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:

Icon
Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.
Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology

Host or Publisher Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology

Ask AI if this event suits you:

Discover More Events in Cambridge

Innovation Trail Scavenger Hunt\u2014 Tough Tech Week
Wed, 29 Oct at 04:30 pm Innovation Trail Scavenger Hunt— Tough Tech Week

The Engine

TRIPS-ADVENTURES
Innovation Under Pressure: Transatlantic Biotech in a Changing World
Wed, 29 Oct at 05:00 pm Innovation Under Pressure: Transatlantic Biotech in a Changing World

238 Main St

BUSINESS HEALTH-WELLNESS
Meet The Author: Emilia Emerson
Wed, 29 Oct at 05:30 pm Meet The Author: Emilia Emerson

Lovestruck Books

ART LITERARY-ART
Austrian Startup Demo Night
Wed, 29 Oct at 05:30 pm Austrian Startup Demo Night

CIC Cambridge @ 245 Main

BUSINESS
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
Harvard Yard Outdoor Escape Game: The Mysterious Porcellian Club
Tue, 28 Feb at 06:00 pm Harvard Yard Outdoor Escape Game: The Mysterious Porcellian Club

Johnston Gate

ENTERTAINMENT STORYTELLING
Bonsai 101
Sun, 05 Mar at 02:00 pm Bonsai 101

Craft Loft (Cambridge Store)

WORKSHOPS ART
Boston Outdoor Escape Game: The Mysterious Porcellian Club
Fri, 09 Jun at 12:00 pm Boston Outdoor Escape Game: The Mysterious Porcellian Club

Johnston Gate

TRIPS-ADVENTURES ENTERTAINMENT
Beginner Knitting: Knit Your First Beanie
Wed, 01 Nov at 05:00 pm Beginner Knitting: Knit Your First Beanie

Craft Loft (Cambridge Store)

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
An Epic, Fun-Filled Scavenger Hunt! - Historic Harvard Hunt
Wed, 25 Sep at 08:00 am An Epic, Fun-Filled Scavenger Hunt! - Historic Harvard Hunt

1515 Massachusetts Ave

ART TRIPS-ADVENTURES
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
Communication Skills 1-Day Workshop | Cambridge, MA
Thu, 11 Sep at 09:00 am Communication Skills 1-Day Workshop | Cambridge, MA

For venue details reach us at [email protected]

WORKSHOPS ART
Create & Care: Natural Beauty Workshop Series
Sat, 13 Sep at 05:00 pm Create & Care: Natural Beauty Workshop Series

The Foundry

WORKSHOPS
2nd\/3rd Grade Book Club
Thu, 16 Oct at 03:30 pm 2nd/3rd Grade Book Club

Robbins Library

MEETUPS KIDS
Bonnie Tsui at BioMed Realty
Tue, 21 Oct at 12:15 pm Bonnie Tsui at BioMed Realty

650 E Kendall St

ART LITERARY-ART

What's Happening Next in Cambridge?

Discover Cambridge Events