An often unseen, but critically important part of New York history was commemorated in remembrance of Black people who formed one of the first independent communities in the city. The 200th anniversary of Seneca Village was celebrated at an event hosted by the Central Park Conservancy on Sunday at Mother AME Zion Church in Harlem. The event featured a sermon, live music, and a panel discussion with historians about the history of the Black community.
The event was part of a series of events from the program, Seneca Village: Toward a Permanent Commemoration, and funded by the Mellon Foundation. The Conservancy announced the initiative in February as part of its goal to permanently commemorate the Black community
“Seneca Village is a vital part of the history of New York City and Central Park, and that community’s memory deserves to be honored within Central Park’s landscape,” said Betsy Smith, president & CEO, Central Park Conservancy during the February announcement. “The Central Park Conservancy is thrilled to lead these conversations with the public to deepen our collective understanding of its legacy.”
In recent years, the story of Seneca Village, a thriving community predominantly made up of free African Americans that was later demolished to create Central Park, has sparked much discussion. It developed in 1825, after Andrew Williams, a 25-year-old African American shoeshiner and congregant of Mother AME Zion Church, purchased three lots of land between 82nd and 89th for $125. By the 1850s, it comprised dozens of homes, churches, and a burial ground — becoming a haven for Black people, even within the free state of New York.
However, the land was seized by eminent domain, forcing the 1,600 residents out and leaving them displaced by 1857. More of the history of the Village can be found at the Conservancy website.
AME Zion Church, which had formed as New York’s first Black church in 1820, purchased six lots of land after serving as a refuge for runaway slaves during the Underground Railroad. It became known as “Freedom Church,” and notable abolitionist leaders like Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, and Harriet Tubman were all connected to the space.