The Bird Homestead and Meeting House Conservancy and Lewis Latimer House Museum co-present: "Exploring Hidden African American History".
A series of three virtual presentations on three 19th-century Free Black communities in the New York region, these presentations accompany the excavation of archaeological sites located on the grounds of the Meeting House from July 25 to August 3. These sites of former buildings in Rye, New York were once owned by William Voris, an African American entrepreneur in the 19th-century.
For the series' first event, Dr. Meredith Linn will speak on Seneca Village, an important 19-century majority African American community that New York City displaced in 1857 to build Central Park. The City used eminent domain to claim the land that contained more than 50 houses, three churches, and a school. Although portrayed at the time as a shantytown to sway public opinion in favor of its destruction, archival research and archaeological evidence have revealed that Seneca Village was a predominantly middle-class community. For more information about Seneca Village before the talk, we recommend viewing the Central Park Conservancy's website.
Audience:
Adults, Families
About the Speaker:
Meredith B. Linn is Assistant Professor of Historical Archaeology at the Bard Graduate Center. She holds a Ph.D. from Columbia University, an M.A. from the University of Chicago, and a B.A. from Swarthmore College. Her research projects have focused upon the health-related experiences of Irish immigrants in 19th-century New York City and upon Seneca Village. Linn was part of the team that excavated Seneca Village and is a co-author, with Diana diZerega Wall, Nan Rothschild, and Cynthia Copeland, of the archaeological site report. She has also published articles about both projects and is currently working on a book about each.
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This program is funded in part by Humanities New York with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.