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Kansas Looks to Preserve Legacy of Black Town
Date: Thursday, April 09, 2009, 2:35 pm
By: Jackie Jones, BlackAmericaWeb.com
Nicodemus, Kansas was settled by former slaves in 1877 at the end of Reconstruction and remains the only all-black town west of the Mississippi River. Five historic buildings mark its legacy.
The former slaves, encouraged by the opportunities afforded by the Homestead Act, bought land and set about developing independent lives. According to the National Parks of Kansas, the town’s history illustrates the role African-Americans play in the settlement of the West.
The town was planned by W.R. Hill, a white land developer from Indiana, and the Rev. W.H. Smith, a black man. Together, they formed the Nicodemus Town Company, and Smith became its president. The community’s name came from a legendary figure who came to America on a slave ship and later bought his freedom.
Smith and Hill heavily promoted the town to former slaves looking to escape the repression of the Deep South. The Rev. Simon P. Roundtree was the first settler, arriving on June 18, 1877. Zack T. Fletcher and his wife, Jenny Smith Fletcher (the Rev. Smith’s daughter), arrived the following month.
Hard times befell the town when a planned railroad failed to come through, and its population started to decline.
The current population of Nicodemus is tiny - just 52 residents, made up mostly of retirees, but there are thousands of descendants across the state of Kansas and throughout the country. People with a connection to the town are asked to go to the Web site and register their family trees on the genealogy page.
Nicodemus has been designated a National Historic Site. An Emancipation Celebration is held there annually in late July. A community center built in the late 1930s features historic displays about the town and its settlers. Students come to Nicodemus to learn about the role of black settlers.
Last month, the Nicodemus National Historic Site hosted a three-day Long Range Interpretive Planning Workshop and began formulating a plan to enhance visitor experiences, storytelling and education at the site. The efforts to preserve Nicodemus’ legend is part of a process that the National Parks of Kansas has launched throughout the state in preparation for the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service in 2016.
The 15 descendants and community residents; seven representatives of local and state organizations and 10 National Park Service representatives in attendance formed teams to identify ways to better tell the town’s story and spread the word. The group hopes to have a draft ready by late spring or early summer.
Anyone interested in participating in the project can contact the park service at 785-839-4321 or [email protected].
The National Parks of Kansas has created an essay contest to encourage seventh and eighth grade students statewide to tell how their stories connect with those preserved by the park service.
The deadline for contest entries is May 9 and application rules and details rules for the contest can be found here. Details about the town are available here.
Date: Thursday, April 09, 2009, 2:35 pm
By: Jackie Jones, BlackAmericaWeb.com
Nicodemus, Kansas was settled by former slaves in 1877 at the end of Reconstruction and remains the only all-black town west of the Mississippi River. Five historic buildings mark its legacy.
The former slaves, encouraged by the opportunities afforded by the Homestead Act, bought land and set about developing independent lives. According to the National Parks of Kansas, the town’s history illustrates the role African-Americans play in the settlement of the West.
The town was planned by W.R. Hill, a white land developer from Indiana, and the Rev. W.H. Smith, a black man. Together, they formed the Nicodemus Town Company, and Smith became its president. The community’s name came from a legendary figure who came to America on a slave ship and later bought his freedom.
Smith and Hill heavily promoted the town to former slaves looking to escape the repression of the Deep South. The Rev. Simon P. Roundtree was the first settler, arriving on June 18, 1877. Zack T. Fletcher and his wife, Jenny Smith Fletcher (the Rev. Smith’s daughter), arrived the following month.
Hard times befell the town when a planned railroad failed to come through, and its population started to decline.
The current population of Nicodemus is tiny - just 52 residents, made up mostly of retirees, but there are thousands of descendants across the state of Kansas and throughout the country. People with a connection to the town are asked to go to the Web site and register their family trees on the genealogy page.
Nicodemus has been designated a National Historic Site. An Emancipation Celebration is held there annually in late July. A community center built in the late 1930s features historic displays about the town and its settlers. Students come to Nicodemus to learn about the role of black settlers.
Last month, the Nicodemus National Historic Site hosted a three-day Long Range Interpretive Planning Workshop and began formulating a plan to enhance visitor experiences, storytelling and education at the site. The efforts to preserve Nicodemus’ legend is part of a process that the National Parks of Kansas has launched throughout the state in preparation for the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service in 2016.
The 15 descendants and community residents; seven representatives of local and state organizations and 10 National Park Service representatives in attendance formed teams to identify ways to better tell the town’s story and spread the word. The group hopes to have a draft ready by late spring or early summer.
Anyone interested in participating in the project can contact the park service at 785-839-4321 or [email protected].
The National Parks of Kansas has created an essay contest to encourage seventh and eighth grade students statewide to tell how their stories connect with those preserved by the park service.
The deadline for contest entries is May 9 and application rules and details rules for the contest can be found here. Details about the town are available here.
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