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Seneca Village

Presented by Sylvia Laudien-Meo

Near Central Park’s West 85th Street entrance, in the first half of the 19th century, there once was a place called Seneca Village.

February is Black History Month.

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Approximately two hundred and twenty five people lived at Seneca Village, far north of the city, mostly African Americans, but also Irish and German immigrants.

It was an autonomous place, offering freedom from discrimination and the city’s congestion with many residents owning homes, holding good jobs and sending their children to school.

The village existed between 1825 and 1857. There were over fifty homes in Seneca Village, plus three churches and a school. For African-American property owners, Seneca Village provided residential stability and an investment in the future. Another incentive to owning property at the time was that it gave African-Americans the right to vote.

When the City decided to build Central Park, it used eminent domain to acquire the land. Residents were compensated for their property and had to leave by 1857. After they dispersed, all traces of the settlement were lost to history.

Since the 1990s, scholars and archeologists have been working to bring the history of Seneca Village to light. In 2011, a group called the Institute for the Exploration of Seneca Village History collaborated with the Central Park Conservancy to conduct an excavation at the site.

They uncovered stone foundation walls and thousands of artifacts from residents that offer valuable clues to better understanding this extraordinary community.

Rediscover Seneca Village. 

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