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Brooklyn's Promised Land: The Free Black Community of Weeksville, New York Paperback – February 1, 2017

by Judith Wellman (Author)
4.7 out of 5 stars 19 ratings
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Tells the riveting narrative of the growth, disappearance, and eventual rediscovery of one of the largest free black communities of the nineteenth century

In 1966 a group of students, Boy Scouts, and local citizens rediscovered all that remained of a then virtually unknown community called Weeksville: four frame houses on Hunterfly Road. The infrastructure and vibrant history of Weeksville, an African American community that had become one of the largest free black communities in nineteenth century United States, were virtually wiped out by Brooklyn’s exploding population and expanding urban grid.

Weeksville was founded by African American entrepreneurs after slavery ended in New York State in 1827. Located in eastern Brooklyn, Weeksville provided a space of physical safety, economic prosperity, education, and even political power for its black population, who organized churches, a school, orphan asylum, home for the aged, newspapers, and the national African Civilization Society. Notable residents of Weeksville, such as journalist and educator Junius P. Morell, participated in every major national effort for African American rights, including the Civil War.

Drawing on maps, newspapers, census records, photographs, and the material culture of buildings and artifacts, Wellman reconstructs the social history and national significance of this extraordinary place. Through the lens of this local community, Brooklyn’s Promised Land highlights themes still relevant to African Americans across the country.

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  1. Part of series
    America and the Long 19th Century
  2. Print length
    320 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publication date
    February 1, 2017
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 0.79 x 9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1479874477
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1479874477
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"In Brooklyn's Promised Land: The Free Black Community of Weeksville, New York, Judith Wellman, an emeritus professor at the State University of New York at Oswego, reanimates this black nationalist enclave in the boroughs eastern Beford Hills, which by the Civil War had more than 500 residents." ― New York Times

"The author uses a variety of sources and biography to paint a multifaceted picture of Weeksvillean important symbol of African Americans struggle for equality and justice during a time when the nation did not want them to have either." ― The Journal of American History

"Brooklyn's Promised Land is local history at its best. It sheds light on the politics, family life, and economic strivings of a remarkable independent black community all but lost to history." ― Eric Foner, DeWitt Clinton Professor of History, Columbia University

"A comprehensive history of Weeksville, Brooklyn's nineteenth and early twentieth century free black community, is long overdue. Judith Wellman's meticulously researched and clearly written social history finally charts this story through the lives of teachers, ministers, activists, a woman doctor, and ordinary citizens. What an important contribution to the lexicon of books on New York, African American history, and the history of the preservation of African American historic sites and museums." ― Gretchen Sullivan Sorin, Distinguished Professor, State University of NY College at Oneonta

"Fascinating and meticulously researched. . . . It highlights the experiences of a community founded on black nationalist principles during a time of instability in American race relations, and it highlights the power of blacks in carving out their own community in Brooklyn." ― Jane Dabel, California State University, Long Beach

"In this fascinating and groundbreaking book, Judith Wellman opens wide a window on not just one long-forgotten community of black New Yorkers, but also more broadly upon the diverse, sometimes surprisingly successful lives of urban African Americans in the nineteenth century. Rooted in fine-grained research, written with grace and a fine eye for the telling detail, this book should serve be a model for historians struggling to wrest the realities of antebellum black life from scant documentary records, and the willful forgetting of the larger society." ― Fergus M. Bordewich, author of America's Great Debate

"Judith Wellman has skillfully demonstrated how the success of her subjects transcends their important local history and enriches our understanding of free black life in nineteenth-century America. Brooklyns Promised Land is a welcome addition to the growing literature on free African Americans in the U.S. and New York in particular, and merits a place on the shelf of any serious student of antebellum black life." ― American Historical Review

"Not a novel, but nevertheless a fascinating story of Weeksville, the little-known community of free blacks in what is today Crown Heights. Nearly lost to demolition, Weeksville was rediscovered in 1966 and is today home to several restored houses and a handsome new welcome center. Wellman tells the whole story, from the villages roots in the 1830s to its near fall into oblivion in the late 20th century." ― Newsweek.com

About the Author

Judith Wellman is Professor Emerita from the State University of New York at Oswego and Director of Historical New York Research Associates and author of Brooklyn's Promised Land: The Free Black Community of Weeksville, New York (NYU, 2014).

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ NYU Press
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 1, 2017
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ Reprint
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1479874477
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1479874477
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 15.2 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.79 x 9 inches
  • Part of series ‏ : ‎ America and the Long 19th Century
  • Best Sellers Rank: #2,210,404 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 out of 5 stars 19 ratings

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Judith Wellman

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4.7 out of 5 stars
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Linda
    5.0 out of 5 stars History at Its Best
    Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    For history buffs, this book is a must read. The author documents the history of Weeksville, an independent community established by and for African Americans in the 1830's. Located in what is now the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, Weeksville was created by African American land investors and populated by high proportions of property owners, professional and skilled workers, residents born in the South, political activists, and supporters of the Underground Railroad. It had its own schools, churches, newspapers, and community organizations. Weeksville was the home of national organizations such as the African Civilization Society and the residence of Junius Morel, Maritcha Lyons and others who played national roles fighting against slavery in favor of civil rights, community development, and intellectual creativity as writers, lecturers, civic leaders, and educators. Around 1910, Weeksville became lost to history but was rediscovered in the 1960s. The present day Weeksville Heritage Center was created through the same kind of energy and entrepreneurism that put Weeksville on the map in the first place. The book reflects the painstaking research done over the last 50 years to rediscover Weeksville though archeological digs and combing through census records, deeds, newspaper archives, maps, and other documents. Often dry, the book requires persistence to read but the effort is worthwhile --- indeed inspiring --- for anyone interested in the brilliance, determination, courage, and community-mindedness of African American women and men who created the America Dream out of the American Dilemma.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • "Amazonian" American Product Reviewer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Provides new information about a community I recently visited
    Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    I bought this book upon the recommendation of a relative who is a descendant of former residents of Weeksville. I visited the area and wanted to learn more about it. The book was well researched.
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  • Linda potter
    4.0 out of 5 stars Great information for the History of an important part of Brooklyn and the Long Island Railroad.
    Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Good for history buffs and ancestry research. Who knew Brooklyn had so many Dutch immigrants. A fast read and informative.
    One person found this helpful
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  • John Moore
    5.0 out of 5 stars This is a great reference for anyone who would like to know the ...
    Reviewed in the United States on October 28, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    This is a great reference for anyone who would like to know the history of the Weeksville Section.

    For me it is especially a valuable resource in my genealogical research of the Moore Family who contributed much to the book and much more to the history of the area
    2 people found this helpful
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  • jenni
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2015
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    Great book
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  • Coline
    5.0 out of 5 stars Weeksville, the heart of Brooklyn: Read this book and visit this place.
    Reviewed in the United States on November 12, 2014
    Twice I have visited Brooklyn's Promised Land - "Weeksville." The newly-opened, multi-millions dollar visitor's center gives the overview of the life at Weeksville, an Afro-American community in the heart of Brooklyn. The original houses and farmland, next to the center, are open for tours. This book reveals Weeksville's history. Its remarkable inhabitants and their institutions come to life. You'll love this place and this book!
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Robert W. Skellan
    3.0 out of 5 stars An account of African-American accomplishment.
    Reviewed in the United States on October 6, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    As scholarly and as informative as it could be considering what little information is available concerning this enclave of African-Americans. Wellman has scraped out all that could possibly be known about the history of this little-known place in New York and the period in which it existed. This is an addition to what should be known about black history and what havens African-Americans created for and by themselves before and after the Civil War. It is also a tribute to the ability of African-Americans to achieve, educate and progress politically under restrictive circumstances.
    2 people found this helpful
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