{"product_id":"before-central-park-the-lost-story-of-seneca-village-how-new-yorks-first-black-property-owning-community-was-erased-to-build-americas-most-famous-9798232921071","title":"Before Central Park: The Lost Story of Seneca Village: How New York's First Black Property-Owning Community Was Erased to Build America's Most Famous","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat if America's most beloved park was built on stolen dreams?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn 1825, when slavery still gripped the nation, a remarkable community took root in Manhattan. Seneca Village-New York's first neighborhood of Black property owners-was a place where African American families held deeds to their land, voted, built churches, and sent their children to school. Here, nearly 300 people created something revolutionary: a community of true ownership, dignity, and hope.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThen, in 1857, it vanished.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSeized by eminent domain and demolished to build Central Park, Seneca Village was so thoroughly erased that for over a century, most New Yorkers didn't know it had ever existed. The families who fought to keep their homes lost everything. The children who played in those yards were scattered. And the story of their thriving community was buried beneath America's most famous park.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBefore Central Park\u003c\/strong\u003e uncovers this hidden history through painstaking research, archaeological evidence, and the voices of descendants still fighting for recognition. James G. Edwards II reveals how racist propaganda justified displacement, how prosperity was stolen in the name of progress, and how one community's erasure became a blueprint for urban removal that continues today.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is more than history-it's a reckoning. A story of what was lost, who profited, and why remembering Seneca Village matters now more than ever.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe ground beneath our feet remembers. It's time we did too.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eEdwards, James G., II:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cp\u003eJames G. Edwards II is an avid reader and emerging voice in historical and economic storytelling. With a deep passion for money, history, economics, and business, James brings a sharp, curious mind to the page-blending engaging narrative with thoughtful analysis. A new writer with ELC Publishing, he is committed to turning his long-held interests and extensive published work into books that inform, entertain, and provoke reflection.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Elc Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51967012929810,"sku":"9798232921071","price":28.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_6c441f27-8a7b-4bd7-8119-7425cd00d5e2.jpg?v=1768920016","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/before-central-park-the-lost-story-of-seneca-village-how-new-yorks-first-black-property-owning-community-was-erased-to-build-americas-most-famous-9798232921071","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}