When Central Park was not central to New York City

One of the most distinguishing characteristics of the New York skyline is the frame the skyscrapers form around Central Park. But when the park was being planned in the mid-19th century, this land was not central to the occupied city at all. In fact it lay far north of the gridded and developed parts of lower Manhattan, and contained farms, a village of free African Americans, and graveyards.
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Incredible photos of New York City when it was covered in farmland
By Leanna Garfield
Business Insider
June 14, 2017