African burials in Key West

A small, unique piece of American history lies beneath a narrow strip of sandy beach not far from this island's hotels and nightlife.

It's the known resting place of nine Africans, and 286 others are believed to be entombed along Higgs Beach on Key West's shore.

The dead were casualties of a trans-Atlantic trip aboard three American-owned slave ships intercepted by the U.S. Navy in 1860. The vessels were heading to Cuba to sell their 1,432 passengers into labour.

Posted by David on February 11, 2004 10:23 PM