In 1838, a free African American by the name of James Weeks purchased a tract of land on the fringes of Brooklyn’s settled areas to build a free African American community of entrepreneurs, doctors, laborers and craftsmen. Over time, the village was absorbed into Brooklyn, but three of the historic wooden houses (aka the Hunterfly Road Houses) can be visited.
The center continues to evolve: a 19,000-sq-ft gold-certified LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) building will open in 2014, with oral media lab, resource center, gallery space and performance hall; there will also be a new micro farm and botanic collection. It's a trek to get here, but worth it for history buffs.
