February is Black History Mo nth.
\n* Use this link to join our virtual program: https://us02web.zoom. us/j/84427027150
\nApproximately two hundred and twenty five people lived at Seneca Village\, far north of the city\, most ly African Americans\, but also Irish and German immigrants.
\nIt wa s an autonomous place\, offering freedom from discrimination and the city& rsquo\;s congestion with many residents owning homes\, holding good jobs a nd sending their children to school.
\nThe village existed between 1 825 and 1857. There were over fifty homes in Seneca Village\, plus three c hurches and a school. For African-American property owners\, Seneca Villag e provided residential stability and an investment in the future. Another incentive to owning property at the time was that it gave African-American s the right to vote.
\nWhen the City decided to build Central Park\, it used eminent domain to acquire the land. Residents were compensated fo r their property and had to leave by 1857. After they dispersed\, all trac es of the settlement were lost to history.
\nSince the 1990s\, schol ars and archeologists have been working to bring the history of Seneca Vil lage to light. In 2011\, a group called the Institute for the Exploration of Seneca Village History collaborated with the Central Park Conservancy t o \;conduct an excavation at the site.
\nThey uncovered st one foundation walls and thousands of artifacts from residents that offer valuable clues to better understanding this extraordinary community.
\nRediscover Seneca Village. \;
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