Sandy Ground Historical Museum facts for kids
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| Location | 1538 Woodrow Rd Staten Island, New York City |
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The Sandy Ground Historical Museum is in Staten Island, New York. It's located in a special area called Sandy Ground. This museum tells the story of the oldest community in the U.S. where free African Americans lived all the time.
It has the biggest collection of items about African-American history on Staten Island. It might also have the only old African cemetery from the 1700s in America. The museum is run by the Sandy Ground Historical Society.
The museum helps people learn about Sandy Ground. They offer tours, exhibits, and fun activities. These include arts and crafts, and interesting talks. About 10,000 people visit or learn from the museum each year. This includes many children. The museum also keeps old items safe. These include art, quilts, letters, photos, and rare books.
The Sandy Ground Community
The Sandy Ground community is part of Rossville. It is one of the oldest communities still existing in the United States. Free African Americans started it before the American Civil War. The first land purchase by an African American was in 1828. This was Captain John Jackson. It happened just after slavery ended in New York.
Sandy Ground was first called Harrisville. Then it was called Little Africa. Finally, it got its current name, Sandy Ground. This name came from the land, which was not very good for farming. Many old buildings from the community are still standing. Five of them are special New York City landmarks. These include a church, a cemetery, and three homes. Some people still live in the original community today.
Oyster Farming and Freedom
After slavery in New York ended in 1827, freed people moved to Sandy Ground. This area was near what is now Bloomingdale and Woodrow Roads. These first settlers were skilled at harvesting oysters. They brought their knowledge with them to Staten Island.
Many of these oyster workers came from Maryland. Oyster harvesting on Staten Island happened mostly on the south shore. Prince's Bay was a main center for this work. It was easy to walk there from Sandy Ground. Sandy Ground was also an important stop on the Underground Railroad. This was a secret network that helped enslaved people escape to freedom. Sandy Ground is the oldest free black community in the U.S. that has been lived in continuously. Oyster farming stopped around 1916. This was because of water pollution in the harbor.
The records of the Sandy Ground African Methodist Church go back to 1850.
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