This presentation examines the 2025 discovery of the grave of Philis Cave and Nancy Milan; two formerly enslaved women buried in Central Cemetery and explores how local research can recover overlooked histories of slavery in New England.

The gravesite was uncovered during research for Set at Liberty: Stories of the Enslaved People in a New England Town, an exhibition developed by Historic Beverly that documents the lives of numerous enslaved individuals connected to Beverly. Using fragmentary archival records, cemetery documentation, and a twelve-year-old image posted online, researchers searched among more than 17,000 graves before locating the nearly sunken gravestone of Cave and Milan.

The session will discuss the challenges of tracing the lives of enslaved and formerly enslaved individuals in New England, where records are often incomplete, and how cemeteries can become important spaces for historical recovery and interpretation. 

This discovery raises important questions about whether additional graves of enslaved or formerly enslaved people remain unidentified in Central Cemetery and elsewhere in the city. The presentation will also address the role of museums and local historical organizations in confronting difficult histories, engaging the public, and creating more inclusive narratives about New England’s past.