Remains of slaves found at Nashville Zoo

The remains of nine people, believed to be enslaved African-Americans, have been found on the grounds of the Nashville Zoo.

They were relatively young people of African descent, worn down by years of hard labor.

Six of them had arthritis. One man walked with a limp, and a woman endured fractured vertebrae in her lower spine. A young, probably heavyset man had a damaged hip — and maybe sickle cell anemia, too.

They were almost certainly slaves on the old Grassmere farm, a large tract of land in South Nashville that’s now used for a different purpose: the home of the Nashville Zoo.

[Full story]

Story: Michael Cass, The Tennessean | Photo: TRC Nashville