For approximately 200 years, the Van Cortlandt family plantation relied upon the labor of enslaved people, as did many plantations and farms in the north. Enslaved Africans, their descendants, and Indigenous people were vital to colonial New York’s economy–growing, harvesting, milling, packing, and shipping the wheat that would be a staple export out of New York harbor.
In addition to being the home of the wealthy and influential Van Cortlandt family, the land now known as Van Cortlandt Park was home to generations of enslaved people, both African and Native American, going back to the 1600s. The work of enslaved people in the Bronx–building roads, constructing houses, damming streams–is still visible in the landscape of the park. Favorite sites in Van Cortlandt Park, like the lake and Van Cortlandt House Museum, are daily reminders of their labor and lasting legacy.
The Pathways to the Past: Enslaved Africans Legacy tour will enlighten participants on the true history that shaped Van Cortlandt Park. The interactive and offline tour enables visitors to read and listen as they venture through the park.