As I was walking down Bergen Street in Bedford Stuyvesant I was looking for Buffalo Avenue. Well, I found the cross streets, but I could not find Weeksville Heritage Center. So, I stopped a man and asked him if he knew where it was. He was not sure, but oddly enough, we were standing right in front of the site. We laughed and I made my way through the gate onto the historic Hunterfly Road and entered this hidden oasis. This road is not paved nor is it on the grid. It is a hidden gem in the heart of Brooklyn and when you walk into the old Hunterfly Road Houses it is like stepping into history.
As a group we chose the Weeksville Historical Society because it is an opportunity to share a different kind of history with our students; a history that digs deeper than the skimming textbook effect which only addresses slavery and Reconstruction. Weeksville delves deeper into the social history of free blacks from the early 19th century. Our guide told us that at one point in the 1870s Weeksville’s population consisted of 500 people and the community stretched five to six blocks in each direction. The progressive neighborhood was heavily wooded and, therefore, secluded.
The first house that we entered was that of a middle class family from the 1860s. The floors were carpeted, there was furniture from Sears Roebuck & Co, with separate bedrooms and a room in the back, not a kitchen, but it was where most of the preparation of food and goods took place. Coming to a historic site like this would be a great way for students to visually grasp a different kind of history---one that was free from shackles, whips, and plantations. A living, thriving, and hard working community that developed along with the rest of New York City and the nation. This development is evident as we made our way into the other types of houses. Adjacent to the latter house described was a house that displayed the way a working class family lived---a bit more modest, but nonetheless charming. Next, we traveled to the house that represented a family’s home from the turn of the 20th century. Here, in the parlor was a beautiful piano and atop the piano were photographs from this time period that gave a face to the home. These little details were fascinating to learn from. Artifacts throughout the home are great prompts for questions. So, why are so many teachers unaware of Weeksville’s presence in Brooklyn?
The last house I found most interesting. It was built in the early 20th century. It has beautiful molding and decorated glass cupboards. It is spacious and based on the literature and musical instruments that was lying around the living room it was clear that the family was very focused on learning and music. In a magazine holder next to an armchair was WEB Dubois’ The Crisis and an issue of Life Magazine from 1939. It was modernized and fully equipped with electricity and a telephone. Our guide has informed us that the father had four jobs to keep up the household. This house was the last house standing on Hunterfly Road. It was sold to Weeksville Historical Society in 1968.
To sum up our trip, I will leave the most exciting information for last. As our guide was talking about different primary documents (i.e. census records, artifacts, photographs, journals) they use to gather information about Weeksville and the families that lived there, I asked, “As teachers, do we have access to any of these records to share with our students?” She informed me that the WHS has begun construction on the new research facility and community center on site at Weeksville Heritage Center. It will be a green building where teachers and students can come to research. The WHS is in the process of digitizing all of the documents, so the delicate and precious materials can be democratized. The green building, which has been 40 years in the making (gathering funds, designs, finding documents and materials) will be completed in an expected 22 months.
Weeksville is the perfect opportunity to share the social history of African Americans that is close to home for our students. It is a microcosm of New York City: walking through the houses from different time periods you find that Weeksville started off rural and became urban. Weeksville was almost demolished in the mid-20th century by the NYC’s Urban Renewal Project. Luckily, Professor James Hurley, spotted Weeksville overhead by plane with a student who just so happened to have a pilot license. The Hunterfly Road Houses were officially declared New York City landmarks in 1970 and in 1971 and in 1972 they were placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
