Archaeologists may have uncovered the foundations of the home of “King” Pompey, an 18th-century West African slave in Massachusetts who became one of the first black landowners in colonial New England after gaining his freedom.
The discovery could help researchers better understand the festival known as Negro Election Day, during which black men, both slave and free, voted for their own leader, who enforced laws and settled conflicts with the white community.
In the New England region, some of the people who were trafficked across the Atlantic in the early 1700s were of royal African descent. They were brought to the region and forced to work in ports and on farms. four colonies — Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire — enslaved Africans retained one of their customs: electing a leader called a “king” or “governor.”
One of these leaders, Pompey, may have been born a prince in West Africa and arrived in Massachusetts as a slave in the early 1700s. Historical stories suggest that Pompey was a community leader who organized black Election Day events at his own property along the Saugus River, just north of Boston, which he purchased after being freed.
“King Pompey was a respected leader in the black community, but his home and estate have always been a mystery,” Kabria Baumgartnera Northeastern University historian who is part of the research team searching for Pompey’s house, said in a statement.
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The researchers first combed through historical property deeds to discover that Pompey had purchased 2 acres of land along the Saugus River in 1762, where he built a small stone cottage for himself and his wife, Phylis (or Phebe, it’s unclear which is correct). The team then compared historical maps and newspaper articles with contemporary maps created by lidar (topographic maps created from laser pulses fired from an airplane) to narrow down the area of Pompey’s home using specific landmarks.
About 1.2 meters underground, the team found a foundation made of hand-cut river pebbles, which matched the descriptions in historical documents. “The big discovery was the hand-cut pebble foundation,” Meghan Howey“I am extremely confident that this is a foundation from the 1700s and everything that points to this being the home of King Pompey is very compelling,” a University of New Hampshire archaeologist who is part of the research team said in a statement.
Scholars are not sure exactly when Pompey was elected king, but historical documents he suggests that he held this position more than once in the 1750s, when he hosted Black Election Day in his own home.
Coinciding with Election Day for white landowners in the colonies in the mid-18th century, black New Englanders gathered to choose leaders for their community and to maintain ties to each other and to their African cultural heritage. festival — which could last up to a week — included music, dancing, singing, and games. Participants wore fashionable clothing — often imitating white clothing — ate special foods like gingerbread, and organized parades.
“I’ve always been fascinated by those fleeting, private, intimate moments, outside the watchful eye of a slaveholder, where black people could be themselves, enjoy each other, and be in community,” Baumgartner said.
In 2022The Massachusetts legislature established the third Saturday in July each year as Election Day for blacks, continuing a tradition that began more than 280 years ago.
