Nicodemus National Historic Site

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Located at 304 Washington Avenue Nicodemus, Kansas 67625. [1] The Nicodemus National Historic Site preserves the only western town established by African Americans during the post-Civil War reconstruction period.

Nicodemus is one of the first black settlements in Kansas and the only western town established by African Americans at the end of the reconstruction and reserved for African Americans.[2]It is recognized as an important part of the past of African Americans and an important part of American history in the Midwestern Prairie.[3]

The town of Nicodemus symbolizes the pioneering spirit of African Americans, who dare to leave the only area they are familiar with to seek personal freedom and opportunities to develop their talents and abilities.[4]

“A seemingly simple rural community, Nicodemus is a symbol of the strength, determination, and endurance of African-Americans who settled here.”[5]

History

The history of Nicodemus began at the end of the Civil War, before the "Exodus in 1879", when former slaves began to move from the South to the North and Western lands, where they could support themselves and make a living mainly by cultivating their own land. Beginning in September 1877, two important groups settled in Nicodemus: real estate agents W.R. Hill and Reverend W.H. Smith led the first group of about 350 African Americans from Lexington, Kentucky to Graham County, Kansas (the seat of Nicodemus). In the spring of 1878, another 250 people arrived.[6]

When the first Nicodemus pioneers arrived in the area, they quickly built canoes to provide shelter before the first winter. To build a dugout, the settlers would dig into the ground or cut into a slope, and cover the building with a roof of poles. Although the floor is earthy and the walls are made of turf blocks, the roof is constructed by laying down brushes and branches and branches as the foundation of the turf cover. A thin layer of magnesium oxide (limestone lotion) is added to the inner and outer walls.[7]

Nicodemus quickly developed into a typical western town. By 1887, it had a grocery store, uniform store, bank, law firm, post office and many other professional institutions. Because the Solomon River is located in the southern part of the town, the land and soil are very rich, providing ideal conditions for agriculture, and today it is still the primary industry in Graham County, Kansas. Nicodemus showed hope of becoming a thriving former slave community, but when the Missouri Pacific and Union Pacific Railroad diverted the town to the north and south, the town suffered a heavy blow. This leads to unemployment and population decline.

Even with its depressing decline, the roots and history of Nicodemus still exist, and the original settlers and their descendants ensure that this story and their stories are never forgotten. Although few people live in the town today, the descendants are champions of history and stories. Every year in late July, the "Liberation Celebration", which is now the "Homecoming Celebration", is held. The tradition itself has historical significance because it has been happening every year since the arrival of the settlers in 1878. This is a special holiday where descendants from all over the United States and all over the world come here to "celebrate" their origin, history and story.

Nicodemus is also proud of the symbolic meaning of the "pillar" of the community. These pillars are religion, business, education, community and family. There are five towering structures that represent each of these pillars: A.M.E. Church (religion), St. Francis Hotel/Switzer Residence (commerce), School District #1 (education), Township Hall (community), and Old First Baptist Church (family). These five structures were designated as a unit of the National Park Service on November 12, 1996. These structures and their symbolic meaning have the same meaning and purpose as the goals that the original settlers wanted to achieve when they were founded in Nigoodems, Kansas.

Although there were many other communities in the "Exoduster" movement that settled on similar ideas, after the Civil War, Nicodemus was the only community that existed at that time. Nicodemus not only has its own history and symbolism, but also a symbol of the strength, determination and perseverance of all former slaves and African Americans after the Civil War to find a new life.[8]

“During the Reconstruction period, an estimated 20,000 African Americans moved from the South to Kansas and the free lands of the West, known as the “Exodusters.” They saw the West as an opportunity to finally be free, though many formerly enslaved people still faced discrimination in the South as Jim Crow laws perpetuated violence and segregation. Those that first settled in Nicodemus struggled through the lack of water and a nearby rail or stagecoach route, but their pioneering spirit and courage are remembered as admirable.”[9]

Collection

In this Historic Site there are five historical buildings who represent the spirit of Nicodemus-church, autonomy, education, family and business. They illustrate the individuality and collective strength of these early pioneers and their desire for freedom. They established Nicodemus, one of the oldest and most famous black towns on the Western Plains. Five historic buildings were declared part of the National Park System on November 12, 1996. Former President William J. Clinton signed the law on Nicodemus National Historic Site.

1) The Township Hall - Self Government

This Building was underlying 1939, with help from the downturn period Works Progress Administration program utilizing privately quarried limestone, the Township Hall served an excess of neighborhood government.

2) The St. Francis Hotel/Switzer Residence - Business and Family life

Not only the hotel, but also the home of the original owners Zachary T. and Jenny Fletcher. The Switzer family moved in in the 20th century. The hotel is the first town post office, the first school building and post station.

3) The Old First Baptist Church

Starting from a dugout in 1877, the congregation has been holding meetings until today. As the congregation grew, the dugout were replaced by prairie turf churches, small limestone and 1907 historic buildings. Later, a brick building was built in the north.

4) The African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church

The Church was first settled in 1878 on another site, gained the current structure from the Mt. Lovely Baptist Church in 1897.

5) School District Number 1

The first school was immediately settled in the dugout of Zachary and Jenny Fletcher. A conventional school building was developed turning into the first school worked in Graham County Kansas. It was subsequently obliterated by fire and supplanted by the current structure.[10]

Reference

  1. Nicodemus National Historic Site. kansastravel.org. Retrieved March 19, 2021
  2. ROSAMOND C. RODMAN. NAMING A PLACE NICODEMUS. 2008. jstor.org. Retrieved March 19, 2021
  3. DeAnn R. Presley and Flordeliz T. Bugarin. Morphology, provenance, and decomposition of a 19 th century hybrid dugout and sod house in Nicodemus, Kansas. 2016. www.jstor.org. Retrieved March 19, 2021
  4. NICODEMUS NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE. www.nationalparks.org. Retrieved March 19, 2021
  5. Nicodemus National Historic Site. www.nps.gov. Retrieved March 19, 2021
  6. Nicodemus National Historic Site. www.nps.gov. Retrieved March 19, 2021
  7. DeAnn R. Presley and Flordeliz T. Bugarin. Morphology, provenance, and decomposition of a 19 th century hybrid dugout and sod house in Nicodemus, Kansas. 2016. www.jstor.org. Retrieved March 19, 2021
  8. Nicodemus National Historic Site. www.nps.gov. Retrieved March 19, 2021
  9. KATHERINE RIVARD. Hope & Perseverance in an Unforgiving Landscape. www.nationalparks.org. Retrieved March 19, 2021
  10. The Five Historic Buildings. www.nps.gov. Retrieved March 19, 2021