Four wooden houses built around 1830 stood on the old Hunterfly Road, a route used by the Dutch as early as 1682 and abandoned with the introduction of the grid system in 1838. The houses stood within the boundaries of Weeksville, a predominantly free Black community that grew after the abolition of slavery in New York State in 1827. Many Black families took refuge there during the Civil War Draft Riots of 1863. At its peak, Weeksville had at least seven all Black institutions, including the African Civilization Society, the Colored Orphan Asylum, and the Home for Aged Colored People.
