REU Site: The Archaeological Study of Seneca Village, a 19th Century African-American and Irish Immigrant Community in Today's Central Park

Cuny City College, New York NY

Investigators

Abstract

Summary This NSF-REU site supports archaeological excavations and artifact analysis at Seneca Village, a 19th century African-American and Irish immigrant community located in today's Central Park in York City. After several years of historic research, followed by soil borings and ground-penetrating radar, undergraduates are being incorporated into the excavation and analysis of eight areas identified by radar as potentially containing archaeological features. Intellectual merit: Seneca Village was a middle class African-American community on New York City's edge and for the first 15-20 years of its existence was composed only of African Americans, making it rather unique for its time. Archaeologists have recently begun to consider the lives of middle-class African-Americans, focusing on the ways in which their consumption of material culture expressed class and racial identities. Furthermore, historian Leslie Alexander (2008a) has noted that groups such as those resident in Seneca Village were conflicted as to their identity as "Americans" and "Africans." She suggests that the Village was established as an autonomous Black community in an antebellum climate where, because of discrimination, equality and assimilation within American culture were not realistic goals. She believes that for its residents, Seneca Village not only provided a respite from discrimination, but also "embodied a series of ideas about African pride and racial consciousness," and "the creation of lasting Black institutions." This REU site explores this issue of "African" and "American" identities among Seneca Villagers by analyzing their material culture and comparing it with that of members of other black middle-class communities as well as with members of the contemporary white middle class in New York City. Students are involved in all phases of field excavation and the subsequent lab analysis of eight targeted deposits identified by the GPR, including house floors, a previously unrecorded church basement, and possible midden and shaft deposits. As well, they participate in the use of the material culture from these contexts to address issues related to research questions that they design themselves. Broader Impacts: Most Americans underestimate the presence and significance of enslaved and free blacks in the North and particularly in New York City in the 19th century. They are also ignorant of the existence of middle-class African Americans. This project challenges these stereotypes by calling attention to the presence of a black, middle-class community in the heart of today's New York City. The village's location in what is now Central Park, an iconic landmark, further underlines the integral role of African Americans in the city's history. As well, the continued presence of two of the churches that were located in Seneca Village (All Angels' and African Methodist Episcopal Zion Branch Militant) link the present and the past closely. Students are recruited from New York City's colleges because of the signifigance of this community, either as members of descendant communities or because of their own histories and connections to place. This REU site is committed to a significant effort to publicize the results of their fieldwork. The educational and outreach portions of the project (which are going on concurrently with the excavations) include: the development of a curriculum for 4th and 7th grade New York City (and other) students, the creation of a documentary for public consumption, and web and "real" exhibits.