(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Things I Didn't Learn In School: Seneca Village. [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags'] Date: 2023-02-07 Welcome to the Street Prophets Coffee Hour. In 1825, two years before slavery was abolished in the state of New York, the community called Seneca Village got it's start. It was located in an undeveloped part of Manhattan Island. New York City was growing by leaps and bounds; many people were moving away, seeking the peace and quiet no longer obtainable in the bustling city. The residents of Seneca Village had even more reason, fleeing not just crowds and noise, but oppression and discrimination. Those residents were free Black citizens. The village they founded was the first free Black community in New York City. They purchased plots being sold by a farmer who'd divided up his holding, probably anticipating the demand for new housing. The first three plots were bought by a man named Andrew Williams, a twenty-five year old Black man who worked as a shoeshiner. He paid $125. By the early 1830s Seneca Village contained ten homes. In twenty years time there were fifty homes. Eventually three churchs, schools, and cemeteries were added. Detail of a map from 1856. Seneca Village is shown in the boxed portion at top. Owning property was a way for Black citizens (the men, anyway) in New York to claim the right to vote. Owning real property was a requirement following a law that was passed in that state in 1821. A Black man had to own a minimum of $250 dollars worth, and had to have lived there for three years. Slavery may have been abolished in the state of New York, but racial discrimination was always alive and well. Same as the rest of the US. Some years later German and Irish immigrants joined the community. About a million Irish people came to America during what's known as the Irish Potato Famine. Some of the German and Irish immigrants also created separate communities of their own nearby. Back then Manhattan Island still contained lots of open, undeveloped land and abundant natural resources. According to Census records of 1855, some 225 people called Seneca Village home. Approximately two-thirds of the residents were Black. The remaining one-third were mostly Irish immigrants along with a few German immigrants. They all lived side by side. Abolitionists, business owners and Seneca Village residents Albro and Mary Joseph Lyons. Their home was a stop on the Underground Railroad. Seneca Village offered Black New Yorkers a pleasant and healthy place to own their own homes and land, along with the possibility of becoming voters. A place where they could live and raise families without dealing with the constant barrage of racism. In a pretty, quiet, rural setting. Of course it couldn't last. It seems like every time not-wealthy people find a nice, attractive and affordable place to live, sooner or later some wealthy folks show up and decide that they deserve it more. When those not-wealthy people are POC, the odds are stacked even higher against them. That's exactly what happened to Seneca Village. By the 1850s rich White people in the city decided they needed, no, they deserved a nice big park. Lawns, trees, fountains, paths to stroll along. A pond or two for water lilies and swans. Gardens of sweet-smelling flowers. You know, like their counterparts in Europe had been enjoying for centuries. It'd also be a helluva tourist attraction. Then as now, very few cities are able to resist the allure of tourist $$$. All Angels Church in 1887 after it was relocated. A plan was approved and the perfect location chosen. 775 acres it was. This was going to be a park to rival anything Europe had to offer. Never mind that the land was already occupied. In 1853 a media campaign was begun to drum up public support for the destruction of Seneca Village and the surrounding settlements. In the mid-nineteenth century that meant editorials in The New York Post. (yes, really). The residents were described as squatters and scoundrels, illiterate, amoral, and lawless. The place itself was derided as a shantytown of illegal bars and gambling houses, a disgusting blight upon New York. The ugly lies worked. Around 1,500 people were eventually forced out of the area designated for the new park. About 300 were residents of Seneca Village. For a couple of years the residents protested and filed lawsuits in an effort to save their town. The city of New York acquired legal ownership by means of eminent domain. In 1857 the remaining residents were forcibly removed. Construction began in earnest for that marvelous huge new public park. The homes, the schools, and the churches- excepting one, which was allowed to be relocated- were demolished. By the time construction of the park was completed you'd never have known that people used to live there. All visible traces of Seneca Village and the other small communities around it had been obliterated. Archaeologists at the site of the home of the Wilson family in 2011. In 2001 a historical marker was placed in the location of the town. In 2004, 2005, and 2011 archaeological exploration of the site revealed long-buried home sites, artifacts, and a few graves. Today outdoor exhibits and guided tours are offered at the historic site located inside what is arguably the most iconic, well known park in the US if not the world. It's called Central Park. An outdoor exhibit at the site of Seneca Village. Thank you for reading. This is an open thread, all topics are welcome. 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