The African Burial Ground National Monument’s new Visitor Center opened to the public Saturday, Feb. 27, 2010 in New York City.
The memorial honors the memories of the estimated thousands of enslaved Africans who were interred in the burial ground during the 17th and 18th centuries.
It has been built with 6,700 square-feet of space and has four exhibit areas, a theater and a gift shop.
The street-level center offers interactive exhibits showing that the African labor force was crucial to the prosperity of Dutch-colonized New Amsterdam in the 1600s, and later New York, governed by the English until the American Revolution.
Historians say one of the world's most recognizable financial institutions actually had its origins in forced labor. Enslaved Africans built a barrier across Manhattan, a wall that would later be known as Wall Street.
About 15,000 African slaves and their descendants were once unceremoniously buried under what is today Manhattan — and forgotten.
The forgotten burial place was rediscovered in 1991, when construction began on the foundation of a federal office building. The remains of about 400 men, women and children were found 20 feet underground.
Finally, the 400 or so slaves found have finally received a proper burial.
The government building was redesigned to accommodate the memorial, and in 1993 the Burial Ground became a National Historic Landmark.
The African Burial Ground National Monument is part of the National Park Service, and there's no entrance fee. Go to their website for directions.
The photograph above is actually a photograph of artwork created by Frank Bender. He is a world renowned sculptor, known for his work on forensic facial identifications, fugitive age progressions and fine art.
The memorial opens daily at 9 a.m. and closes at 5 p.m. except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Day. However, during the winter, the memorial closes at 4 p.m.
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