As New York grew and pushed beyond its stockade walls, the city appropriated the Burial Ground. For years it was used as a dumping ground until it was eventually built over. Researchers found evidence that a stone-lined cistern (“F100” on the map) had been dug through two coffins. “They had to have pulled bones up with that,” says Janet Woodruff. The cemetery was rediscovered in 1991 when the General Services Administration began construction of a new office building.

Courtesy of the General Services Administration