11. Learn About The Seneca Village Project in Central Park

Central Park was once home to a thriving village made up mostly of African-American’s. Named Seneca Village, it was a middle-class town with “three churches, wood houses on assigned lots, a natural spring, basement schools, and a population of over 260.” It was a place where black residents owned their own land. In 1853, the city authorized the take-over of the land, and paid the settlers off. By 1857, when Central Park was officially opened, the settlement was gone.

Central Park Conservancy will offer two tours of what once was Seneca Village, during the month of February. On the tours, view where important residences and churches once stood before the park development, and learn about how life was for the Seneca Village residents in the 1800s.