8. Seneca Village

Foundation remnants of Seneca Village in Central Park

In 1825, Epiphany Davis and Andrew Williams, two free, working class African Americans purchased a plot of land which reached from West 82nd to West 85th Streets between Seventh and Eighth Avenues. A crucial location in African American history, Seneca Village provided a rare opportunity for land ownership which consequently secured voting eligibility for its residents. Though it was disbanded due to the construction of Central Park, Seneca Village was a village of approximately 1,600 residents of various nationalities who worshiped together at the All Angels Church.