Weeksville Heritage Center facts for kids
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Hunterfly Road Historic District
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Hunterfly Road House, August 2009
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 Location in New York City
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| Location | 1698, 1700, 1702, 1704, 1706, 1708 Bergen St., New York, New York |
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| Area | 2 acres (0.81 ha) |
| Built | 1830 |
| NRHP reference No. | 72000853 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | December 5, 1972 |
The Weeksville Heritage Center is a special place in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New York City. It helps us remember and learn about Weeksville. This was one of America's very first communities where free Black people lived in the 1800s.
In Weeksville, people built their own schools, churches, and helpful groups. They also worked hard to end slavery. Weeksville is a really important historical site. It is one of the few places left that shows us what free African-American communities were like before the Civil War.
A group of people started the Weeksville Heritage Center in 1970. They wanted to save this important history. Today, the Heritage Center offers tours, art activities, and history programs for students. It is managed by the Weeksville Society. This group takes care of the historic Hunterfly Houses and a large grassy area.
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Exploring History: The Hunterfly Road Houses
The main part of the museum is the Hunterfly Road Historic District. This is a national historic area. It includes four old houses built in the 1860s. These houses are part of the free Black community of Weeksville from the 1800s.
The houses stand along a very old road. This road was used by American Indians long ago to reach shellfish beds. The city started closing parts of Hunterfly Road after 1835. The houses show different times in history. One is a small double-house from the 1860s. Another is a two-story wooden house from the 1900s. There's also the home of a family who lived there for many years, from 1923 to 1968.
In 1970, these houses were named New York City Landmarks. Two years later, in 1972, they were added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means they are very important historical sites.
A Look Back: The Story of Weeksville
How Weeksville Began
In 1838, a man named James Weeks bought some land in Brooklyn. He was an African American. He bought the land from another free African American, Henry C. Thompson. This happened 11 years after slavery officially ended in New York State. The area was named Weeksville after James Weeks.
Weeksville grew into a thriving community. It became home to many important people. These included ministers, teachers, and other professionals. New York State's first female African-American doctor lived there. New York City's first African-American police officer also lived in Weeksville.
The Black community in Weeksville created its own places. They had churches, a school, and even a baseball team. They also had an orphanage, a cemetery, and a home for older people. They formed an African-American benevolent society to help each other. They even started one of the first African-American newspapers, called the Freedman's Torchlight.
During the New York Draft Riots in 1863, Weeksville became a safe place. Many African Americans fled from Manhattan during these violent times. They found safety and new homes in Brooklyn's Weeksville.
Finding Weeksville Again
For a long time, Weeksville was mostly forgotten. Then, in 1968, people started looking for it again. James Hurley, a researcher and former aerial photographer, led this search. He read about Weeksville in a history book.
James Hurley and Joseph Haynes, an engineer and pilot, flew over the area. They took pictures of the old houses on Hunterfly Road. This old road was a leftover from colonial times. It was on the eastern edge of the Weeksville settlement from the 1800s.
After finding the houses, Hurley learned that a block of homes was going to be torn down. This was to make way for new city housing. He helped start an archaeological dig. Young people from the Neighborhood Youth Corps helped explore the area as houses were removed.
The people involved in this project formed a group. It was called The Society for the Preservation of Weeksville and Bedford-Stuyvesant History. Most people just called it The Weeksville Society.
The Society bought the Hunterfly Road houses in 1973. The houses were fixed up in the 1980s. They were repaired again in the 1990s after some damage. In 2005, after a big restoration project, the houses opened to the public. They became part of the Weeksville Heritage Center. Each house now shows what Weeksville was like during a different time period.
Growing the Heritage Center
The Weeksville Heritage Center grew even more in 2013. A new building was completed. It cost $14 million and has a large space for performances and educational programs. It also includes a café and a library. This new center helps Weeksville offer more to the community. The goal is to welcome many more visitors each year.
In 2019, the center needed help with money. They asked for donations and received a lot of support. Later that year, the city announced good news. The Weeksville Heritage Center became part of the city's Cultural Institutions Group. This was a big deal! It was the first new addition in over 20 years. It was also the first Black cultural center in Brooklyn to join this group. This means the center now gets important funding from the Department of Cultural Affairs. This funding helps them save more historical items.
See also
