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A photograph of the 2011 archaeological investigation of Seneca Village in Central Park, NYC. The crew is excavating test cuts and sifting the excavated soil through screens to find artifacts as a few park visitors ride by on bicycles. (Courtesy of the Institute for the Exploration of Seneca Village History.)
A photograph of a few of the artifacts discovered during the 2011 archaeological investigation of Seneca Village in Central Park, NYC. Ashton holds fragments of ceramic dishes and glass bottles in his hands, while Ariane carefully looks through the excavated soil for other artifacts. (Courtesy of the Institute for the Exploration of Seneca Village History.)

We invite you to attend two professional development workshops, one virtual and one in-person, on Seneca Village, the predominantly African American community that the city displaced in 1857 during the construction of Central Park. Educators of all disciplines and grades are welcome! Explore how object and place-based learning can engage young people to see deeply, think critically, and build freely. These workshops are especially useful for educators teaching African American history, New York City history, sociology, biology, and archaeology.

Workshop 2
Saturday, October 9
1–3 pm

See place-based learning in practice with a historian-led walking tour of Central Park’s Seneca Village site and take away a clearer understanding of what life was like for those that called it home. Enter the Park at the northwest corner of the intersection at West 85th Street and Central Park West. Follow the path up the hill and keep an eye out for the Seneca Village kiosk, on the south side of the Spector Playground. In case of inclement weather, this session will be rescheduled.

Meet the facilitator!

Marie Warsh is a landscape historian and writer who has worked for the Central Park Conservancy since 2005. She is the author of numerous articles about the history of parks and playgrounds as well as the book Central Park’s Adventure-Style Playgrounds: Renewal of a Midcentury Legacy (2019). For the past several years she has been focused on researching Seneca Village.

Register for Professional Development Workshop on Seneca Village: Workshop 1
This professional development workshop series is held in conjunction with the Lab for Teen Thinkers public humanities program, the Institute for the Exploration of Seneca Village History, and the Central Park Conservancy. Over the past thirty years, many scholars, students, and interested New Yorkers have worked to unearth the history of Seneca Village and the experiences of its residents from archives and artifacts. The Lab for Teen Thinkers builds upon that research and shares insights with community audiences through digital exhibitions and walking tours. See Seneca Village for yourself through the Central Park Conservancy’s virtual and guided walking tours, educational resources, field trips, oral histories and exhibitions. Visit our Seneca Village Site to learn more.

The professional development workshops on Seneca Village were made possible through the generous support of The Pinkerton Foundation.