This program is part of Village Preservation’s Semiquincentennial series of programs celebrating our Revolutionary Village. Revolutionary Village not only celebrates the founding of our country, but the exceptional role our neighborhoods played in its development and the realization of its ideals over the last 250 years and beyond.

Co-sponsored by Save Harlem Now! and Merchant’s House Museum

The first enslaved people of African descent to be brought to New Amsterdam were eventually emancipated and granted farmland on and near what is now the Merchant’s House Museum. Join Museum Historian Ann Haddad as she explores the complex story of Black life in the 17th century Dutch settlement, and the free, “half-free,” and enslaved Black people who raised families, established a strong community, and contributed to the development of New York City. Manuel Plaza, adjacent to the Museum, pays tribute to these men and women who settled on what was known as the “Land of the Blacks.”

The Road to Harlem. Long before Harlem, Black New Yorkers were shaping the city’s history, neighborhoods, culture, and institutions. This multi-part series explores that extraordinary story, beginning in 17th century New Amsterdam and continuing through centuries of resilience, community-building, creativity, and struggle. We’ll explore the remarkable free Black settlement known as the “Land of the Blacks,” the vibrant communities of Little Africa in Greenwich Village and the Tenderloin in Midtown, and the storied neighborhood of San Juan Hill, lost to urban renewal and the building of Lincoln Center. Along the way, we’ll uncover how these communities laid the groundwork for what would become Harlem. This series is about rediscovering erased histories, honoring the lives and neighborhoods that came before us, and understanding Harlem not just as a destination — but as part of a much longer road.

Ann Haddad is the Museum Historian pro bono at the Merchant’s House Museum. She holds an M.L.S. Degree with a Rare Book and Manuscript concentration from the University of Pittsburgh. She enjoys blogging about 19th-century life in New York City from the perspective of the Tredwell family, and sharing her knowledge as a volunteer docent.

Save Harlem Now! advocates for the designation of individual landmarks and historic districts in Harlem, for contextual zoning in Harlem, and educates the public about Harlem’s built heritage, history, and culture.

The Merchant’s House Museum was originally built in 1832 by abolitionist and social reformer Joseph Brewster, and then the home to the Tredwells, a prosperous merchant-class family, and their Irish servants for almost 100 years. Complete with the family’s original furnishings and personal possessions, the house offers an authentic and intimate look at domestic life in New York City in the mid-19th century. The 1832 Late-Federal and Greek Revival building is a city, state, and federal landmark, and one of only 124 sites in New York City designated both as an exterior and interior landmark. Since 2012, the Merchant’s House has been under grave threat of damage from proposed development next door.