Just off Highway 21, and about a mile from the Brazos River,
a cemetery lies tucked in the farmland of the Brazos Bottoms.
Some visiting community members making the journey to
the cemetery, turning off the steep, raised bank of the highway,
describe their journey as going...
"Down into Canaan" is a special exhibit at the Brazos Valley African American Museum (BVAAM) running from February to March 2023. The exhibit is both physical and digital. This is the digital exhibit. To see the artifacts and exhibit in person and learn more about the African American experience in the Brazos Valley please visit BVAAM.
Canaan Cemetery served thousands of Texans for over a hundred years. In some ways, the cemetery is the only thing that remains of the communities it represents, along with the memories and stories of the descendants and their ancestors. Cemeteries are often one of the most vital connections between community members and the past and help create a shared community identity. The history represented by cemeteries can be even more crucial for historically underrepresented communities whose stories were not always written. Canaan Cemetery tells the stories about the people who lived here from before the Civil War through the Civil Rights Movement. It tells us how they farmed, expressed their faith, where they went to school, and how they memorialized their loved ones. The Texans who lived in the communities that used Canaan Cemetery played a vital role in the history of the Brazos Valley and helped shape Texas into what it is today.
The exhibit you see today is the result of archaeological research conducted at Canaan Cemetery since 2020. This cemetery was most active from about 1870 to 1970. During roughly the first half of this period, African Americans in Texas and throughout the South often used more than headstones to mark the burials of their loved ones. Glass bottles of medicine, beverages, and even decorative glass housewares would have been a common sight in Black cemeteries in the early 20th century. However, the fragile nature of these items, called grave goods by archaeologists, means that they rarely survive to the modern day. Furthermore, societal challenges unique to historic African American cemeteries have resulted in the widespread loss of the ephemeral cultural fabric of many of these burial sites. The selection of grave goods you see exhibited today demonstrates that Canaan Cemetery is one of the most well-preserved historic African American cemeteries in this region of Texas. The grave goods left by the loved ones of those buried at Canaan teach us much more than just how this community memorialized their ancestors - they are a window into the lives of those who lived here
The Archaeology of Death and Memory in the Brazos Valley Project is incredibly thankful for all of the support, help, and guidance we have received along the way from a wide variety of people and organizations. This project would not have been possible without the help and support of the Department of Anthropology, which provided funding, and specifically from Dr. Darryl de Ruiter and Dr. Heather Thakar who provided tireless guidance. This would also not have been possible without Dr. Christopher Dostal of the Conservation Research Laboratory, who generously donated equipment and supplies, as well as technological advice. This project also owes a debt of gratitude to Dr. Andrea Roberts and the Texas Freedom Colonies Project, who work tirelessly to preserve and record African American freedom colonies, including cemeteries, as well as to Raschelle Black and all the volunteers working to clear vegetation at Canaan Cemetery. The information compiled and provided by Bill Page has been invaluable as has the hard work of student volunteers at Texas A&M who have cleaned, cataloged, and researched many of the artifacts: Sean Aschenbeck, Cameron Davis, Fiona de Vassal, Samantha Elizondo, Alejandra A. Garcia, Katlin Gonzalez, Mary Hess, Duncan McLauchlan, Marilyn Ray, Logan Schoening, and Cade Self. We would also like to thank the staff, board, and volunteers of the Brazos Valley African American Museum for their support and help with making this information publicly accessible.
Finally, we would also like to thank the late Dr. Alston Thoms, and the late Wayne Sadberry, who sent us out to Canaan Cemetery in the first place.