Long-lost homestead of King Pompey, enslaved African who gained freedom, found in colonial New England

Left to right, Kabria Baumgartner, Northeastern University historian, and Meghan Howey, University of New Hampshire archaeologist, at the dig site of what archeologists believe is the home of King Pompey.

Archaeologists may have discovered the foundations of the house of "King" Pompey, an 18th-century enslaved West African man in Massachusetts who became one of the first Black landowners of colonial New England after gaining freedom. 

This discovery may help researchers better understand the festival known as Negro Election Day, when enslaved and free Black men voted for their own leader, who enforced laws and mediated disputes with the white community.