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.