1856 Project expands research on UMD’s ties to slavery, unveils new partnerships
The University of Maryland’s 1856 Project introduced a partnership with several community organizations during its second annual research update on Friday, including an effort to identify, rebury and memorialize the remains of seven enslaved peoples originating from a plantation in modern-day Bowie, Maryland.
The project began in 2020 and aims to uncover the University of Maryland’s connection to slavery since its founding in 1856.
Over 200 participants attended the event at the Stamp Student Union’s Grand Ballroom lounge. Georgina Dodge, vice president of diversity and inclusion, opened the event with a speech speaking to the importance of the project in light of attacks towards diversity at universities.
“The troubles we are experiencing today make it all the more pressing that we lean into the trials and the triumphs of our ancestors,” Dodge said.
At the center of the research lies the remains of four women and three men. The centuries-old bones were uncovered in 1987 during the construction of a home in Bowie, Maryland. Since then, the remains have been left in the care of the university.
The Bowie Ancestors Project has been researching the identities of the remains with the end goal of locating descendant communities to consult during the reburial process.
“We want to make sure we have people there who can help guide us in what the community wants, its desires,” Siobhan Summers, a faculty specialist in the department of anthropology and contributor to the project, said.
The 1856 Project selected the Bowie Ancestors Project as one of many community-driven projects part of a two-year research program. The program is funded by a $200,000 Andrew W. Mellon Foundation grant. The program will also support the Lakeland Employees Oral History Project and White Marsh Historical Society.
The project will identify ten researchers from the university and the wider Prince George’s County community, providing them with a $5,000 stipend to support the various community projects.
Douglas McElrath, director of special collections and university archives, discussed findings relating to the Duckett family, enslaved on John Eversfield’s Oakland plantation. The plantation was located on what is today North Campus and the university golf course.
Using the findings surrounding the Greenleaf family, also enslaved on the Eversfield plantation, from the 2023 summer research initiative as a blueprint, the 1856 project could trace the movement of Charles Duckett from the plantation to the 4th regiment of the United States Colored Troops.
The next step in this aspect of the project is to contact living descendants.
Olivia Blucker, a senior anthropology and African American and Africana studies double major, participated in the summer research initiative. Her findings examined three different paths to emancipation for enslaved people with connections to the university.
Blucker studied one of the earliest examples of interracial marriage in 1681 between Eleanor “Irish Nell,” a white indentured servant of Charles Calvert in Prince George’s County, and Charles Butler, an enslaved man owned by Major William Boarman in Charles County.
“[The research] is not shrouded in something that’s completely negative. It’s a story of resilience and resistance,” Buckler said.
The project also announced intentions to build databases based on geographical data to map the movement of those connected to the university.
Stefan Woehlke, a clinical assistant professor in the historic preservation program, said this would include trustees of the Maryland Agricultural College and the communities they enslaved.
Jodie Kulpa-Eddy, the former mayor of Berwyn Heights, attended the event as a representative of the Berwyn Heights Historical Committee. The update was her first 1856 Project event, and she valued the community focus.
“We’re excited to see where this goes,” Kulpa-Eddy said. “I’m sure there’s going to be intersections of our history with the history taking place here.”
A looming topic throughout the update was the Trump administration, which has threatened academic institutions considering race in student life in a Feb. 14 letter. Project members confirmed that they hadn’t received any indication from the university that their work would be stopped.
Lae’l Hughes-Watkins, co-chair of the project, emphasized the importance of research work involving marginalized communities in light of the current political climate.
“I think we’re all engaging in conversation on how we might pivot if, at some point, our work is impacted by an executive order,” she said. “Building community is so important in this moment and strengthening our community is more important.”