Civil War Era Segregation
15 July 2014 -- 196/365
Providence, Rhode Island
A small, empty field sits tucked into an out-of-the-way corner of the North Burial Ground. The area was known as a "Free Ground", meaning it was a common burial site for those that could not afford a plot of land. At the time of these interments, this land was adjacent to the Blackstone River Canal. The ground was poor, the area infested with mosquitoes, and the risk of malaria here was very high. The monument was erected in 1863, the mid-point of the Civil War. Segregation, even in the Union, was the law of the land, even after death. These graves, marked only with the initials of the deceased, all belong to black women that resided at the "Shelter for Elderly Coloured Women". These would all have been free women, not slaves, since Rhode Island started in the late 1770s to enforce the 1654 law abolishing slavery in the colony. (The transport of slaves through the state would survive in the 19th century, although Rhode Islanders could not technically own slaves.)
Post processing started with a classic filter in Topaz B&W FX. I adjusted color sensitivity sliders, adaptive exposure, regions, contrast, boost black, boost white, protect highlights, and details. A levels adjustment was added in PSE.
