The lost neighborhood under New York's Central Park

New York City embraced willful amnesia when landscapers working at the western edge of Central Park unearthed two coffins in August of 1871. The SECRET...Before Central Park was built, a historically ..

10/01/22  •  2,518 Views

Culture & Commentary
Duane Harris avatar

Before Central Park was built, a historically black community was destroyed.

If you’ve been to New York, you’ve probably visited Central Park. But there’s a part of its story you won't see. It’s a story that goes back to the 1820s, when that part of New York was largely open countryside. Soon it became home to about 1,600 people. Among them was a predominantly black community that bought up affordable plots to build homes, churches and a school. It became known as Seneca Village. And when Irish and German immigrants moved in, it became a rare example at the time of an integrated neighborhood.

Everything changed on July 21, 1853. New York took control of the land to create what would become the first major landscaped park in the US -- they called it “The Central Park.”

In the Vox series Missing Chapter, Vox Senior Producer Ranjani Chakraborty revisits underreported and often overlooked moments from the past to give context to the present. Join her as she covers the histories that are often left out of our textbooks. Our first season tackles stories of racial injustice, political conflicts, even the hidden history of US medical experimentation.

3 Comments
Hershey Choco
Hershey Choco
2 years ago

Wow!

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Soul Food
Soul Food
2 years ago

Al the wicked deeds covered will continue to be exposed.
All glory and All power belongs only to Yah. May His will be done.

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gaillard77
gaillard77
2 years ago

Great judgment will continue on that evil city ,plus all of the others the same, that have robed rape kill and ate the most high chosen ones, it is going to get much much much worst on them.

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Soul Food
Soul Food 2 years ago

Amen Ama Gaillard.

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