Talk:Seneca Village

Recent edits
While I agree with these recent edits by, I don't think this is the correct place to put these references within the article. At most, everything cited in the lead section (the first three paragraphs) should be also cited elsewhere in the article.

Additionally, I think the wholesale rewriting of the article lead needs to be discussed. There was recently a Good Article review, Talk:Seneca Village/GA1 where the rearrangement of the sentences was discussed in depth. The previous lead was set up into three paragraphs: (1) location (2) existence (3) vestiges. The new lead is only two paragraphs: (1) existence and (2) rediscovery, not enough weight is given to the village's existence, and too much emphasis is placed on recent events. epicgenius (talk) 21:47, 21 October 2019 (UTC)

Thank you for your feedback. I follow the standard editing policies with more attention going forward--using citations in both the lead and again in the subsections. As far as edits to the lead, I will make minor corrections rather than restructuring. Some of the information stated is not supported in the citations currently listed. I would also like to be sure an add a link to some more recent sources and the New_york Historical Society's Seneca Village teachers guide which has information on primary resources which are very useful for further research. User: Tati Tanya


 * Thanks for your response. If the information is not included in the citations that are in the article, feel free to add the sources, or remove/replace the incorrect information. I'll be happy to help find additional sources for this page. epicgenius (talk) 14:11, 22 October 2019 (UTC)

Moved here
Greetings! I wrote said historical fiction chapter book, "The Lost Village of Central Park." As I am updating the front and back matter in hopes of re-publishing this book soon, I came to Wikipedia again, and was saddened to see the book's removal. Guess now I have to figure out how to ask for it to be reinstated! Sincerely, Hope Lourie Killcoyne amazon.com/author/hopelouriekillcoyne — Preceding unsigned comment added by Hope Lourie Killcoyne (talk • contribs) 20:42, 6 July 2020 (UTC)

Moved from GA/1 by Mujinga (talk) 14:29, 7 July 2020 (UTC)
 * As the main contributor to this article, I don't think we should be introducing any fiction books in the bibliography or further reading. These don't really help readers who want information about the subject. Additionally, I'm concerned that this might be a conflict of interest because the user who is adding this book is the same as the author. epicgenius (talk) 17:00, 7 July 2020 (UTC)

Hawaiian woman
I believe the Australian newspaper's 1920 piece is pretty clearly referring to Seneca, New York, given that her father is described as a "missionary among the Seneca Indians in Western New York". This bit should be removed.--Pharos (talk) 14:36, 1 February 2022 (UTC)
 * Yes check.svg Done Beyond My Ken (talk) 18:01, 1 February 2022 (UTC)

This article as NYC monthly collaboration
We've designated this article as the WikiProject New York City/Monthly collaboration for February, in synch with the Meetup/NYC/MetAfrofuturist edit-a-thon.--Pharos (talk) 15:07, 1 February 2022 (UTC)

Navigable map
It would be great to have a navigable map for this, similar to the one on the Land of the Blacks (Manhattan) article.--Pharos (talk) 15:09, 1 February 2022 (UTC)
 * @Pharos, do you mean something like File:North America First Free Black Settlement Map.svg? There is an interactive map in the Seneca Village article, but not an SVG diagram. – Epicgenius (talk) 21:13, 3 February 2022 (UTC)


 * For some reason our interactive map here highlights all of Central Park, but the infobox at c:Category:Seneca Village actually show the section of the park.--Pharos (talk) 00:58, 6 February 2022 (UTC)


 * Map corrected by using WD item for this article instead of the item for Central Park. - DutchTreat (talk) 11:14, 6 February 2022 (UTC)

First use of term?
Although the community began to coalesce in 1825, it would be great to get a citation for when we have the first appearance of "Seneca Village" as a geographical term.--Pharos (talk) 15:12, 1 February 2022 (UTC)
 * That's going to be a tough ask, I think, given the nature of the settlement. Beyond My Ken (talk) 16:47, 1 February 2022 (UTC)
 * I agree with BMK - there may not be enough info about when precisely "Seneca Village" became an established term. It wasn't mentioned in The Park and the People: A History of Central Park, or at least I didn't notice when I read that book a few years ago. Perhaps a look through historic-newspaper archives may help. – Epicgenius (talk) 00:46, 2 February 2022 (UTC)


 * Oddly, according to Leslie M. Alexander, the only source for this name appears to be Thomas McClure Peters, rector of St. Michael's Episcopal Church, presumably via his contributions to .--Pharos (talk) 14:37, 5 February 2022 (UTC)

Two schools
Please be careful about removing mention of the second school. There are indeed two schools described in reliable sources, though sometimes one gets accidentally omitted.--Pharos (talk) 14:31, 5 February 2022 (UTC)

Thanks, I am new to editing Wikipedia so just getting the hang of editing, including how to clarify reasons for editing. I have not seen any references to a second school actually, except for a Sunday School that was set up by women who were part of St. Micheal's Church, prior to them establishing All Angel's Church in the community. Is it possible to share those references? Landscape2022 (talk) 16:04, 7 February 2022 (UTC)Landscape2022
 * Sure, here is the reference for the two schools at Seneca Village.--Pharos (talk) 03:40, 12 February 2022 (UTC)


 * Adding on to Pharos's comment, I would also be careful not to remove references like this and replace them with "Citation needed". The sources cited did indeed say 91 Black people had been eligible to vote; however, this conflicts with the Conservancy's figure of 100. In such cases I would just clarify the conflicting figures rather than remove the reference altogether. – Epicgenius (talk) 22:13, 5 February 2022 (UTC)

Thanks, let me revisit this as I don't think I meant to remove the statement all together.Landscape2022 (talk) 16:04, 7 February 2022 (UTC)Landscape2022

On a related question, Leslie M. Alexander gives the teacher at Colored School No. 3 as Catherine Thompson, while city directories put the head of the school as Caroline W. Simpson, that she had a salary of $200, and that there were 75 students. The location is 85th Street between 7th and 8th.--Pharos (talk) 02:02, 1 March 2022 (UTC)
 * I'm inclined toward Caroline W. Simpson, as appearing on several official directories for the school at "Yorkville", while Catherine Thompson is listed as at a different Colored School No. 3 on 41st St.--Pharos (talk) 19:02, 5 March 2022 (UTC)

Early literary inspiration
Frances Harper's novel Trial and Triumph mentions a fictional African American settlement in the 19th Ward that seems perhaps inspired by Seneca Village.--Pharos (talk) 21:13, 5 March 2022 (UTC)

Goat Hill and Nanny Goat Hill
Goat Hill appears to be identical to Summit Rock, but it seems the Nanny Goat Hill of George W. Plunkitt was a somewhat smaller inhabited hill to the north by 84th Street?--Pharos (talk) 04:09, 7 March 2022 (UTC)
 * From Plunkitt's description, this seems to be the same place as the mini Irish settlement dominated by John Gallagher's household.--Pharos (talk) 04:51, 8 March 2022 (UTC)