Historical Archaeology

Abstract

Previous articleNext article FreeCurrent ApplicationsHistorical ArchaeologyE.R.WaymanE.R.Wayman Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUSFull Text Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmailQR Code SectionsMoreThe Seneca Village Project: Recovering New Yorks Lost PastSpeaking about an archaeological dig under way in Central Park, Nan Rothschild of Barnard College, codirector with Diana diZerega Wall of New Yorks City College and Cynthia Copeland of the New York Historical Society, says, Were interested in the normal archaeological and anthropological sets of questions that arise at any archaeological site. At the same time, she and her colleagues believe that their Seneca Village Project goes beyond the boundaries of academia, aiming to reshape New Yorks perception of its own history.Map of Seneca Village before the construction of New York's Central Park, showing the community's streets, houses, and fields. Indicated at right are the edges of city reservoirs.View Large ImageDownload PowerPointSeneca Village, as a mixed community of African American landowners and Irish immigrants, was not a typical nineteenthcentury New York City neighborhood. In 1825, the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church (known today as Mother AME Zion Church) bought the first land in what would become Seneca Village, and the community grew to include two other churches, including the citys still existent All Angels Church, and a school. When the city decided to create Central Park in the 1850s, it took the communitys land by eminent domain, displacing over 250 residents.Today the Seneca Village Project is seeking to rediscover this forgotten part of New Yorks past. Through archaeological and historical research, the projects codirectors hope to develop a clearer picture of what life was like in this settlement. During the summer of 2005 they explored the park with groundpenetrating radar, looking for the remains of buildings for possible future excavations. Preliminary results from this work also seem to indicate the presence of intact burials, according to Wall.How is this project going to get New Yorkers to rethink their history? Community interaction is a key factor, says Rothschild. This is a project in which weve made a real effort to include the community, the descendant community, she said. It has an advisory board that includes representatives from the communitys two original churches, the Mother AME Zion Church and All Angels church, that still exist in New York City today after their eviction from Seneca Village. The board helps determine the direction of the project (for example, suggesting the search for burials) and assists in its outreach programs. Cornell Edwards, a board member who represents the Mother AME Zion Church, which relocated to Harlem after being displaced from Seneca Village, explains the projects importance to the community: Its an educational program. We want people to be aware of the history to see that historys preserved. The project has held various public forums throughout the city. Edwards has found that his fellow New Yorkers are often surprised to learn about the community.This lack of awareness is not surprising. African American history is not well understood and often overlooked. The projects codirectors believe that their project has the potential to help correct this problem. Seneca Village represents the large black presence in the North, in New York, which is largely ignored [for this time period], said Wall. Most people are unaware that there were African American communities in New York before the early twentieth century. The project also raises the issue of slavery in the North. In fact, slaves in the state of New York were not completely emancipated until 1827two years after free African Americans founded Seneca Village.The inhabitants of Seneca Village valued their position as landowners because it gave them the right to vote. Rothschild, in fact, sees the settlement as a middleclass communitynot middleclass in jobs but in that they owned land. Walls historical research has shown that the children of Seneca Village received higher levels of education than African American children residing in other parts of the city.The codirectors would like to see Seneca Village and its inhabitants receive proper commemoration in Central Park, whether it is through markers or an exhibit. Such commemoration would provide balance to Central Park: visitors could gain a better understanding of the parks rich, complex history as well as appreciate its beautiful landscapes. Previous articleNext article DetailsFiguresReferencesCited by Current Anthropology Volume 47, Number 2April 2006 Sponsored by the Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/503065 Views: 263Total views on this site PDF download Crossref reports no articles citing this article.