Before the Civil War, the area had a history as a haven to captured slaves who were often treated by local doctors after U.S. Key West is no stranger to slaves, slavery or the American slave trade. (Photo: Bonnie Gross) Key West and the slave trade Since the discovery of the unmarked graves, African tribal dignitaries have visited the site to consecrate the ground and venerate the buried.Īdrinka plaque at African Cemetery Memorial at Higgs Beach in Key West.
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It also contains a series of pedestals adorned with African Adinkra symbols and topped with bronze plaques. Experts believe the beach is the site of the only African refugee cemetery in the United States.Ī rectangular portion of beachfront is separated from the rest of the beach and flanked by columns marking the site. The public beach may provide recreation to many but it is also home to an extraordinary piece of America’s past.
They were buried in unmarked graves along the island’s southern shore and, over time, lost to lore and history.įast forward to today and Higgs Beach in Key West. About 294 of the captives died in Key West, most likely from typhoid fever and dysentery. Others in the group weren’t so fortunate. The lucky ones were returned to Africa (although not to the area where they had lived). The blue surface in the background is a map of Africa and America, showing the passageway ships sailed. Key West African Cemetery: At Higgs Beach in Key West, a memorial marks the site where African slaves were buried after they were rescued from slave ships in 1860.
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