Seneca Village: a community lost (Part 2: Road to Recognition)

    The following two newspaper articles address Seneca Village: A community lost to Central Park. "The lost history of NYC's Seneca Village," written by Emily Ngo, explored the physical evidence of the uncovered community and its relevance to Central Park now and its visitors. Many people are unaware of the existence of Seneca Village as its history was seemingly buried under Central Park. " 'It was significant to its residents, and then it disappeared' " (Ngo). The truth about the park's origin wasn't uncovered until the late nineties.  First, it was addressed in a book. Then the New-York Historical Society did an exhibit. The peak of learning and sharing the knowledge of Seneca Village is the Seneca Village Project. The project does archeological and lab work. The goal of the project is to tie the past, present, and future of the park. "A Village Dies, a Park Is Born: Village Died When a Park was Born," authored by Douglas Martin, details the people of Seneca Village, their cruel displacement, and the exhibit in their honor. Seneca Village began in 1825 as a black community. At the time of its destruction in 1855, it was a flourishing community. The residents of Seneca Village were middle-class taxpayers, some of whom had lived there for 20 years. However, to make way for Central Park, the communities name was slandered, and forceful removal was endorsed. The exhibit revisits the original Seneca Village and recognizes the residents by name. 

    After reviewing the articles, their historical evidence and its social impact will be my main focus. From article one, I will cover how the community's history was buried with it. Plus, how the disregard for the park's origins enforced the displacement. I'll use article two to support that the displacement was racially motivated. Additionally, it will support my argument that an exhibit can produce an emotional reckoning with Central Parks roots.

Works Cited

Ngo, Emily. "The lost history of NYC's Seneca Village." The Washington Post, Sep 11, 2011. ProQuest, http://libproxy.usc.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/lost-history-nycs-seneca-village/docview/888271734/se-2?accountid=14749.

By, DOUGLAS M. "A Village Dies, A Park Is Born: Village Died When a Park Was Born." New York Times (1923-), Jan 31, 1997, pp. 2. ProQuest, http://libproxy.usc.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/historical-newspapers/village-dies-park-is-born/docview/109713907/se-2?accountid=14749.