Press "Enter" to skip to content

Archaeological Survey at Loring Greenough House Searches for History of Enslaved by Property Owners

Last updated on November 7, 2022

The city’s Archaeological Program is conducting a dig this week at the Loring Greenough House and already found a few things of interest on the first day.

The dig is taking place Monday through Friday from 9 am to 4 pm, and is open to the public to come and see how a historical excavation takes place.

One of the big reasons of why the Loring Greenough House was selected for an archaeological survey is to try to uncover the history of inhabitants who were enslaved by the property owners, said the city’s Archaeological Program Facebook page.

The Lorings built the house in 1760 and enslaved at least three individuals. The Lorings fled the house in 1774 after animosity was directed at them due to being British loyalists.

Documents show that on July 30, 1785, David Stoddard Greenough purchased a 5-year-old Black child named Dick whose mother, Binah, was enslaved by John Mory of Roxbury, according to the city’s Archaeology Program Facebook page. The documents are featured below:

On day one the bottom of a cistern was discovered in the basement, and it is huge.

One thing that was found is not an artifact, it’s Hello Kitty! But still pretty cute.

There will be updates and photos posted on the Loring Greenough House’s Facebook page and Instagram. You can also subscribe to the Archaeology Update newsletter to gain access to volunteer sign-ups.

View Previous Post
Ben Achtenberg was able to snap a rare photograph of…
Cresta Posts Box by CP