Calendar of Events

All Virtual Events are recorded and posted to the Museum’s YouTube page.

FEBRUARY

Thursday, February 5, 6 p.m.
The Road to Harlem: The Forgotten History of Black Manhattan
Part 1 — Free, “Half-Free,” and Enslaved: Black Life in New Amsterdam
Virtual Talk co-sponsored by Save Harlem Now, Village Preservation, Landmark West, and Black in Preservation

The first enslaved people of African descent to be brought to New Amsterdam were eventually emancipated and granted farmland on and near what is now the Merchant’s House Museum. Join Museum Historian Ann Haddad as she explores the complex story of Black life in the 17th century Dutch settlement, and the free, “half-free,” and enslaved Black people who raised families, established a strong community, and contributed to the development of New York City. Manuel Plaza, adjacent to the Museum, pays tribute to these men and women who settled on what was known as the “Land of the Blacks.”

The Road to Harlem. Long before Harlem, Black New Yorkers were shaping the city’s history, neighborhoods, culture, and institutions. This multi-part series explores that extraordinary story, beginning in 17th century New Amsterdam and continuing through centuries of resilience, community-building, creativity, and struggle. We’ll explore the remarkable free Black settlement known as the “Land of the Blacks,” the vibrant communities of Little Africa in Greenwich Village and the Tenderloin in Midtown, and the storied neighborhood of San Juan Hill, lost to urban renewal and the building of Lincoln Center. Along the way, we’ll uncover how these communities laid the groundwork for what would become Harlem. This series is about rediscovering erased histories, honoring the lives and neighborhoods that came before us, and understanding Harlem not just as a destination — but as part of a much longer road.

Free; register for this Zoom talk!

 

Current Exhibitions

Exhibitions are included with regular museum admission.

On display through Sunday, March 22
Tredwell Costume Collection: Cotton Day Dress (MHM 2002.0830)

This cotton dress is a fine example of an early 1890s day dress. The boned, fitted bodice is trimmed with machine embroidered eyelet lace (also known as “white-work”) down the front and at the wrists, and has a high band collar. The white eyelet lace trim is also sewn down the front of the skirt. The bodice has gathers at the lower center front and lower center back, and at the shoulders in the front. The leg-o-mutton sleeves are full at the upper arm and taper to the wrists. The bodice is fully lined, and the skirt partially lined, with cotton. The ensemble is further embellished with crocheted buttons and silk ribbon sashes. The dress was constructed with the aid of a sewing machine, but the trims and cartridge pleats in the skirt’s waist were sewn on by hand.

Special Exhibition Opening Summer 2026
Slavery in Plain Sight: A 19th Century Merchant’s Home

In 1827, after three decades of “gradual emancipation,” New York State officially abolished slavery. Yet New York City’s economy remained deeply entwined with the slave South — and it was booming. Merchants, financiers, and prominent families continued to profit through investments, insurance, shipping, manufacturing, and especially the cotton trade. New York City was firmly pro-slavery and it was convenient to turn a blind eye.

This exhibition highlights New Yorkers’ complicity with the slave economy, focusing on objects and materials in the Tredwell Collection with direct links to the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Mahogany, sugar, tobacco, cotton, and metals are all “in plain sight” in the Tredwell home, as they were in homes throughout the city.

 

 

 

VIRTUAL EXHIBITIONS | ONLINE OFFERINGS