[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 34 (Friday, February 27, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E272]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             BLACK HISTORY MONTH--WEEKSVILLE (BROOKLYN, NY)

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                         HON. YVETTE D. CLARKE

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, February 27, 2015

  Ms. CLARKE of New York. Mr. Speaker, as Black History Month comes to 
a close, I would like to share with you the untold story of Weeksville. 
Weeksville, though rarely mentioned among the historically black and 
vibrant neighborhoods, was very dynamic and was founded by African-
American free men in Brooklyn during the 19th century.
   In 1838, a former Virginia slave named James Weeks bought land from 
another free African-American man. Several African-American investors, 
political activists and other free men from the South started moving to 
this plot of land bought by Mr. Weeks. As more and more people moved to 
this Promised Land, it became known as Weeksville. By 1850, more than 
500 African-American free men were residing in Weeksville.
   According to historical reports, the population of Weeksville was 
quite diverse, two of the residents were born in Africa, 40% of the 
residents were south-born and the rest of the inhabitants were from all 
over the East Coast. Not only was Weeksville diverse, but it was also a 
successful and independent community. One-third of the men in the 
neighborhood over the age of 21 were landowners, the community had its 
own churches, had a school which was the first school in the U.S. to 
integrate both staff and students, and a newspaper called ``Freedman's 
Torchlight''. In the 1860s, the national headquarter of the African 
Society Civilization was located in Weeksville and the neighborhood 
also housed an orphanage called the Howard Colored Orphan Asylum.
   Today, all that remains of Weeksville are four small cottages known 
as the Hunter Road houses. Fortunately, the Weeks Heritage Center 
formed in 1972 has managed to raise funds to preserve the houses as 
National Historic places. Preserving such landscapes is important to 
educate our children and to embrace the beauty of their heritage.
   If you want to learn more about Weeksville, I invite you to read the 
book ``Brooklyn's Promised Land: The Free Black Community of 
Weeksville, New York'' by Judith Wellman. In this book, Professor 
Wellman provides details about the everyday lives of the inhabitants of 
Weeksville and also narrates the rise and fall of this promising 
community.

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