Promotional image for “First Friday Finding Philis and Nancy,” a community program recovering and honoring the graves of enslaved women Philis Cave and Nancy Milan, with two gravestone photos included.

First Friday Finding Philis and Nancy: Recovering the Graves and Stories of Enslaved Women in Beverly, Massachusetts

Creative Collective Team

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 …