In Inwood until the late 1800s, the Dyckman and Nagel family cemeteries remained with grave markings, enclosed by a fence, and appeared to be a well kept rural cemetery. A few hundreds yards away were unmarked graves of enslaved Africans. During rapid development in the early 20th century, the site was discovered in March of 1903, and again, no means of protection came for those buried in this hilly knoll, and the bodies were exhumed, examined, and stolen.
The location of the Inwood Sacred Site lies between today’s 211th and 212th Streets, between Broadway and 10th Avenue. Until recently, this block was occupied by various Auto Shops and P.S. 98 – Shorac Kappock’s faculty parking lot. The local community of Inwood is fighting to raise awareness and gain recognition of this sacred site that was sadly desecrated a century ago. Hear from the team behind the Inwood Sacred Site Memorial at this session of Back Porch History at the Dyckman Farmhouse Museum.
