NEWBURGH – The Newburgh City Council ended 13 years of discussion about the remains of over 100 African American people who were unearthed during the conversion of the Broadway School to the city courthouse. The Council on Monday night voted unanimously to create a monument and re-inter the remains on a hill in Downing Park.
Councilman Robert Sklarz said the city “is not righting any wrongs,” but creating a final resting place for those who lived in the city a century ago.
“By approving a final resting place in Downing Park, we are taking a small step toward creation of a sanctuary that will be a place to remember those who once walked out streets and enjoyed their lives in our city,” he said. “It will also be a place to reflect and remind us that if we work together, we can accomplish anything in our city.”
Discussions about placing the remains back in the same area from which they were unearthed never led to selecting that site.
