There is
a house near my family home that always stands out in my mind. I have passed it
countless times and each time I always seem to look up at it when I approach
it. It is the first home I believe I ever saw that was a historic landmark.
This house is even more special because it is in the hands of its private
owners. There are no tours, no photos, and no modern additions. It looks the
same as it always has to me for the last thirty-three years. I bet it has stood
there much longer. Strangely I have never seen any of the occupants coming or
going. It is always just standing there looming over the street waiting for
some one to notice it. I always have.
There is
something about old houses that have remained in the same condition. I feel
like there is a story to be told and having a visual into the past makes it
more realistic. There is a presence when you stand inside looking around trying
to see a structure that holds amazing stories. It is the epitome of “if these
walls could talk”.
When I am
stepping back in time I always listen carefully taking in as much of the
message as possible. In some ways I feel that it is my purpose to then share
what I have witnessed, learned with others. There are these magical reminders
of past, true stories that we could all benefit from. I hope that the enjoyment
I have I can share with those who wouldn’t have otherwise known about it.
With that
in mind there are a lot of historical places I want to see. To narrow it down I
have only researched those that are in New York that I can reasonably get to.
Others go in a travel folder.
Brooklyn
isn’t often thought of as a land laden with historic homes. But the more I seek
out these relics the more I am finding. For instance there is Greenwood
Cemetery, a plethora of history that all New Yorkers can be proud of (see links
below). I particularly fancy their Battle of Brooklyn annual event as well as
their historic trolley tour.
I am
trying to have an aggressive approach to scratching off the items on my 2105
to-do list (http://thequeenoff-ckingeverything.blogspot.com/).
More than ever I am anxious to be out and about finally seeing what I have
wanted to for so long. The perfect example is the subject of today’s blog,
Weeksville Heritage Center.
A few
years ago when I had first started making annual to-do lists I was so impressed
with all that was around me that I had not known about or seen. It was then
when a friend mentioned Weeksville to me. I had not previously heard of it so I
began to research it. I was fascinated with what I learned.
This brief piece illuminates Weeksville:
Upon
looking into this tip I learned so many things it was almost too much to
process. Actually it really seemed too good to be true. How had I never heard
of this? Work of mouth on social media needs to be more excessive that is for
sure. This is half of the reason I am writing this.
The
neighborhood of Weeksville dates back to the 1830s and a man named James
Weeks. He bought plots of land
that he then sold to fellow African Americans that came from all over the
country. Here they would be landowners and thus able to vote. This community
eventually grew to include several hundred members, among the most notable was
the first African American cop and female doctor. Residents went to work as
ministers, farmers, teachers, and so on. This was the first free African
American community.
The
people that lived and worked here were creating a middle class neighborhood and
among the first to include African Americans as homeowners. This is
unfathomable to me as slavery was still legal in much of the rest country. Just
thinking of the inclinations of this dichotomy makes my head spin.
Furthermore
there was even Colored School Two (now P.S. 243) which was the first school in
the country to integrate BOTH teachers and students. Besides schools,
the Weeksville society also had its own churches, orphanages,
cemetery, old age home, and even their own newspaper, The Freedman’s
Torchlight. Many historians believe churches in this area were probably stops
on the Underground Railroad. Sadly there are no traces left.
There are
now four remaining houses still in existence from the Weeksville era. Many were
lost as the area now known as Crown Heights built up and out. The old houses
were razed gradually and as the houses disappeared so too did the memory of
their significant existence.
This all
changed when Hunterfly Road was rediscovered and made a historic national
landmark in 1970. This was the original road (now only appears as a dirt path)
used to get to water. You really have to imagine this as another world; at
least that’s how it seemed to me. The four remaining houses were added to the
historic national landmark list in 1972. In 2005, current presidential
candidate Hillary Clinton led the ceremony formally opening the houses to the
world after restorations were completed.
Along
side Hunterfly Road stand the four houses that comprise the remaining
Weeksville. In 2013 the Weeksville Heritage Center was created. It was built by
the City of New York and receives city funding through the Cultural Affairs
Department. It is also heavily reliant on private donations. Going forward the
visitor’s center entry will have exhibits on the relics, artifacts, and
personal belongings to further educate those who enter. Along with the actual
houses, these items bring those who lived here back to life. As is, I almost
half expected to see someone come out of the house like I was just stopping by.
The short
walk from the center to the houses builds the excitement. It is important to
note that the center doesn’t only provide information and entry; it protects
these homes from the outside. The fence that surrounds the entire facility acts
as a home for this entire period of history.
While
there was no photography allowed in the houses, I managed to get many shots of
all exteriors. If I turned left I was in the past when I turned right I was
back in 2015. It is that clear of a distinction. The houses stand in a time
period that no longer reflects its ancestors. Those visuals just increase the
appreciation I felt being there.
The
houses were bigger on the inside than I expected especially for the 1800s.
There were multiple floors with reasonable sized rooms. I know that the
families that lived here had several or more children and so things were more
cramped than the empty rooms I was seeing. But you could picture the people
that slept, ate, and lived there. These well-preserved Weeksville houses are a
piece of nineteenth century history truly frozen in time.
This
experience was just a vast difference when you compare these houses to the
tenements (http://thequeenoff-ckingeverything.blogspot.com/2012/03/for-lessons-in-getting-by-tenement.html)
immigrants lived in upon arriving to this country. Those too can be visited and
picturing the large families that lived there it is more than clear it was a
struggle.
To date
this is the most positive experience I have had when tracing the history of
African American culture. Normally we are focused on the Underground Railroad,
slavery, and burial grounds (http://thequeenoff-ckingeverything.blogspot.com/2012/04/for-power-of-proper-burial-african.html).
All are telling the story with all the negativity that surrounds those periods
of time. However here I felt restored. I was still in awe but now there were
positive images and stories. One was more impressive than the next.
Even
after my visit I am still completely fascinated with this story. I can’t get
over the fact that these treasured properties from the past are still in tact
and that people have been walking past them for years before the center opened.
I am still trying to imagine what the entire area looked like way back when. It
makes me appreciate all conservation efforts, something I believe we do not do
enough off in this country, state, city, etc. Thus making places like the
Weeksville Heritage Center even more remarkable.
The
Center is open for tours Wednesday – Friday each week with a tour staring
promptly at three p.m. Each month they open for a Saturday tour, for this month
that will be this Saturday, April 18th. There is a five-dollar entry fee with
all profits going back to the center for future projects and restoration.
For More
Weeksville Heritage Center Information:
For
Brooklyn Historic Homes:
For
Greenwood Cemetery:
Great Blog, so interesting.. Sorry I missed this one..
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