Newburgh to build burial ground for African Americans whose graves were paved over

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Newburgh officials and activists want to make up for previous decisions by previous leaders to build a school – which later became the city courthouse – over the graves of more than 100 African Americans buried there nearly 200 years ago. Their remains were discovered during a renovation project in 2008. Community organizer Gabrielle Burton-Hill was pleased during last week's City Council work session to learn city planners have nailed down a design for a new resting place at Downing Park, a few blocks north of the courthouse. The remains recovered during the 2008 excavation have been stored at SUNY New Paltz ever since. Hill, who has taken a leading advocacy role for the project, said remains are still buried near the courthouse and beneath Robinson Avenue. "Our City Council, city manager and the executive staff, they're all on board knowing that it's time for us to honor those who lived here, worked here," Hill said. The timeline is unclear. At the work session, Mayor Torrance Harvey asked when construction would begin. "There's no good timeline right now," Newburgh Planning and Development director Alexandra Church responded. "We haven't done environmental reviews and gotten an estimate to look at funding. Once we have those, we'll certainly come back with a better timeline." Hill is not discouraged. For years, she has held events outside the courthouse to tell locals and tourists the real story of the property, and to keep pressure on the city. "Now we have a group of folks who know that there was serious harm that was done," she said, noting past councils and administrations have not prioritized the project, "and that we have an opportunity to at least try to right some of that harm." Hill is helping with another event on Oct. 13, when the city installs a historical marker at the courthouse so more people know the history, and what is being done about it. "