Learn About Lost Villages and Archaeological Digs FREE in Central Park This Thursday!

Hey there, U.S. History Nerd in the house.  I love me some Vietnam War, some Great Depression, some Boss Tweed (you know, not like actual wars and economic meltdowns and gangsters, but learning about them and stuff).  I know there are other nerdbombers out there, which is why I’m going to recommend that like minds attend the Social Hour: Seneca Village Unearthed program in Central Park this Thursday, November 17th.

What is Seneca Village, you ask while scratching your head and making a “confused” face?  Lemme educate you–it was a community that existed during the  early 1800s, that was eventually destroyed to make way for Central Park.  What made Seneca Village so special was that it was founded by free blacks– the first significant community of African American property owners. Later, Irish and German immigrants also moved into the village, making it downright multicultural.  That is, until The Man called them all squatters and forced them to get out of the area.

Interesting, right?  Well, that’s what some Great Minds at Columbia thought, too– they started an archaeological dig to try to learn more about what exactly went down in this before-its-time village.  This Thursday, you can attend a FREE presentation of what the excavation team has found, accompanied be FREE refreshments, too.  Exercise your brain, learn something new, down a few treats, then take a walk around that gorgeous, gorgeous park.  Sounds like a dazzling evening, whether you’re a history nerd or not.

Social Hour: Seneca Village Unearthed
Thursday, November 17th, 6:30-8pm
FREE
Charles A. Dana Discovery Center (inside Central Park, 110th St. and Lenox Ave.)
[Harlem]

Photo credit: The Bowery Boys