Paul & Tara Visit the National Parks: Nicodemus National Historic Site

Visited: March 2016

Nearby town: Hill City, KS

"I am anxious to reach your state ... because of the sacredness of her soil washed by the blood of humanitarians for the cause of freedom."

-from an 1879 letter of S.L. Johnson, an African-American from Louisiana

to the Governor of Kansas, John St. John

As the era of Reconstruction came to an end, many African-Americans in the South looked to other places in the country to experience freedom and economic prosperity. These recently freed slaves still endured great hardship and inequality, and began to move elsewhere. Many went to the big urban centers of the north, but a number of them looked west.

These Black Pioneers were enticed by tales of a fertile wilderness and the opportunity to own land through the homestead process in the frontier of Kansas. To many African-Americans, Kansas was known for the Underground Railroad and the abolitionist John Brown. Kansas seemed like a promised land. More than a dozen African-American settlements popped up in the wild reaches of western Kansas. Most of these towns quickly folded, the last remaining village is Nicodemus, now preserved as Nicodemus National Historic Site.

The town was named for a legendary slave from the story "Wake, Nicodemus" (1864), who passed away and was buried in a hollow tree and asked to be awakened on the Day of Jubilee. Nicodemus was founded in 1877 by Reverend W.H. Smith, a black minister, and W.R. Hill, a white land developer from Indiana. By the mid-1880s Nicodemus boasted two newspapers, three general stores, three churches, hotels, an ice cream parlor, bank, and a livery stable. At its peak, more than 700 people lived in the town.

Unfortunately, the "promised land" was not quite as promising as once thought. Harsh winters and lack of vegetation made farming difficult. Racism reared its ugly head, and many white Kansans were afraid that the area would be "overrun" by African-Americans. The Governor of Kansas and other political leaders cut back on efforts to attract recently freed slaves and actually discouraged settlement.

But the nail in the coffin for Nicodemus was the failure to bring the railroad through town. After several attempts to lobby the Union Pacific Railroad to build a line through Nicodemus failed, the railroad opted to go through the town of Bogue, further to the south. Many moved either to Bogue or back to the forested hills of Kentucky and Tennessee. The population began to dwindle. Many more moved out during the Great Depression and Dust Bowl of the 1930s. By 1950, only 16 people lived in Nicodemus. The Post Office closed in 1953. Although Nicodemus had basically become a "ghost town" it was the only African-American Reconstruction settlement at the time that still had buildings standing. So, in 1976, the community was designated as a National Historic Landmark, and became a unit of the National Park Service in 1996.

Although the town is essentially abandoned, there are still some descendants of the original settlers living in the surrounding area. Perhaps Nicodemus's most famous resident is Veryl Switzer. Switzer was an All-American football player for Kansas State 1951-1953, he then played for the Green Bay Packers for a couple seasons before joining the United States Air Force. Switzer, now 86 years old, is enshrined in the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame.

The Nicodemus Historic Site preserves five original buildings from the town's heyday: (1) the Town Hall; (2) African Methodist Episcopal Church; (3) First Baptist Church; (4) St. Francis Hotel; and (5) Nicodemus School District #1 Schoolhouse.

Apart from the Town Hall (which serves as the Visitor Center), the buildings are in desperate need of repair and the inside of the buildings are not open to the public. The Visitor Center has sporadic hours, but on the last weekend of July, Emancipation Day is celebrated and descendants of the original settlers from all over the country come to Nicodemus for food, music, and a parade.

the Town Hall

If no one is available at the Visitor Center, there are pamphlets and printed guides available for a walking tour of the settlement. This is an interesting history that makes for a unique road trip stop.