In the first episode we covered the history behind the idea of creating Central Park. In the second part of the Central Park series we take a deep dive into the "park dwellers"- the residents who had made their lives within the communities such as Seneca Village, that were built on the land that would become the future Central Park. The people living here were freed persons of color as well as immigrants of Germany and Ireland. Their lives and livelihoods tied to the land, and they were forced from their homes and communities for what was thought to be the "greater good" when their land was bought from them or taken through eminent domain. We also discuss two Tammany Hall leaders who grew up on the land that would become Central Park- George Washington Plunkitt and Roger Crocker.
Complete Episode Transcript:
The Majority of the information for this episode comes from: Rosenzweig, R., & Blackmar, E. (1992). The Park and the People: A History of Central Park. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.
The complete resource list can be found at :
https://www.nydarksidepodcast.com/episodes-6-10/episode-6-9-dark-history-of-central-park
The intro theme for this podcast are sections of Nightmare Machine by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons