Seneca Village: The historic settlement that disappeared

In the early 19th century Seneca Village, in the middle of Manhattan, was home to the largest number of free Black property owners in New York City before the Civil War. Irish and German immigrants moved in, too. But in 1853, when Central Park was in the planning stages, the city used eminent domain to take control of the land, displacing the settlement's residents. Correspondent Faith Salie looks at efforts to unearth the unique history of Seneca Village, and to find descendants of those evicted.
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Пікірлер: 140

  • @annsmith7207
    @annsmith72072 жыл бұрын

    Going into Central Park this summer to see Seneca Village and listen to the Central Park Conservancy guide is now on the "to do list" Thanks ✨🌞✨

  • @MiMaisLuminous

    @MiMaisLuminous

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thank You so much for watching. I hope you are able to do so. The more attention will keep our family legacy alive! There’s so much more to our family's contribution to the history of New York!

  • @michaelscot4816
    @michaelscot48162 жыл бұрын

    These families should be PAID!!!

  • @MTknitter22

    @MTknitter22

    2 жыл бұрын

    yes Manhattan elites and Democrats??? Michael Scott is right. CBS does not go there cuz NYC is THEIRS A LOVELY STORY!!! LOVED IT

  • @MiMaisLuminous

    @MiMaisLuminous

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thank you so much for watching! There is truly NO MONETARY VALUE that can be placed. The best payment is to allow the Seneca Village Legacy to remain open for EVERYONE to learn, and hopefully, other descendants will be able to find their way back, too. What I have learned from the elders remaining is that EDUCATION IS IMPARATIVE & NON NEGOTIABLE, so keep teaching about the history and keeping it alive.

  • @scarletweb2106

    @scarletweb2106

    Жыл бұрын

    I'm going to help families get paid

  • @savedgesurvive

    @savedgesurvive

    2 ай бұрын

    Start with the Algonquin ​@@scarletweb2106

  • @plz1277
    @plz12772 жыл бұрын

    This story is bittersweet. The number of injustices to various minority groups that formed this country is shocking. And that many choose to ignore them or deny they happened, is appalling.

  • @lewstone5430

    @lewstone5430

    2 жыл бұрын

    Agreed. My wife is Navajo and through many conversations with her, and some personal experience, I know there is still some hatred and a lot of distrust in the Native community. Of course there were many other atrocities against other groups. Also I’ve experienced people either denying or whitewashing this history. Many people don’t understand that a nation built on evil actions, if left unaddressed, will fall.

  • @RobinHerzig

    @RobinHerzig

    2 жыл бұрын

    True - and it's just the tip of the iceberg

  • @eduardobenitez752

    @eduardobenitez752

    2 жыл бұрын

    So... what you suggest? Destroy America because of its past? What is done is done. Let's move forward

  • @lewstone5430

    @lewstone5430

    2 жыл бұрын

    @Eduardo Benitez no, you address it, make amends, make communities whole again and then you can move forward. Continuing to ignore it, like you are doing in your comment, accomplishes nothing, it’s counterproductive, and only keeps the pain alive for these groups. Also, telling the whole truth about this Nation’s history is not “tearing it down”. Instead, it’s giving the complete and accurate story. This is important so people can move forward, hopefully healed from the injuries of the past and united going into the future,

  • @cherylreitz4779

    @cherylreitz4779

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@lewstone5430 Preach!!!! Very well said. Have a blessed week!

  • @TheKayaklover
    @TheKayaklover2 жыл бұрын

    And the city did it AGAIN in the 1960's with the building of Lincoln Center, displacing thousands of Blacks and Puerto Ricans.

  • @Fiiiyahh
    @Fiiiyahh2 жыл бұрын

    Really really amazing history that needs more light shined upon it...

  • @lfrost6718
    @lfrost67182 жыл бұрын

    Fantastic story! Fantastic descendants! Hope they find even more. God bless this endeavor.

  • @timothyhopkins6960
    @timothyhopkins69602 жыл бұрын

    Wonderful forgotten history that finally comes to light .

  • @NoirEtBlanc86
    @NoirEtBlanc862 жыл бұрын

    I freaking love this! Thank you Sunday Morning for telling this story!

  • @Kelz_X

    @Kelz_X

    2 жыл бұрын

    Vox did it last year and have more details

  • @lulufavs4519
    @lulufavs45192 жыл бұрын

    I heard in old documentary that Central Park was a “shanty town” where poor whites(lots of Irish) and former slaves lived. Never mentioned a prosperous area as Seneca Village. I’m happy to learn of recent research findings and ancestry. As a New Yorker, I can’t wait to visit and learn more about the communities that inhabited the village.

  • @MiMaisLuminous

    @MiMaisLuminous

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thank you for watching. Our family was never enslaved; please help us keep the legacy alive. We always knew the story there's so much more.

  • @kanarcydalive1579

    @kanarcydalive1579

    2 жыл бұрын

    I know better nd those damn Irish u speak of are just as guilty.

  • @LilPrimeTime24
    @LilPrimeTime242 жыл бұрын

    No way!!!!!! Andrew Williams the musician is also my great grandfather!!!!!! I have his photo in my room right now!!! We are related!

  • @MiMaisLuminous

    @MiMaisLuminous

    2 жыл бұрын

    Hey Cuz!

  • @jeebsunabia7972
    @jeebsunabia79722 жыл бұрын

    "Disappeared"? Try sneakily displaced.

  • @RobinHerzig
    @RobinHerzig2 жыл бұрын

    The search for descendants + these 2 descendants themselves are what really got me. This search must continue. Keep their legacy alive. I know this was like >100 yrs before Robert Moses, but I couldn't help thinking this was his template.

  • @MiMaisLuminous

    @MiMaisLuminous

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thank you so much for watching! If it hadn't been for a gentleman by the name of Aaron Goodwin found my husband on Facebook letting him know been doing research on Our Family and Seneca Village, and did we know anything about it we never would have been able to share all of the information we had and stories passed down from generation to generation. The Williams Family Tree is long, and I’ve been working hard to put ALL of the pieces together in order as the tree is continually growing!

  • @mixedhairless
    @mixedhairless2 жыл бұрын

    So glad to see this story is growing….

  • @TheImperfectVlogger
    @TheImperfectVlogger2 жыл бұрын

    Taking my family to on the Seneca Village tour this spring

  • @mililaniman
    @mililaniman2 жыл бұрын

    The history of Seneca Village is fascinating.

  • @5argetech56
    @5argetech562 жыл бұрын

    Saw this... Very important information. Needs more recognition.. Excellent post 💯❤🤗

  • @kathyjuneart
    @kathyjuneart2 жыл бұрын

    My husband's family were driven from the GSM National Park in the 1930s. Their entire community was displaced as well.

  • @megankazukibuttons9334
    @megankazukibuttons93342 жыл бұрын

    Oh my goodness, thank you so much for this follow-up story I first saw it on one of your earlier shows (I hope it was Sunday Morning, if not, my apologies ) I've been trying to find it so that I could share it with a friend.

  • @MiMaisLuminous
    @MiMaisLuminous2 жыл бұрын

    Thank You so much for your interest in Seneca Village. There's so much more to our story. CBS and the conservancy team did an amazing job uncovering what we already knew. Your voices and interest can help keep Seneca Village and the families legacy alive! There is more to our story! Respectfully, The Williams Family.

  • @larrysouthern5098
    @larrysouthern50982 жыл бұрын

    Incredible story....

  • @ellenchavez2043
    @ellenchavez20432 жыл бұрын

    The scary part is how quickly this can happen today. Loading the courts with those who have not problem with legislating folks "back to their place" can easily happen today. Portland, Oregon has made an African American community disappear in the "gentrification" of the area. Redlining areas against loans for property ownership or repair cleared the path for developers. This tactic is as old as the US. In the South, plantation owners grew their property by controlling who votes and legislating small farmers off their land and pushing them into the swamps and foothills.

  • @SpiralBreeze
    @SpiralBreeze2 жыл бұрын

    I thought the name sounded familiar, I must have been taught about it years ago in school and forgot!

  • @omarchandler4983
    @omarchandler49832 жыл бұрын

    *When the interviewer asked, “Why do you think the history has been untold and unknown until relatively recently” I almost fell over. Millions of Americans are actively trying to silence any and all discussions about race in America. They’re passing laws to do so! America as a whole has always denied how race played and continues to play a major role in this society.* *”Nothing covered can ever get healed.”*

  • @larrysouthern5098

    @larrysouthern5098

    2 жыл бұрын

    Very well put...thank you!!!

  • @nathanracher2911

    @nathanracher2911

    2 жыл бұрын

    Or maybe they just believe that this is a highly sensitive and nuance history. That maybe shouldn't be taught to children, especially when they view the world in such a black and white way. Yes it should be taught, and our national sins must be acknowledged but should never be used to promote animosity and division.

  • @RobinHerzig

    @RobinHerzig

    2 жыл бұрын

    Bingo

  • @RobinHerzig

    @RobinHerzig

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@nathanracher2911 awww that's a very generous slant on the well organized + funded efforts to maintain (white) ‘national’ supremacy while hiding the facts + reality from generation to generation

  • @nathanracher2911

    @nathanracher2911

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@RobinHerzig what are your sources?

  • @LMays-cu2hp
    @LMays-cu2hp Жыл бұрын

    Thank you for sharing this story and current place in our cool city..

  • @bellevue260
    @bellevue2602 жыл бұрын

    One thing that stood out for me was that they were landowners and therefore had the right to vote, the color of their skin didn't matter. Presumably they were paid for their land. I would to see what the historian has uncovered about what happened to the residents. One problem I see in this story is eminent domain. Then, just like now people are driven out of an area for some project that will earn a few a lot of money.

  • @carlpeterson347
    @carlpeterson3472 жыл бұрын

    Thank you for this story...

  • @soitsmelaura
    @soitsmelaura2 жыл бұрын

    wow what an amazing history lesson

  • @quirkyquips9915
    @quirkyquips99152 жыл бұрын

    In the Tybee Island Lighthouse museum, there is a photo of slaves in the fields with Irish immigrants right beside them, a dispute of slavery. Side by side in Seneca Village in freedom along with them tho far too brief.

  • @brandoncorley3142
    @brandoncorley31422 жыл бұрын

    Wow! Who knew?!

  • @yahlitamoore2928
    @yahlitamoore29282 жыл бұрын

    Wow everything will be revealed in its own time

  • @redbeanbun616
    @redbeanbun6162 жыл бұрын

    "They haven't been able to locate any descendants" Gee, I wonder why.

  • @deliverancetwo
    @deliverancetwo2 жыл бұрын

    Fantastic story

  • @KB-zb2he
    @KB-zb2he2 жыл бұрын

    Give their land back,

  • @MiMaisLuminous

    @MiMaisLuminous

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thanks so much for watching! We don't want the land back. We desire to keep our legacy alive through education. We hope that the history of Seneca Village will remain indefinitely.

  • @shuffleaccount1985
    @shuffleaccount19852 жыл бұрын

    THEY SHOULD EITHER GIVE THEM THE VALUE OR THE LAND !!!!

  • @MiMaisLuminous

    @MiMaisLuminous

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thank you for watching! He was paid a portion, not value. He brought 2 more properties with the money. Today, there's no monetary value to place on what was lost. But what I'm sure our ancestors desire (as education was non negotiable) would simply be to continue to educate ourselves, and others allow other descendants a chance to find their beginning as we are.

  • @john-paulnagel2732
    @john-paulnagel27322 жыл бұрын

    Never Forget

  • @ghlee2300
    @ghlee23002 жыл бұрын

    Amazing!

  • @janicebrowningaquino792
    @janicebrowningaquino7922 жыл бұрын

    WONDERFUL!!

  • @heidiavera5071
    @heidiavera5071 Жыл бұрын

    This is amazingly beautiful

  • @joeson7700
    @joeson77002 жыл бұрын

    EMINENT Domain ruled , possible the WHOLE Manhattan Island might come soon ?

  • @scarletweb2106
    @scarletweb2106 Жыл бұрын

    The story is so sad 😢

  • @jeannettelee2806
    @jeannettelee28062 жыл бұрын

    Why do them HATE us so much?

  • @madgreen8945

    @madgreen8945

    2 жыл бұрын

    Because hateful ones get more attention and they are the loudest and most powerful. Plus hate seems to be in style these days sadly. It is my hope you will think of the majority as the ones that truly love and respect Black Culture (silent majority).. I'd like to see more people who call themselves not racist evolve into acting anti-racist. I am learning every day, bc I am not a snowflake 😸

  • @dorisk.4282
    @dorisk.42822 жыл бұрын

    SHOW THEM THE MONEY‼️😡

  • @scarletweb2106

    @scarletweb2106

    Жыл бұрын

    GIVE THEM THE MONEY!!! 😡😡

  • @MyDaddysNameIsGOD
    @MyDaddysNameIsGOD2 жыл бұрын

    AWESOME❗

  • @eilyjones6359
    @eilyjones63592 жыл бұрын

    My daughter recently moved not far from this area. How can we get a tour from the Concervancy?

  • @savedgesurvive
    @savedgesurvive2 ай бұрын

    Never seen a story about the tribe that was removed from ALL of Manhattan

  • @craigslivka1
    @craigslivka12 жыл бұрын

    one of the reasons I inquired about there being a possible story behind an "Indian" style;e name for a village of Black settlers, is that growing up on Long Island, we had many "Indian" named locations for places, which led me to believe this to have been an "Indian" settlement, but to my surprise, it was not.

  • @craigslivka1
    @craigslivka12 жыл бұрын

    and I am not saying we should not have Central Park, but we should also have the history that went with it as well.

  • @ronjames1914
    @ronjames19142 жыл бұрын

    Now they have bustling settlements elsewhere that are truly thriving. That statement is so hard to believe that must be sarcasm

  • @craigslivka1
    @craigslivka12 жыл бұрын

    something interesting is that if a black person owned property they could vote, then what about the black people who lived in the North, who did not own land. It is very interesting to begin to view this in a more grey-shaded sort of way, as opposed to the ridiculously neatly wrapped black and white style history we were taught.

  • @MiMaisLuminous

    @MiMaisLuminous

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thank you for watching. Research shows that only black men who owned land could vote. Not women.

  • @craigslivka1

    @craigslivka1

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@MiMaisLuminous You are welcome Tiger, but historically women in general did not receive the right to vote until August 18, 1920. So I would not think that the women of Seneca Village had the right to vote either.

  • @laurencaulton103
    @laurencaulton1032 жыл бұрын

    Black land taken by eminent domain. Gee, that NEVER happens.

  • @skippymagrue
    @skippymagrue Жыл бұрын

    There were people living there before Seneca Village.

  • @gwendolyn7462
    @gwendolyn74622 жыл бұрын

    My last name is Olmsted, and even still I THINK THIS STORY IS SAD and wrong! meaning in a bad way not wrong incorrect Gwendolyn Olmsted dit come

  • @deborahtucker4900
    @deborahtucker49002 жыл бұрын

    This is the same narrative throughout America. If you want something that's not yours, you find a way to take it. I bet the owner was not fully compensated for the property. Another common issue when other people want something you have...

  • @deborahtucker4900

    @deborahtucker4900

    Жыл бұрын

    @@ursamajor6347 yes, I agree.

  • @MD-ew1xg
    @MD-ew1xg10 ай бұрын

    Imagine how rich their grand kinds would have been today. but, people still say well, you are free now.

  • @gretchenking5952
    @gretchenking59522 жыл бұрын

    These known descendants should do the DNA testing through Ancestry. They will be able to locate a lot more descendants in a short amount of time.

  • @alexandrawilliams-dorsey8416

    @alexandrawilliams-dorsey8416

    2 жыл бұрын

    We have and that is how we have found more of us 🙏🏾

  • @MiMaisLuminous

    @MiMaisLuminous

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thank you for watching; the Williams Family tree is expansive! We're scattered across the country, but we are in tack and still growing. Amazingly!

  • @sandbridgekid4121
    @sandbridgekid41217 ай бұрын

    It didnt disappear, it was willingly destroyed, without payment.

  • @craigslivka1
    @craigslivka12 жыл бұрын

    one question that comes to mind is why would a group of black settlers/relocators/etc. use an Indian/Native American (which is really an improper term, since the America's as we're beginning to realize/discover as we dig up more history was a destination location after the last ice began 100,000 years ago and we discovered that black people or aborigines settled in the Southern tip of South America 60,000 yrs ago. The French/British came to North America about 18,000 yrs ago, the Chinese came about 14,000 and did what they traditionally did, raped, pillaged, and maimed (there are cave drawings of bloody wars on the walls in South America), and if there are three different ethnic groups merging together for whatever reason, there can always be more, as we are starting to uncover, which is why there really is no "Native Americans" in either North or South America, but since the last ice age began 100,000 yrs ago (before that we have learned nothing yet anyway) think of the Americas as a "Destination Location" (again for whatever/different reasons) for various ethnic groups.) name for their village?

  • @2sixty5media
    @2sixty5media2 жыл бұрын

    So……. Will nyc pay money to the family for basically stealing their land?

  • @bridgetfitz8001
    @bridgetfitz80012 жыл бұрын

    Really confused by the comments - this amazing , interesting piece of history tells the story of Black Americans owning property in the 1820’s - That fact itself destroys a lot of the narrative being spun in the comments, it’s totally missed. Yes eminent domain sucks, look what it did to Brookly Heights, happens to many communities. My ancestors were farmers that were persecuted by the British, that started our American story, moved to the tenements of lower Manhattan, we never owned slaves . . .

  • @MiMaisLuminous

    @MiMaisLuminous

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thank you for watching. Yes, it is interesting. Please don't be confused by the comments you've read; look beyond. While we can't change the past. There's no amount of money that can be placed on our family's legacy. It's about educating; our legacy goes well beyond the clip that you saw. As you are aware of your family legacy, many are not. So, uncovering what our family always knew was hidden could open doors for others to find theirs. Everyone is entitled to their own feelings, opinions, and conclusions; it's truly not for us to understand but rather learn to see things from different perspectives, not to always agree or like it but, learn to respect it regardless. There's always 2 sides to every story, and the truth always seems to fall in the middle.

  • @fantazephir5597
    @fantazephir5597 Жыл бұрын

    This 😢is so moving, touching, sad . Knowing that the devil in the heart of some humans has them with an oppressive thumb trying to keep others down since early times. God the Creator shall have His day and to vindicate and save mankind from all oppressors 🙏🏽. Matthew 6:9,10

  • @lyrarosier4579
    @lyrarosier45792 жыл бұрын

    Can’t believe there isn’t one mention of Native American history. Also surprised they would say most Central Park visitor’s are surprised that people lived on that land. Has everyone forgotten that land was occupied for thousands of years before?

  • @MiMaisLuminous

    @MiMaisLuminous

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for watching our family. It was a part of an Indian reservation sometime after Seneca Village. I'm still researching!

  • @ThatsJustMyBabyDaddy
    @ThatsJustMyBabyDaddy2 жыл бұрын

    Just don't tell white children about this story. It may hurt their precious little feelings.

  • @stevethomas7463
    @stevethomas74632 жыл бұрын

    Land ownership. How can you own something you've never crested?

  • @TheZenGarden_
    @TheZenGarden_9 күн бұрын

    1:31 Because the TRUTH is not an ally to a world created with lies.

  • @justinbowen2509
    @justinbowen25092 жыл бұрын

    This video has been banned in Virginia because it is related to critical race theory. Sorry for the inconvenience.

  • @MiMaisLuminous

    @MiMaisLuminous

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for watching and the information. But, it's out there now. Seek and ye shall find! We appreciate you

  • @johnpaulsanchez3339

    @johnpaulsanchez3339

    2 жыл бұрын

    Really ?

  • @VVV953
    @VVV9534 ай бұрын

    Hey if they bought the land they deserve a refund So this is definitely A reason for reparations

  • @sandbridgekid4121
    @sandbridgekid41217 ай бұрын

    Doesnt Surprise me it at all. New York City was just as racist at Charleston, SC in 1856.

  • @BronxRisen
    @BronxRisen2 жыл бұрын

    NYC especially Manhattan has been redlined, blacks moved into Harlem and the Bronx ….NYC like Wall Street was ours before they came💯💯💯

  • @edwardlagrossa1246
    @edwardlagrossa12462 жыл бұрын

    Bla bla bla. I guess we should give up Central Park because someone used to live there? What a croc!

  • @jbaugh2851
    @jbaugh28512 жыл бұрын

    Buut..let's not teach this in school.. #1619

  • @OhLookItsJonBoy
    @OhLookItsJonBoy2 жыл бұрын

    Ah yes. CBS’ weekly dose of guilt. Over 1,600 people living throughout what is now Central Park were kicked out, but approximately 300 were in Seneca Village.

  • @ideamaker
    @ideamaker2 жыл бұрын

    Stuff like this needs to be left buried in the past! All this preachiness only serves to divide an already broken and embittered nation... Let's not focus on the past but instead, let's allow the healing to begin!!! Remember, a wound will never heal if you keep messing with it.

  • @mystery5808

    @mystery5808

    Жыл бұрын

    It needs to be known only a narccist would sweep it under a rug. It is still happening today The oppressors will be exposed and destroyed

  • @Poo531

    @Poo531

    7 ай бұрын

    Dare you tell the Jews to leave their trauma in the past!?

  • @philiphall5232
    @philiphall52322 жыл бұрын

    i have no problem with this but why are we destroying our history with tearing down monuments

  • @user-sx3hq6fw4k
    @user-sx3hq6fw4k3 ай бұрын

    Can we get our land back and CAN WE GET 400 YEARS OF CHECKS THROUGH SSI?

  • @jeannettelee2806
    @jeannettelee28062 жыл бұрын

    Why do them HATE us so much?