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Millions of people visit Central Park every year. They walk the paths, picnic on the lawns, and see it as one of the most iconic green spaces in the world. But before the park existed, a thriving community stood on that land.

Long before Central Park became a symbol of New York City, the area was home to Seneca Village, a community founded in the 1820s by free Black New Yorkers. It grew into one of the most significant Black property-owning communities in the city, with homes, churches, schools, and families building stability and opportunity during a time when those opportunities were rare.

In the 1850s, the city of New York used eminent domain to seize the land to build Central Park. Hundreds of residents were forced to leave, their homes demolished, and their community erased from the landscape.

For more than a century, the story of Seneca Village was largely forgotten.

In this episode of History Unmuted, we uncover the rise of Seneca Village, the people who built it, and the events that led to its disappearance. Through historical records and modern discoveries, we explore the community that once stood beneath one of the most famous parks in the world.

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“Turning up the volume on suppressed facts.”