Free Hybrid Lecture: Death and Burial in Colonial Cambridge

Schedule

Wed Oct 29 2025 at 06:00 pm to 09:00 pm

UTC-04:00

Location

Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 | Cambridge, MA

Advertisement
Since the founding of Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the 1630s, the Old Burying Ground—located steps away from Harvard Square at the intersection of present-day Massachusetts Avenue and Garden Street—has served as the final resting place for many notable figures tied to Harvard’s early history. These include Henry Dunster, John Leverett, and Benjamin Wadsworth, as well as prominent families, Allston, Brattle, Craigie, Davis, Hancock, Porter, and Tufts, whose names remain familiar in Cambridge, Somerville, and Boston today. The cemetery is also the burial site of at least two enslaved individuals, Cicely and Jane, who lived and died in the early eighteenth century, and of Charles Lenox and his daughter, two free Black residents of the early nineteenth century.
In this talk, Jason Ur, Stephen Phillips Professor of Archaeology and Ethnology, Department of Anthropology, Harvard University and Aja Lans, Assistant Professor in Anthropology and Africana Studies, Johns Hopkins University, will discuss these burials and reveal how they use noninvasive research tools—such as photography, digital mapping, and radar technologies—to shed new light on slavery in New England and colonial burial practices.
Advance registration is recommended: https://tinyurl.com/ColonialCambridge. Free event parking at the 52 Oxford Street Garage starting at 4:00 pm.
Advertisement

Where is it happening?

Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, United States

Event Location & Nearby Stays:

Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology

Host or Publisher Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology

It's more fun with friends. Share with friends

Discover More Events in Cambridge

Hotel Mira, Nat Lefkoff in Cambridge
Tue, 28 Oct at 07:00 pm Hotel Mira, Nat Lefkoff in Cambridge

Middle East - Upstairs

CONCERTS MUSIC
Creature Feature
Tue, 28 Oct at 08:00 pm Creature Feature

40 Prospect Street, Cambridge, MA

CONTESTS
BUTTTOOTKING: Lydia Kollins, Suzie Toot + Kori King from RuPaul's Drag Race
Tue, 28 Oct at 09:30 pm BUTTTOOTKING: Lydia Kollins, Suzie Toot + Kori King from RuPaul's Drag Race

The Sinclair

SPORTS MEET-AND-GREET
BUTTTOOTKING: Lydia Kollins, Suzie Toot + Kori King- Cambridge
Tue, 28 Oct at 09:30 pm BUTTTOOTKING: Lydia Kollins, Suzie Toot + Kori King- Cambridge

The Sinclair

SPORTS
The Measure of Freedom and Unfreedom
Wed, 29 Oct at 06:30 pm The Measure of Freedom and Unfreedom

Harvard University Graduate School Of Design

VIRTUAL
Leith Ross
Wed, 29 Oct at 07:00 pm Leith Ross

The Sinclair Music Hall

CONTESTS TRIPS-ADVENTURES
Earfull at the Regattabar
Wed, 29 Oct at 07:30 pm Earfull at the Regattabar

The Regattabar

MUSIC ART
All Hallows\u2019 Eve: Spooky tunes, songs and tales from Scotland
Wed, 29 Oct at 08:00 pm All Hallows’ Eve: Spooky tunes, songs and tales from Scotland

Club Passim

HALLOWEEN
Startups Fund Raising Program
Sat, 19 Sep at 01:00 pm Startups Fund Raising Program

Cambridge

BUSINESS WORKSHOPS
Lamplighter's "Beer School": Brewery Tour and Tasting
Sat, 07 Sep at 04:00 pm Lamplighter's "Beer School": Brewery Tour and Tasting

Lamplighter Brewing Co. - Broadway

CONTESTS WORKSHOPS
Adventurous Scavenger Hunt - All Along the Charles River
Mon, 11 Nov at 08:00 am Adventurous Scavenger Hunt - All Along the Charles River

Aesop's Fables, II

ART TRIPS-ADVENTURES
Innovation Trail \u2014 Kendall Square Walking Tour for Newbies + Natives
Sat, 06 Sep at 10:30 am Innovation Trail — Kendall Square Walking Tour for Newbies + Natives

MIT Museum

TRIPS-ADVENTURES BUSINESS
Create & Care: Natural Beauty Workshop Series
Sat, 13 Sep at 05:00 pm Create & Care: Natural Beauty Workshop Series

The Foundry

WORKSHOPS
Maker Hub: AI Collges
Mon, 29 Sep at 02:30 pm Maker Hub: AI Collges

314 Main Street, Gambrill Center, Cambridge, MA, United States, Massachusetts 02139

ART DOG
Imagine & Create!
Tue, 30 Sep at 06:00 pm Imagine & Create!

695 W Kendall St

KIDS ART
Christine Webb at the Harvard Science Center
Tue, 30 Sep at 06:00 pm Christine Webb at the Harvard Science Center

Science Center

ART LITERARY-ART
Cosmic Coda: A Journey Through Space, Time, and Discovery
Tue, 30 Sep at 06:00 pm Cosmic Coda: A Journey Through Space, Time, and Discovery

314 Main Street, Gambrill Center, Cambridge, MA, United States, Massachusetts 02139

ENTERTAINMENT
The Norton Lectures with Steve McQueen | Lecture One
Tue, 30 Sep at 06:00 pm The Norton Lectures with Steve McQueen | Lecture One

Sanders Theatre

ART PERFORMANCES
"I am from North Korea" speech contest #22 (at Harvard University)
Wed, 01 Oct at 10:00 am "I am from North Korea" speech contest #22 (at Harvard University)

Harvard University

NONPROFIT WORKSHOPS
FSI Speech Contest #22 (at Harvard University)
Wed, 01 Oct at 10:00 am FSI Speech Contest #22 (at Harvard University)

Harvard Graduate School of Education

CONTESTS

What's Happening Next in Cambridge?

Discover Cambridge Events