Seneca Village was New York City’s first significant community of free African-American property owners. Located between West 82nd and West 89th Streets within what is now the western boundary of Central Park, the 5-acre community was founded by free African Americans in 1825, who subsequently established over 50 homes and institutions such as a school, cemeteries, and three churches. By 1855 Seneca Village was a vibrant, middle-class, multi-ethnic settlement with several hundred residents that included Irish and German immigrants in addition to the predominant African American population. In 1857 the City acquired the property for the construction of Central Park (designated a Scenic Landmark in 1974) through the use of eminent domain, removing the residents by force and entirely razing the village. The Seneca Village Project was formed in 1998 to study the site, and recently included fieldwork to explore remnants of the historic settlement. The resulting archaeological collection is now housed at the Landmark Preservation Commission’s NYC Archaeological Repository: Nan A. Rothschild Research Center The Central Park Conservancy installed an exhibit, “Discover Seneca Village,” in 2019, and leads regular tours of the historic site within the park. In October 2019, the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs announced plans for a monument in Central Park to recognize the Lyons family, African-American abolitionists who lived in Seneca Village and ran an Underground Railroad station.