The Black Town Buried Under Central Park | Seneca Village

Sankofa Chronicles: A Black History Podcast · Sep 8, 2026 · 5m

Central Park is a crime scene with really good landscaping.

Before the meadows and lakes, there was Seneca Village — founded in 1825 as the largest community of free Black property owners in New York City. Fifty homes, three churches, a school, and by 1855, 225 residents: two-thirds Black, one-third Irish.

In 1857, the city used eminent domain to take it all. Landowners were underpaid, renters got nothing, and the entire village was leveled by the end of the year. Then for 100 years, we were told the land was empty.

In this episode, we go back and get it.

We break down how Andrew Williams…