Coming Soon: Archaeological Work at the Kingdom of the Happy Land

CHRIS (Cultural Heritage Resource Impact Solutions, Inc.) is honored to announce our upcoming archaeological work at the historic Kingdom of the Happy Land.

The Kingdom of the Happy Land was a freedmen’s settlement founded in the aftermath of the Civil War by formerly enslaved African Americans who sought to create a self-sustaining, independent community rooted in shared labor, faith, and resilience. While much of the physical evidence of this settlement has been lost to time, the memory of the Kingdom endures through oral history, local tradition, and the determination of descendants and community partners to preserve its legacy.

In partnership with land owners and with support from the Dogwood Trust, CHRIS will begin preliminary archaeological investigations at a key chimney and cabin site believed to be part of the original settlement footprint. Our goals include documenting surviving cultural features, identifying any associated artifacts, and generating interpretive materials that help reconnect descendants and the broader public with this powerful chapter of African American history.

This project reflects CHRIS’s commitment to community-engaged archaeology, respectful collaboration, and the recovery of stories long silenced or overlooked. We are deeply grateful to the families, landowners, and local advocates who have helped make this work possible—and we are committed to honoring the Kingdom’s history with care, integrity, and transparency.

We’ll be sharing updates from the field over the coming weeks, including highlights from our fieldwork and interpretive content designed to make the Kingdom’s legacy more accessible to the public.

To learn more or support this important work, visit www.chris3inc.com or contact us at info@chris3inc.com.