Seneca Village Day
to
Seneca Village Day
Saturday, September 30, 11:00 am - 2:30 pm
Great Hill Children's Glade
West of Great Hill Oval; enter Park at Central Park West and 103rd Street
Seneca Village started out as a farm owned by John and Elizabeth Whitehead. They subdivided their farmland, and by the end of the day on September 27, 1825, they had sold plots to two African-American families and representatives from the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. By 1855, Seneca Village contained 70 houses, three churches, two schools, and one thriving community of African-American, Irish, and German immigrants. In 1856, the New York State Legislature, using its power of eminent domain, posted final eviction notices to residents living between 59th and 106th Streets, including the land owned by residents of Seneca Village, for what would become a new "central park."
Please join the Central Park Conservancy in commemorating Seneca Village, its inhabitants, and its important history. The storytelling portion of this program is part of the Conservancy's new A Clearing in the Forest initiative for families at the Great Hill.
Seneca Village Tours (meet at 85th Street & Central Park West) Family tour — 11:00 am Adult tour — 12:00 pm Storytelling & Crafts on the Great Hill Storytelling with Christine Campbell and Frank Fields — 1:00 pm Hands-on craft activities — 1:30 pm FREE. No pre-registration required. For more information, please call 212-360-1471.