Hughes Estate Project
About the Project
The Hughes Estate was one of the larger plantations of pre-emancipation era Anguilla. During the first quarter of the 19th century, the Hughes Estate spanned 280-acres and was operated by the enslaved labor of over 60 African descended people.
A current goal of the archaeological excavations is to learn about the lives of people of African descent who were enslaved at Hughes Estate as domestic laborers, trades people, field laborers and wharfmen. Oral history and archaeological excavation can help us better know these histories that are difficult to tease out of the biased perspective offered in the colonial archives. This project is motivated by the belief that writing more inclusive stories of the past will help us better understand the present.
Elysia Petras
The mission of this website is to share the ongoing progress and results of the Hughes Estate Archaeological Research Project, invite your input, feedback and participation with the project, as well as center marginalized historic narratives in the representation of the plantation landscape.
Elysia Petras, a PhD candidate in Anthropology at Temple University, Philadelphia, PA heads the archaeological project at Hughes Estate for her doctoral dissertation research. She is the main author of the text on this website, but invites you to contribute to the project! Email your comments to tug39754@temple.edu or submit feedback through this website. We want to know your thoughts on the research questions, interpretations, as well as interest in participating in future research at the site. We also invite submissions of your own stories or photos of Hughes Estate so we can build knowledge of this heritage site together.
This project would not be possible without the assistance of the archaeological crew members and volunteers , the Department of Youth and Culture of Anguilla, the Anguilla Department of Natural Resources, the Anguilla Archaeological & Historical Society, Anguilla National Trust and the kind permission of the land owners to conduct research on their property.
Project Reports and Publications: