Pennsylvania
Penn Museum buries bones of 19 Black Philadelphians, causing dispute with community members
PHILADELPHIA — For decades, the University of Pennsylvania has held hundreds of skulls that once were used to promote white supremacy through racist scientific research.
As part of a growing effort among museums to reevaluate the curation of human remains, the Ivy League school laid some of the remains to rest last week, specifically those identified as belonging to 19 Black Philadelphians. Officials held a memorial service for them on Saturday.
The university says it is trying to begin rectifying past wrongs. But some community members feel excluded from the process, illustrating the challenges that institutions face in addressing institutional racism.
“Repatriation should be part of what the museum does, and we should embrace it,” said Christopher Woods, the museum’s director.
The university houses more than 1,000 human remains from all over the world, and Woods said repatriating those identified as from the local community felt like the best place to start.
Some leaders and advocates for the affected Black communities in Philadelphia have pushed back against the plan for years. They say the decision to reinter the remains in Eden Cemetery, a local historic Black cemetery, was made without their input.
West Philadelphia native and community activist Abdul-Aliy A. Muhammad said justice isn’t just the university doing the right thing, it’s letting the community decide what that should look like.
“That’s not repatriation. We’re saying that Christopher Woods does not get to decide to do that,” Muhammad said. “The same institution that has been holding and exerting control for years over these captive ancestors is not the same institution that can give them ceremony.”
Woods told the crowd at Saturday’s interfaith commemoration at the university’s Penn Museum that the identities of the 19 people were not recorded, but that the process of interment in above-ground mausoleums “is by design fully reversible if the facts and circumstances change.” If future research allows any of the remains to be identified and a claim is made, they can be “easily retrieved and entrusted to descendants,” he said.
“It will be a very happy day if we can return at least some of these fellow citizens to their descendants,” Woods said.
At a blessing and committal ceremony later at Eden Cemetery, about 10 miles southwest of the museum in Collingdale, Renee McBride Williams, a member of the community advisory group, said she was “relived that finally the people who created the problem are finding a solution.”
“In my home growing up, when you made a mistake, you fixed it – you accepted responsibility for what you did,” she said.
“We may not know their names, but they lived, and they are remembered, and they will not be forgotten,” said the Rev. Charles Lattimore Howard, the university’s chaplain and vice president for social equity & community.
As the racial justice movement has swept across the country in recent years, many museums and universities have begun to prioritize the repatriation of collections that were either stolen or taken under unethical circumstances. But only one group of people often harmed by archaeology and anthropology, Native Americans, have a federal law that regulates this process.
In cases like that between the University of Pennsylvania and Black Philadelphians, institutions maintain control over the collections and how they are returned.
The remains of the Black Philadelphians were part of the Morton Cranial Collection at the Penn Museum. Beginning in the 1830s, physician and professor Samuel George Morton collected about 900 crania, and after his death the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia added hundreds more.
Morton’s goal with the collection was to prove – by measuring crania – that the races were actually different species of humans, with white being the superior species. His racist pseudoscience influenced generations of scientific research and was used to justify slavery in the antebellum South.
Morton also was a medical professor in Philadelphia, where most doctors of his time trained, said Lyra Monteiro, an anthropological archaeologist and professor at Rutgers University. The vestiges of his since-disproven work are still evident across the medical field, she said.
“Medical racism can really exist on the back of that,” Monteiro said. “His ideas became part of how medical students were trained.”
The collection has been housed at the university since 1966, and some of the remains were used for teaching as late as 2020. The university issued an apology in 2021 and revised its protocol for handling human remains.
The university also formed an advisory committee to decide next steps. The group decided to rebury the remains at Eden Cemetery. The following year, the university successfully petitioned the Philadelphia Orphans’ Court to allow the burial on the basis that the identities of all but one of the Black Philadelphians were unknown.
Critics note the advisory committee was comprised almost entirely of university officials and local religious leaders, rather than other community members.
Monteiro and other researchers challenged the idea that the identities of the Philadelphians were lost to time. Through the city’s public archives, she discovered that one of the men’s mothers was Native American. His remains must be repatriated through the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, the federal law regulating the return of Native American ancestral remains and funerary objects, she said.
“They never did any research themselves on who these people were, they took Morton’s word for it,” Monteiro said. “The people who aren’t even willing to do the research should not be doing this.”
The university removed that cranium from the reburial so it can be assessed for return through NAGPRA. Monteiro and others were further outraged to discover the university had already interred the remains of the other Black Philadelphians last weekend outside of public view, she said.
Members of the Black Philadelphians Descendant Community Group, which was organized by people including Muhammad who identify as descendants of the individuals in the mausoleum, said in a statement they are “devastated & hurt” that the burial took place without them.
“In light of this new information, they are taking time to process and consider how best to honor their ancestors at a future time,” the group said, adding that members plan to offer handouts at Saturday’s memorial with information they have gathered on the individuals in the mausoleum.
“To balance prioritizing the human dignity of the individuals with conservation due diligence and the logistical requirements of Historic Eden Cemetery, laying to rest the 19 Black Philadelphians was scheduled ahead of the interfaith ceremony and blessing,” the Penn Museum said in a statement to The Associated Press.
Woods said he believes most of the community is happy with the decision to reinter the remains at Eden Cemetery, and it is a vocal minority in opposition. He hopes that eventually all the individuals in the mausoleum will be identified and returned.
“We encourage research to be done moving forward,” Woods said, noting the remains of the Black Philadelphians were in the collection for two centuries and, along with his staff, he felt the need to take more immediate action with those remains.
“Let’s not let these individuals sit in the museum storeroom and extend those 200 years anymore,” he said.
Even if all the crania are identified and returned to the community, the university has a long way to go. More than 300 Native American remains in the Morton Cranial Collection still need to be repatriated through the federal law. Woods said the museum recently hired additional staff to expedite that process.
Copyright © 2024 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
The boat dock at the entrance of Penn’s Cave.
HUNTER SMITH / THE EXPRESS
HUNTER SMITH / THE EXPRESS
The colored light room in Penn’s Cave.
BELLEFONTE — After four generations of family stewardship, the owners of Penn’s Cave and Wildlife Park are asking the state to take over one of Centre County’s most iconic attractions in an effort to preserve it from future development.
Following remarks from CEO Russ Schleiden and his daughter, Jeanine Watson, the Centre County Commissioners on Tuesday endorsed the plan to make the natural wonder Pennsylvania’s 126th state park.
“This has been a very difficult decision for us,” said Schleiden. “But we feel that it’s a very important part of, not only Centre County, but the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and that it should be preserved in perpetuity.”
The Schleiden family has spent decades as custodians of America’s only all-water, limestone cavern, working to expand and conserve Penn’s Cave, which contains the headwaters of Penn’s Creek. To ensure the 1,400 acres of land and its waters are around for generations to come, the family is petitioning the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) to designate the Penn’s Cave estate a state park and take over its stewardship.
The proposed transfer includes the cavern, Cave House, surrounding land and waterways, five homes and several barns. Watson said the family has been working toward the proposal for three years.
“I know the state, DCNR, has wonderful plans and visions for enhancing it and taking it to that next level beyond what we could do,” she said.
Penn’s Creek, which starts in the cavern, flows 34 miles to Selinsgrove where it joins the Susquehanna River Basin before emptying into the Chesapeake. The state has made significant investments in protecting those waters, and the proposed transition would expand that work.
“The tributaries also support the native brook trout,” said Schleiden, naming specifically Little Poe and Big Poe creeks, which are known for their fishing.
Penn’s Cave, he said, has always been supportive of “wildlife for everyone.”
With the commissioners’ help, Penn’s Cave and Wildlife Park has invested $2 million into the local wetlands, protecting local fauna while improving the area’s accessibility. Schleiden said transferring ownership to the state would ensure that mission remains central to the property.
“We strongly desire this to go to the state to protect and continue to conserve, and have it available to the public,” Watson said.
The property also carries historical significance. Penn’s Cave and Hotel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in April 1978 for its local importance.
The Cave House, or hotel, was built in 1885 by the Long family, who first commercialized the cavern. At the time, visitors traversed the cave by boat using lanterns. That changed in 1927, when the Campbell family, who emigrated from Scotland to the land, electrified the cave.
“It probably had electricity before more than most of the local residents,” Schleiden said.
State Rep. Kerry Benninghoff, who helped coordinate with the state on the proposed transition, also joined the commissioners for the discussion.
Benninghoff said the move would require the endorsement of the governor and both chambers of the General Assembly. The governor is aware of the plan and visited the site last year, and Benninghoff said he has drafted legislation outlining the mechanics of the transition.
“I can’t think of a better time in our country and our county’s history, at the semiquincentennial, to make this a reality,” he said. “If you want to look at Americana in its best, the park I think exemplifies that.”
“In the long run, I think this is a tremendous investment for the commonwealth,” Benninghoff said, noting the transition would not be easy but the commissioners’ endorsement could help move the project forward during this budget cycle.
The proposal also carries potential economic benefits for the region.
Penn’s Cave and Wildlife Park already attracts visitors from all 50 states and several countries. During its peak season, the park employs dozens of local community members. The attraction is a multigenerational employer in Gregg Township, providing jobs for members of the Schleiden family and their employees, many of whom are young adults and teens.
Transferring ownership to DCNR and becoming Pennsylvania’s 126th state park could increase tourism and economic engagement in the area, the owners said. State parks in rural communities often bring tourism dollars and expand employment opportunities as operations grow.
Benninghoff said he could envision additional public amenities, including a campground, while emphasizing the property would remain accessible.
“This is not going to be an exclusive property that no one can access,” she said. “It’s actually one we want more people to enjoy.”
The commissioners each praised the work Schleiden and Watson have done and expressed support for the state park designation, citing the conservation, education, historical, tourism and recreational benefits of the proposal.
“Penn’s Cave is a premier tourist attraction in Centre County,” said Commissioner Mark Higgins, who noted it is one of only a few caves accessible by boat worldwide. “With the trout in the water and the wild animals surrounding it in the wildlife park, it’s a really, really fun half-day attraction to visit.”
“It’s just irreplaceable,” he said.
Commissioner Amber Concepcion called the property “an outstanding area of natural beauty” and added that it provides an opportunity for education and recreation.
“It’s a great place for kids to learn and for adults and people of all ages to spend a summer afternoon,” she said. “It would make a fantastic state park.”
Dershem called the opportunity “once in a lifetime” and said it would be a “crying shame” if the property were developed instead.
“This is an amazing opportunity for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to invest in a property that is literally irreplaceable, iconic to our region and unique. I don’t know that you’ll find anything quite like it,” Dershem said. “It’s an amazing place.”
Penn’s Cave, he added, “represents who we are in Centre County” and is “natural splendor at its best.”
Benninghoff said their support will emphasize the urgency of completing the transition to state legislators.
“This endorsement by the county, visitors bureau and other people helps to emphasize that we’d really like to get this done, and time is of the essence,” he said. “People have been knocking on their door, wanting to purchase this land and break it all apart, and a lot of it would go into development.”
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (WJAC) — It was a strong opening day in State College for the 60th anniversary of the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts.
The festival kicked off with the traditional children’s day festivities.
Kids lined South Allen Street, displaying and selling their latest creations.
6 News spoke with one of the young businessmen there — Trevor Winterich — who was busy with his 3D toys.
On Thursday, the festival’s sidewalk sales open, featuring artists and performers from across the country.
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The festival will then wrap up on Sunday.
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania state trooper to be laid to rest after being fatally struck in Schuylkill County
BUTLER TWP., Pa. (WPVI) — A Pennsylvania State Trooper who was killed in a crash on Interstate 81 will be laid to rest Wednesday.
A public viewing for Trooper Michael Pahira, Jr., is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. at North Schuylkill High School in Butler Township.
A funeral will follow at 11 a.m.
Trooper Pahira was fatally struck on I-81 last week by a tractor-trailer while conducting a safety inspection on another truck in Cass Township, Schuylkill County.
According to state police, a passing commercial vehicle hit Pahira while he was conducting the inspection with his emergency lights activated.
The alleged driver, 33-year-old Michael Bon, is facing homicide charges. He is being held on $700,000 bail.
Pahira, 44, was assigned to Troop L, Frackville and had been with the state police for 20 years.
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