Wilton Historical Society announces that the location of historic Spruce Bank Cemetery, a burial ground for enslaved and free Blacks in Wilton, has been discovered through extensive research and the results of a ground penetrating radar survey that revealed eight burials within the surveyed area on the site. Located at 331 Danbury Road, the Spruce Bank Cemetery portion of the property will be protected from development in order to respect the dignity of those reposing in the sacred ground.
The location of Spruce Bank Cemetery is a significant finding which documents a key piece of the town’s history and pinpoints the resting places of some of Wilton’s most marginalized residents. Found at the northern end of 331 Danbury Road, the original quarter-acre reserved for the cemetery was first encroached on by the arrival of the railroad in 1852, and then the expansion and rerouting of old Danbury Road, now Route 7. The last documented burial at Spruce Bank was in the late 1870s. Sometime afterwards the fieldstone markers were vandalized and removed. Without visible evidence at the surface - and despite historians searching for it in the 1890s, 1940s, and 1990s - memory of the exact location was lost.
Nick Foster, Executive Director of the Wilton Historical Society, said “Over the past five years, the WHS has been quite focused on bringing to light the history of enslaved and free black people in Wilton. The Spruce Bank Cemetery location was tantalizingly elusive - and we became fixated on finding it. Once Dr. Julie Hughes’ in-depth deed and mapping research led us to the most likely spot, we were able to obtain a grant from the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) of the Department of Economic and Community Development for a non-invasive Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) survey to see if any unmarked burials were present and identifiable. Archaeologist Dr. David Leslie of TerraSearch Geophysical conducted the testing and determined there were eight burials.”
Working together and committed to memorializing those buried here, a Task Force including local members of Black and African-American community groups and religious leaders is being assembled and will meet in the near future to discuss next steps in memorializing the site and outlining educational outreach plans.
Founded in 1938, the Wilton Historical Society’s mission is to preserve Wilton’s history, and connect, engage and educate all who would look to the past to shape the future. For more information: www.wiltonhistorical.org