What you should know
- Founded in 1825, Seneca Village it was once home to almost 200 residents. Some villagers were German and Irish Americans. But most of them were black.
- Located on a 40-acre wide strip in the Upper West Side from Central Park, Seneca Village was the largest community of free African-American landowners in pre-Civil War New York.
- But in 1857, Seneca Village it was torn down when the city decided it wanted to create a park.
—
Founded in 1825, Seneca Village was once home to nearly 200 residents. Some villagers were German and Irish Americans, but most of them were black.
Seneca Village was located on a 40-acre wide strip on the Upper West Side of Central Park and was the largest community of free African-American landowners in pre-Civil War New York.
By 1855, nearly half of them owned their own homes. They had schools, churches, gardens, and the right to vote because they owned the land.
A right that most blacks in the United States would not be able to fully exercise for several decades.
But in 1857, Seneca Village was torn down when the city decided it wanted to create a park.
The villagers were essentially forced to leave.
Investigators are trying to find out where they went and locate their descendants.
Much of the original landscaping can still be seen in the park today.
It stretches from 82nd Street to 89th Street and Central Park West.
“We know that they used some of the stone that you see now to build their houses,” Marie Warsh, a historian with the Central Park Conservancy, told our sister network. NBC New York.
Signs erected by the Central Park Conservancy help commemorate and tell the story of the town and its vibrant community.
“You can really begin to imagine what it might have been like,” Warsh said.
The talks to find a permanent way to commemorate Seneca Villagewhich is not a historical milestone, are ongoing.
Those interested in learning more about the history of Seneca Village can visit the MET’s “The Day Before Yesterday We Could Fly: An Afro-Futuristic Room” exhibit or visit www.centralparknyc.org.
–
