On the Grounds of the Fresh Water Pond: The Free-Black Community at Five Points, 1810-1834

Abstract

During the first few decades of the nineteenth century a sizable African American community thrived in lower Manhattan. This district was centered near the Fresh Water or Collect Pond just north of the heavily settled city. By 1840 much of the original community was gone and almost forgotten in the lore surrounding the later and more notorious Five Points. Evidence of the vibrant neighborhood may be found in the presence of social and religious structures including the original A.M.E. Zion Church and the African Mutual Relief Society, located for a brief period of time near the Fresh Water Pond. In this paper documentary sources are used to illuminate the lives of Five Points' early residents. These are lives and struggles not necessarily visible in the archaeological record.