The beloved Staten Island tavern where everyone left with respect – until arson destroyed it in 1983
Updated: July. 12, 2026, 4:15 p.m. | Published: July. 11, 2026, 5:50 a.m. Sandy Ground is the nation’s oldest free Black settlement continuously inhabited by descendants. Advance Local Express Desk By Amanda Faublas | afaublas@siadvance.com EDITOR'S NOTE This...
Generations reunite on Staten Island for 58-year tradition of family, faith and celebration
Updated: Mar. 12, 2026, 11:19 a.m. | Published: Mar. 11, 2026, 5:50 a.m. Sandy Ground is the nation’s oldest free Black settlement continuously inhabited by descendants. Advance Local Express Desk By Tracey Porpora | porpora@siadvance.comEDITOR'S NOTE This story is...
Centuries-old Staten Island community takes spotlight in Columbia oral history project
Sandy Ground descendants traveled to Columbia University to share stories of a Staten Island community that has endured since 1828, surviving devastating fires and development while preserving its heritage through faith and family. (Courtesy of Heather Butts)Heather...
She was forced to leave the Staten Island ‘village” she loved. Now her daughter is fighting to preserve its history
Updated: Mar. 12, 2026, 11:19 a.m. | Published: Mar. 11, 2026, 5:50 a.m. Sandy Ground is the nation’s oldest free Black settlement continuously inhabited by descendants. Advance Local Express Desk By Tracey Porpora | porpora@siadvance.comEDITOR'S NOTE This story is...
“THEY TREAT ME LIKE FAMILY”: A historic Staten Island church offers more than faith—it offers belonging
Published: Apr. 30, 2026, 5:30 a.m By Dr. Gracelyn Santos | gsantos@siadvance.com EDITOR'S NOTE This story is part of an ongoing journalistic initiative to rally the community and the country around a critical, but endangered, historical site: Sandy Ground, the...
She grew up in a Staten Island community built on freedom — and at 102, she’s still telling the story
Updated: Apr. 03, 2026, 11:19 a.m. | Published: Apr. 03, 2026, 5:30 a.m By Dr. Gracelyn Santos | gsantos@siadvance.com EDITOR'S NOTE This story is part of an ongoing journalistic initiative to rally the community and the country around a critical, but endangered,...
A homecoming to history: Pastor returns to Staten Island historic church
Updated: Apr. 03, 2026, 11:19 a.m. | Published: Apr. 03, 2026, 5:30 a.m By Dr. Gracelyn Santos | gsantos@siadvance.com EDITOR'S NOTE This story is part of an ongoing journalistic initiative to rally the community and the country around a critical, but endangered,...
‘I Wake Up … and I Say, Thank You, God’: Cousins return to America’s Oldest Free Black Settlement’
https://www.silive.com/news/2026/03/i-wake-up-and-i-say-thank-you-god-cousins-return-to-americas-oldest-free-black-settlement.htmlEDITOR'S NOTE This story is part of an ongoing journalistic initiative to rally the community and the country around a critical, but...
Hidden in plain sight: Could this historic free Black community be Staten Island’s next Richmond Town?
Updated: Mar. 05, 2026, 9:53 a.m. | Published: Mar. 05, 2026, 5:50 a.m. Sandy Ground is the nation’s oldest free Black settlement continuously inhabited by descendants. Advance Local Express Desk By Tracey Porpora | porpora@siadvance.comEDITOR'S NOTE This story is...
‘It’s home’: Family says Staten Island church’s deeper value can’t be found in history books
EDITOR'S NOTE This story is part of an ongoing journalistic initiative to rally the community and the country around a critical, but endangered, historical site: Sandy Ground, the nation’s oldest free Black settlement still inhabited by descendants of its pioneers....
