About Us

In 2005, the Weeksville Society for the Preservation of Weeksville and Bedford Stuyvesant officially became Weeksville Heritage Center. Although our name changed, our mission did not. Weeksville Heritage Center is dedicated to preserving the historic Hunterfly Road Houses and the significant history they represent.

The landmark Hunterfly Road Houses are the last surviving residence of 19th century Weeksville, one of the nation's earliest free African American communities. The area was named after free African American James, who acquired property in the area in 1838, only eleven years after slavery ended in New York State. By the 1860s, Weeksville had become an intellectual, cultural and economic center for free African Americans. A model of the African American contribution to the development of Brooklyn, the region and the nation, historic Weeksville is the premier example of the 19th century African American experience in the North.

The Hunterfly Road Houses underwent a $3 million restoration, completed in 2005. The historic houses now proudly stand in a verdant, park-like setting in their original Central Brooklyn location. These cultural gems are no longer hiding in plain sight. The houses are symbols of what a community working together in the past created and what a community coming together today can achieve. The history made visible in the 1960s when Weeksville was rediscovered is now shared with everyone through tours of the historic houses (each of which showcases a particular era), lectures, preservation workshops, children’s programs, cultural events and other programs rooted in the Center's historic houses, singular research and unique collection of more than 200 objects.

In 2007, we will break ground at the historic site for our new education/cultural center. The contemporary design of the new building already has received recognition. It has been granted gold-level Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification and it has received an Art Commission Design Award. The new, 19,000-square-foot building will feature education, exhibition, program and performance space, as well as a café and library. This new building will allow us to offer a broader range of programming to a larger audience in the heart of historic Weeksville.

Nineteenth century Weeksville has come alive again through the beautifully restored Hunterfly Road houses and the enriching, enlightening programs of Weeksville Heritage Center. Historic Weeksville will continue to live for future generations with the expanded offerings we will be able to provide in our new building.