Robbins House offers to fund ground‑penetrating radar survey to locate 19th‑century Black burials

Jen Turner, executive director of the Robbins House, told the Town of Concord Cemetery Committee on Jan. 7 that the Robbins House would fund a ground‑penetrating radar survey to identify the resting places of Black community members in the town’s cemeteries. Committee members expressed interest and asked for regular updates as Turner investigates formal contracting options.

The proposal is intended to locate and document burial sites for members of Concord’s 19th‑century Black community. Turner presented the project as privately funded; the committee did not commit the town to funding but requested progress reports as contract language is developed and brought back for review.

At the same meeting the committee approved a separate film request from committee member Beth van Duzer to use photographs of particular graves for an article in Commonplace magazine. The photos cited in the request included graves associated with John Jack, Peter Hutchinson, Elsea Dugan, and the William Lloyd Garrison Wright families. Chair Geoff Walton moved to approve the film request; the motion passed 4–0–1, with van Duzer recorded as abstaining.

The committee’s interest in the GPR proposal and its approval of the film request reflect a coordinated effort to document and preserve the histories of Concord’s Black residents. The Robbins House will proceed to explore formal contracts and report back; the committee asked to receive regular updates at future meetings, including any contractual terms that would affect town property or operations.

Next steps: Robbins House staff will explore formal contract language and return to the committee with updates; the committee will review any proposed agreements before authorizing work on town property.