Elena Maria Sesma

ELENA SESMA, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, received funding in April 2022 to aid research on “Documenting Historic African American Cemeteries with New Heritage Sciences Methods.” Ground-based and aerial remote sensing techniques were applied to two historical African American cemeteries in the Bluegrass region of Kentucky to test various methods for documenting unmarked or poorly marked cemeteries. The cemeteries include Old Georgetown Cemetery in Scott County and Lexington African American Cemetery No. 2 in Fayette County. Ground techniques included magnetometry and ground-penetrating radar; aerial techniques included orthomosaic photography, LiDAR, and spectral imagery. Individual headstones in the Georgetown cemetery were mapped, photographed, and digitally scanned to create a comprehensive grave inventory to aid genealogical and historical research, which can be expanded by community members as the cemetery is rehabilitated. The remote sensing techniques employed during the project provide unique and complementary information on the overall organization of the burial grounds and the disposition of individual graves and buried grave markers. The best technique to employee depends on the conditions of the cemetery and the scale of detail desired. In collaboration with descendent communities, new heritage science methods provide cost effective and noninvasive techniques to document historically neglected cemeteries, preserve local heritage, and restore memorialized spaces to foster societal level dialogues on history and civil rights.