Black Heritage Trail New York City

Five Points was a neighborhood around the intersection of Worth Street, Baxter Street, and Cross Street, which no longer exists. It became a world-famous slum in the 1840s.Five Points was also where many abolitionist organizations were located. There was the Chatham Chapel, where black and white abolitionists met, and the African American Mutual Relief Hall. Churches such St. Philip’s African Episcopal Church and the African Bethlehem Church were part of the Underground Railroad, as were many of the homes in the area. Five Points was a dangerous neighborhood, but it was also a safe haven for those fleeing slavery.Founded in 1808 and located on Worth Street, the Abyssinian Baptist Church first moved to 166 Waverly Place (pictured) and then farther north to West 40th Street in 1902. n 1923, the congregation moved into the Tudor Gothic–style church at 132 West 138th Street (Odell Clark Place), where it became the largest and most influential black church in New York.

Central Park’s perimeter from West 82nd to West 89th Street during the first half of the 19th century, before the area became Central Park, was home to Seneca Village, a community of predominantly African-Americans, many of whom owned property.