Episodes 6-9 Dark History of Central Park

🗽 Episode Summary:

In this episode, we dive into the fascinating, political, and often shady beginnings of Central Park. Long before it became the serene oasis we know today, there was a brutal power struggle over where the park should be located—and who would benefit.

We explore the Jones Wood controversy and the influential figures who had everything to gain if the park had ended up on the East River. One of the key players? Senator James Beekman, a man with property bordering the Jones Wood site and a strong motivation to boost its value. He proposed a bill to seize the land by eminent domain, but not without raising questions about his personal interests.

Beekman—and even Mayor Ambrose Kingsland—stood to gain financially from the location, especially if the park was funded through general taxation instead of the traditional special assessments (which would have hit property owners like Beekman with the bill).

The political drama escalated with:

• Public outcry and media pushback from the Journal of Commerce

• Aldermen like Henry Shaw and Nicholas Dean advocating for a more central location

• Competing proposals to expand the Battery at Manhattan’s tip

• A three-year battle in courts and councils

Eventually, the courts struck down the Jones Wood plan as unconstitutional, with Justice James I. Roosevelt delivering a scathing opinion on the bill’s unfair transfer of wealth.

By 1853, the idea of a “Central Park” had taken hold, thanks to a report by Daniel Dodge and Joseph Britton, emphasizing the central site’s topography, economic advantages, and existing city ownership. Yet Beekman didn’t give up—he tried to revive the Jones Wood plan twice in one day—only to be shut down in dramatic fashion.

Meanwhile, the proposed Central Park site had its own controversy, as it was already home to poor Irish and German families and free Black residents, including the community of Seneca Village—a powerful story that we’ll dig into in Part 2.

🧑‍💼 Key People & Families Mentioned:

• Robert Bowne Minturn: Shipping magnate, philanthropist, and key advocate for Central Park.

• Anna Mary Wendell Minturn: Possibly the real inspiration behind the park movement.

• William Minturn & Sarah Bowne: Robert’s parents. Sarah descends from John Bowne, a religious freedom pioneer.

• Preserved Fish: Merchant and early Wall Street figure, whose name sparked a hilarious musical tribute.

• Grinnell Family: Partners in Minturn’s shipping empire; Henry Grinnell was married to Robert’s sister.

• Hamilton Fish: Preserved Fish’s relative and an influential politician, named after Alexander Hamilton.

• Ambrose Kingsland: NYC mayor who formally proposed the creation of the park in 1851.

🏞️ Central Park Origins:

• The park idea was likely inspired by European travels.

• Proposed by wealthy elites for cultural, moral, and public health reasons.

• First location proposed: Jones Wood (Upper East Side) — ultimately rejected.

• Final park location supported due to landscape potential and strategic positioning.

• Debate still exists on who first truly conceived the idea.

🧠 Historical Context:

• NYC population exploded from 90,000 to nearly 500,000 in 50 years.

• Immigrant influx, wealth inequality, poor living conditions, and rising mortality drove the “need” for reform.

• Park advocates promoted it as a space to:

  • Improve moral behavior of the working class

  • Offer clean air and healthy recreation

  • Provide elites with scenic carriage routes

🪙 Class & Control:

• The Minturns and their peers viewed parks as cultural accomplishments and social tools.

• Philanthropy was conditional—relief was given with strings attached, and often came with judgment.

• The Association for Improving the Condition of the Poor aimed to "reform" the poor, not just help them.

🧭 Fun Facts & Sidebars:

• Preserved Fish (yes, that was his real name): Captain at 21, rich merchant, and part of Minturn's business lineage.

  • 🔗 Song Tribute by Ken Ficara — Note: Flash Player required, lyrics linked on our website.

  • 🎶 Favorite lyric: “Preserved Fish, did you ever wish… that your name didn’t bring to mind sardines?”

• John Bowne: Early advocate for religious liberty.

  • Shoutout to listeners in Queens! 💙

    • Check out: John Bowne High School, PS20, Bowne Street, Bowne Park

🧾 References & Resources:

• Book: The Park and the People: A History of Central Park by Roy Rosenzweig & Elizabeth Blackmar

• Historical records and letters to the editor from 19th-century NYC newspapers

• YouTube documentaries on Central Park’s development

• Ken Ficara’s humorous tribute to Preserved Fish

💬 Listener Notes:

• Love quirky history? Hit subscribe and leave a review!

• Do you have NYC history tidbits or weird facts? Send them in! You might be featured.

🙌 Special Thanks:

To the Queens community for keeping John Bowne’s legacy alive. And to everyone nerding out on NYC history with me—you're my people.

Episode Summary:

In this second part of our series on the creation of Central Park, we shift our focus from the political power plays of wealthy landowners to the lives of those who were most impacted by the park’s creation—the 1,600 residents who lived on the land that would become Central Park, many of whom were immigrants, working-class families, and free Black property owners.

Among these communities was Seneca Village, a thriving settlement founded in the 1820s by African Americans and later shared by Irish and German immigrants. This episode explores who lived there, what they built, and how their stories were erased—both literally and historically—so that a vision of a park “for the people” could be realized by those in power.

🔍 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• The misrepresentation and dehumanization of park residents in 19th-century media and legislative records.

• The real demographics of the Central Park dwellers—90% foreign-born, many working as laborers, tradespeople, and small business owners.

• How Seneca Village was founded, grew, and created rare opportunities for Black landownership, community-building, and even voting rights.

• Profiles of notable residents who grew up on the future park grounds, including George Washington Plunkitt and Richard “Boss” Crocker—both of whom became major players in Tammany Hall.

• The systemic racism and classism that led to the forced removal of Seneca Village’s residents under the guise of public improvement.

• The legacy of churches, schools, and civic engagement that was destroyed when the park’s construction began.

🗺️ Key Locations Covered:

• Seneca Village (82nd–89th Street, 7th–8th Ave)

• York Hill Settlement

• Croton Reservoir Site

• Downtown vs. Uptown Manhattan in the 1850s

👤 People Mentioned:

• Senator James Beekman – Key figure in the Jones Wood proposal

• George Washington Plunkitt – Tammany Hall "philosopher" and political operator

• Richard “Boss” Crocker – Tammany enforcer turned political kingmaker

• John Punnett Peters – Missionary and early commentator on Seneca Village

• Elizabeth & John Whitehead – Sold land that would become Seneca Village

• Thomas Peters – Reverend of St. Michael’s Church, advocate for residents

📚 Recommended Reading & Resources:

• Plunkitt of Tammany Hall – A firsthand account of machine politics

• The Park and the People: A History of Central Park by Roy Rosenzweig & Elizabeth Blackmar

• NYC Parks Department historical archives on Seneca Village

• Seneca Village Digital History Project

🕯️ Closing Thoughts:

Seneca Village wasn’t a slum—it was a sanctuary. It represented hope, independence, and dignity for people who had been excluded from most other opportunities in New York. This episode is a reminder that the cost of progress has too often been paid by those with the least power.

📘 Episode Summary:

In this in-depth episode of New York’s Dark Side, we’re heading back to the mid-1850s, where the fight for control over Central Park wasn’t just about design—it was about political ambition, class warfare, immigrant labor, and national identity.

Join Amanda as she explores how Mayor Fernando Wood’s presidential dreams, a rebellious state legislature, and a cast of “Gentlemen of Taste” collided to shape the park we know today. Learn how famous names like William Cullen Bryant, Washington Irving, George Bancroft, and Frederick Law Olmsted found themselves entwined in a battle not just over grass and gravel, but over the soul of a city—and who got to enjoy its crown jewel.

This is the untold story of the commissions, competitions, corruption, and classism that carved the foundations of Central Park—brick by brick, law by law, and protest by protest.

🔍 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• Why Mayor Fernando Wood tried to seize control of Central Park (and how it almost worked)

• Who the “Gentlemen of Taste” really were, including poet William Cullen Bryant and author Washington Irving

• The shadowy rise and fall of The Know Nothing Party, rooted in nativism and anti-immigrant hate

• How laborers protested by the thousands just to be given the chance to work on Central Park

• The intense rivalry between Olmsted and Vaux—and how politics almost destroyed their vision

• What the Greensward Plan was, and why it won the design competition

• How early park rules intentionally kept the working class, immigrants, and women out

🛠️ Featured Figures:

• Fernando Wood – NYC Mayor with presidential ambitions

• William Cullen Bryant – Poet and editor turned park advocate

• Robert Dillon – Legal strategist for Central Park's land battle

• Washington Irving – Chair of the Board & author of Sleepy Hollow

• George Bancroft – Historian, diplomat, abolitionist

• Frederick Law Olmsted – Superintendent and eventual co-designer of the park

• Calvert Vaux – Architect and artistic visionary behind the park’s design

• Egbert Viele – Army engineer and topographer of the original park site

• The Know Nothing Party – Anti-immigrant political movement that still echoes today

📚 Recommended Reading:

• 📘 The Park and the People: A History of Central Park by Roy Rosenzweig and Elizabeth Blackmar

• 📕 Plunkitt of Tammany Hall – A firsthand account of political graft

• 🗺️ Central Park Conservancy – History of the Park

🧵 Topics Explored:

• Political fallout from the “40 Thieves Common Council”

• The 1857 Panic and Recession and its ripple effects on labor

• The Board of Commissioners vs. the Common Council

• Design competition rules and how Olmsted & Vaux secured the win

• Early park exclusivity and class gatekeeping

• Baseball, croquet, and the slow, restricted roll-out of playgrounds

• Women’s roles and limitations in 1850s public life (and Amanda’s very valid rage)

🕯️ Reflection:

The creation of Central Park wasn’t just a civic project. It was a political weapon, a class battleground, and a symbol of America’s identity struggle—all rolled into one. While the park became an oasis for many, its earliest days were rife with exclusion, resistance, and elitism.

And yet, thanks to the hard-fought efforts of laborers, immigrants, and a few visionary designers, it would become a space for all.

🎧 Where to Listen:

📱 Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Amazon Music | YouTube

In Part 4 of our Central Park series, Amanda takes us through the lesser-known — and often jaw-dropping — events that shaped the park from the mid-1800s to the late 20th century. From high-society schemes to private zoos, bizarre hoaxes, and public protests, Central Park has always been more than just a scenic green space.

Discover how the park’s animal menagerie sparked citywide chaos (and racist backlash), how a fake news story terrified New Yorkers into action, and how a peaceful grassy knoll nearly led to civil war — or at least a war between bulldozers and baby strollers. We'll also explore racial tensions, media bias, and the powerful ways public spaces can reflect a city’s shifting values.

📌 Key Topics:

• 🐘 How August Belmont’s elite zoo plans helped shape Central Park’s early identity

• 🐍 The escaped boa constrictor panic of 1884 (with a cameo by a chimp named Mike Crowley)

• 🗞️ The 1874 Herald hoax that sparked widespread terror — and helped invent the GOP elephant

• 🎭 Cultural class wars over playgrounds, museums, and public access

• 🚫 Racism, media bias, and fear-based narratives around Harlem and LGBTQ+ communities in the park

• ✊🏽 Protests, pacifism, and the shift toward inclusive public spaces in the 1960s

• 🪧 The mothers who blocked bulldozers to save their children's play space in the 1956 “Battle of Central Park”

📚 Resources & Further Reading:

• The Park and the People by Roy Rosenzweig and Elizabeth Blackmar

• The full text of the 1874 Herald Zoo Hoax [link on website]

• Biography of “Mr. Crowley,” the controversial Central Park chimp [Google Books / Amazon links]

• YouTube clips of the 1960s Central Park “Love-In” [link on website]

📌 Mentioned Locations:

• Central Park Zoo / Menagerie

• The Arsenal

• Heckscher Playground

• Sheep Meadow

• Tavern on the Green

• East and West sides of Central Park

• Harlem, Upper West Side, San Juan Hill

📲 Stay Connected:

• Instagram & Twitter: @NYDarksidePod

• Facebook: New York’s Dark Side Podcast Page

• Email: nydarksidepodcast@gmail.com

• Website: nydarksidepodcast.com

📣 Don’t Forget:

• Subscribe or follow to be notified of new episodes

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• Share this episode with your history-loving, park-walking, hoax-debunking friends

🖤 Thanks for listening — and as always:

Stay curious. Stay bold. Stay on the Dark Side.

The main source material used for these episodes:

Rosenzweig, R., & Blackmar, E. (1992). The Park and the People: A History of Central Park. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. 

https://coloredconventions.org/black-wealth/biographies/charles-bennett-ray/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seneca_Village#:~:text=Additional%20nearby%20development%20was%20centered,American%2C%20in%20the%20late%201830s

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_W._Plunkitt

http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/pds/gilded/power/text7/plunkitt.pdf’

https://oldcathedral.org/documents/2022/4/Honest%20John%20Kelly.pdf

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Anderson_Van_Wyck#Political_career

https://www.sankofaarchives.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/SGJ-Seneca-Village-Vol.1-No.1.pdf

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Irving

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Cullen_Bryant

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Bancroft

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nativism_in_United_States_politics

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/immigrants-conspiracies-and-secret-society-launched-american-nativism-180961915/

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=179110

https://economic-historian.com/2020/07/panic-of-1857/

https://www.centralparkhistory.com/timeline/timeline_1850_compete.html

A Specimen Snake Story. (1884, December 1). Democrat and Chronicle, p. 1.

Boese, A. (2023, June 17). Central Park Zoo Escape. Retrieved from Museum of Hoaxes: http://hoaxes.org/archive/permalink/the_central_park_zoo_escape/

The Caddo Parish Republican Party. (2023). The Caddo Parish Republican Party. Retrieved from Origin of the Republican Elephant: https://new.caddogop.com/origin-of-the-republican-elephant/

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Belmont-family

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Park_Zoo

Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2008, February 25). Belmont family. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Belmont-family

https://fultonhistory.com/Newspaper%2014/New%20York%20NY%20Herald/New%20York%20NY%20Herald%201874/New%20York%20NY%20Herald%201874%20-%203503.pdf

http://hoaxes.org/archive/permalink/the_central_park_zoo_escape/

https://books.google.com/books/about/Mister_Crowley_of_Central_Park.html?id=NaQrAAAAYAAJ

https://www.nytimes.com/1974/05/15/archives/john-f-kennedy-jr-13-robbed-of-bike-in-park.html