth and nineteenth century. Supporting archaeological investigations have recovered artifacts associated with farming and household activities, but as with many northern plantations, material evidence of enslavement is often difficult to distinguish. An assemblage from the basement is presented, but with restricted access to the house’s interior, future work is limited to the exterior yards. This research adds to the growing conversation of the prominent and prolonged presence of enslavement in Northern States and specifically serves as a reminder of the economic importance of enslavement in the Garden State.