Central Park

Although today Central Park is a major sight for New York City, it was once the home for residents who lived in Seneca Village. Around 1600 people were evicted from their homes when the building of Central Park began. Seneca Village had many racial groups living in the village, starting with African Americans during the 1800's to Irish Americans during the mid 1800's. Though the park represents the uptown side of Manhattan, it was indeed built upon the eviction of more than a thousand people and some of these people were removed from their homes violently.

Not only were people removed from their homes in order to build a park, cemeteries in Seneca Village were relocated. The two churches in Seneca Village, All Angels' Church and African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church were where the bodies were buried. However, these cemeteries were removed from site when the park was getting built.

Martin, Douglas. "A Village Dies, A Park Is Born." Nytimes. N.p., 31 Jan. 1997. Web.