NICODEMUS

When we got in sight of Nicodemus, the men shouted, "there is Nicodemus."  Being very sick, I hailed this news with gladness.  I looked with all the eyes I had.  "Where is Nicodemus?  I don't see it."  My husband pointed out various smokes coming out of the ground and said,  "That is Nicodemus."  The families lived in dugouts...the scenery was not at all inviting, and I began to cry.

-Willina Hickman, 1878

The best known historically black town in Kansas, Nicodemus was named for a legendary figure who came to America on a slave ship and later purchased his freedom. Founded in 1877 by a group of colonists from Lexington, Kentucky, the town had a population of 600 people by 1879. The first winter was particularly harsh and had it not been for the food, firewood and other staples received from Osage (Indian) Nation, the settlers would have perished. By the second year many of the men had found jobs either farming or working with the railroad and the settlement became increasingly self-sufficient.

One of the most successful residents was Anderson Boles, who arrived in Nicodemus without resources and became the owner of a local hotel, 75 acres of grain and 19 hogs. At the Boles House Hotel, operated by Anderson and his wife, a good Kentucky dinner and a bed for the night cost fifty cents.

Circa 1885, community leaders A.T. Hall and E.P. McCabe were very active in real estate during the town’s early growth. In 1880 Hall sold his holdings to McCabe and moved to St. Louis where he became city editor for a black newspaper. McCabe was equally successful in politics and held the distinction of being appointed the first county clerk in 1880, when Graham County was organized. He was also elected state auditor in 1882 and again in 1884, after which he left for Oklahoma, hoping to establish an independent black state with himself as governor.

In 1879 there were twenty-five houses and both a Baptist and a Methodist Church in the town. Anticipating the construction of the Missouri Pacific Railroad, the town boomed. Two drugstores, three grocery stores, a bank, a hotel, two newspapers and several other businesses were established. The railroad, however, was never constructed and the town went into a steady decline until about 1950. In the 1970’s, when many of the original buildings were torn down or moved, the town reached an all time low of 35 residents. By the mid-1980’s, however, the population had increased to about 80, due in part to a government subsidized housing project for low income residents.

Nicodemus, designated a National Historic Landmark in 1975, stands today as the only entirely African American community in Kansas. Nicodemus National Historic Site preserves, protects and interprets the only remaining western town established by African Americans during the Reconstruction Period (1865-1877) following the Civil War. The town is symbolic of the pioneer spirit of African-Americans who dared to leave the only region they had been familiar with to seek personal freedom and the opportunity to develop their talents and capabilities.

Nicodemus circa 1953, all that was left of a great experiment

Township Hall (T.W.P.) was the center of local government and community life.  It was built in 1939 by a team of black and white men as a WPA project using locally quarried limestone.

The St. Francis Hotel was built by Z.T. Fletcher in 1878.  Its original limestone walls are covered with stucco. It served as the residence for Fletcher, a hotel, and post office.

A.M.E Church

First Baptist Church

This, the second structure, was erected in 1918.  The original four-room school building was constructed in 1887, but was destroyed by fire.  The school was closed in 1955. 

Nicodemus Villa - condo-like living quarters for elderly residents

The lady at the motel desk in Goodland, Kansas said..."be sure to buy one of the watermelons from the house across the street from the Town Hall...they are the best in the state.

Promised Land Flour - grown and milled in Nicodemus and available via nfcoop@ruraltel.net