Seneca Village: The Hidden Community Beneath Central Park

Before Central Park became the iconic green heart of New York City, a thriving community once stood there — Seneca Village, a settlement founded by free African Americans in the 1820s. In this episode of Once Upon a Time in Black History, host Tamara Shiloh uncovers the story of this remarkable neighborhood — a place where Black families, along with Irish and German immigrants, built homes, churches, and schools, and created a safe, self-sustaining community in a time of deep racial inequality.

Learn how Seneca Village gave its residents not only a home, but also the right to vote and a sense of dignity — until the city’s plan for Central Park brought it all to an end. Though erased for more than a century, the legacy of Seneca Village endures through the artifacts, stories, and memories that continue to resurface today.

Join us as we rediscover this lost piece of history and honor the resilience of those who made Seneca Village a symbol of hope and self-determination.

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