Nicodemus National Historic Site

Nicodemus National Historic Site Nicodemus represents the involvement of African Americans in the homesteading movement across the Great Plains. Please be considerate of other’s opinions.

It is the oldest remaining Black settlement west of the Mississippi River. Welcome to the official page of Nicodemus National Historic Site. We hope this will be a place where people feel comfortable sharing information and experiences about Nicodemus National Historic Site with one another. While this is an open forum, it is also a family friendly one, so please keep your comments and wa

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CANCELLED: Due to technical issues, our video system in the Nicodemus Township Hall & Visitor Center is down until furth...
05/21/2026

CANCELLED: Due to technical issues, our video system in the Nicodemus Township Hall & Visitor Center is down until further notice. The showings of the "Ellis Trail to Nicodemus" documentary on May 23 and 24 are cancelled. We apologize for the inconvenience!

Visitors are still invited to enjoy the wonderful exhibits on display at Nicodemus National Historic Site, including the temporary "Declaration at 250" exhibit presented by Humanities Kansas.

[UPDATE: This program has been cancelled due to technical issues.] In 1877, Nicodemus settlers disembarked from the trai...
05/21/2026

[UPDATE: This program has been cancelled due to technical issues.] In 1877, Nicodemus settlers disembarked from the train in Ellis, KS. They then rode in wagons and hiked through the prairie to get to the town site that would become Nicodemus. A few years ago, Nicodemus Historical Society coordinated descendants and filmmakers to recreate this arduous trek in a documentary.

This Memorial Day weekend, Nicodemus National Historic Site will be showing the Ellis Trail documentary detailing this incredible journey on Saturday May 23rd and Sunday May 24th at 10am, 1pm, 3pm.

Be sure to come on down and check it out!

Did you know? The inspiration for naming Nicodemus came from the popular folk song "Wake Nicodemus!" published in 1864 b...
05/18/2026

Did you know?

The inspiration for naming Nicodemus came from the popular folk song "Wake Nicodemus!" published in 1864 by Henry Clay Work.

Telling the story of an enslaved man named Nicodemus who predicted emancipation, the song has a hopeful tone and would have been familiar to formerly enslaved African Americans like the early settlers of Nicodemus. Some of the song lyrics were used in an 1877 broadside advertising the town.

Want to learn more? Check out our new article on "Wake Nicodemus!": https://www.nps.gov/articles/wake-nicodemus.htm

As the school year comes to an end, we thank all our participating schools and partners for being a part of our annual 4...
05/16/2026

As the school year comes to an end, we thank all our participating schools and partners for being a part of our annual 4th Grade Days!

Over the past couple of weeks, Nicodemus National Historic Site hosted 247 4th grade students from 9 different schools in western Kansas. It was a great time learning about the history of Nicodemus through different activities.

Students also got their Every Kid Outdoors pass, a pass that allows U.S. 4th graders and family members free access to over 2,000 federal land and water locations across the country.

If you have a 4th grader and would like a pass, visit the Every Kid Outdoors website, where your student can complete the activity and print a pass voucher
https://everykidoutdoors.gov/index.htm

Is there a time machine in the church?The AME Church in Nicodemus has recently been outfitted with a wonderful new exhib...
05/14/2026

Is there a time machine in the church?

The AME Church in Nicodemus has recently been outfitted with a wonderful new exhibit called a Soundscape. With this fancy exhibit you can press the different buttons and be transported back in time. Not literally, but you can hear the musical stylings of the Williams Sisters singing gospel songs or even listen to Reverend Allen Smith deliver sermons created from the notes of former Nicodemus ministers.

It’s worth the trip to Nicodemus, and don’t forget to enjoy all the other exhibits throughout the Historic Site.

"Every week brings in its quoto of new comers, who come to stay, not to look around—they represent all class of sturdy, ...
05/10/2026

"Every week brings in its quoto of new comers, who come to stay, not to look around—they represent all class of sturdy, enterprising citizens, who have wearied of the hand-to-mouth existence which is all the older states offer, and who have come out to Kansas to make a home, and get their children a start toward that glorious future for our race which has already cast up shadows on the horizon of the future."

-A. T. Hall, Jr. in The Colored Citizen (Fort Scott, KS), May 10, 1878

In 1878, several Nicodemus citizens actively promoted the young community and encouraged Black Americans to join the settlement. While many of these reports noted the various difficulties—lack of supplies and food, the need for farming equipment, and trouble building shelter—they also emphasized the perseverance of Nicodemus's early settlers and the opportunities for Black Americans to leave the South and create better lives for themselves and their families.

Abram T. Hall, Jr., who came to Nicodemus in March 1878 from Chicago with future Kansas state auditor E. P. McCabe, used his talent in writing to share the progress of the growing community with newspapers around Kansas, including Black-owned newspapers like "The Colored Citizen" in Fort Scott, Kansas.

Photo: John Niles and Abram Hall (seated), ca. 1880s.

From April 2nd to July 13th, Nicodemus National Historic Site is hosting “Declaration 1776: The Big Bang of Modern Democ...
05/08/2026

From April 2nd to July 13th, Nicodemus National Historic Site is hosting “Declaration 1776: The Big Bang of Modern Democracy,” a traveling exhibition from the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.

This exhibit is a part of Nicodemus National Historic Site’s celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary. The Kansas tour of “Declaration 1776” is presented by Humanities Kansas.
Nicodemus reminds us that the revolutionary spirit of the Declaration of Independence lives on. In 1877, the Nicodemus Town Company formed to allow Black Americans to cultivate the foundational values of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness in their own all-Black town.

Come on down to Nicodemus between now and July 13th to see this fabulous exhibit inside the Township Hall. You won’t want to miss it!
Nicodemus NHS is open Thursday through Monday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Learn more at https://www.nps.gov/nico/index.htm or by contacting a park ranger at (785) 839-4233.

Want to look back in time?Well, kind of. We don't have any photos of the historic St. Francis Hotel before the 1900s, bu...
04/28/2026

Want to look back in time?

Well, kind of. We don't have any photos of the historic St. Francis Hotel before the 1900s, but we can use historic descriptions and oral histories to "see" how it would have looked during its peak of operation: the 1880s and 1890s!

In 1880, the Fletcher family owned 6 lots in Nicodemus, an L-shaped piece of land on the corner of Washington Avenue and Third Street. Here Z. T. Fletcher, his wife Jenny, and Z. T.'s brother Thomas operated many businesses. The map in the first image lays out the estimated location of different structures, including dugouts, a well, livery stable, and corral. (Image 1)

At the street corner west of the St. Francis Hotel, a limestone building stood that housed the Nicodemus post office and Z. T. Fletcher's general store. This replaced the Fletcher's dugout that originally contained the first post office and business in Nicodemus. (Image 2)

The St. Francis Hotel itself also looked very different in its heyday. The original limestone structure, built in 1881, was two stories high and about 22 by 11.5 feet. A painting by Greg Harlan illustrates how the building may have looked during the late 1880s. (Image 3)

Visit https://www.nps.gov/places/st-francis-hotel.htm to learn more about the St. Francis Hotel and the Fletcher family in Nicodemus!



Image 1: Map showing estimated layout of lots 9-14 in block 12 of Nicodemus in 1880. HABS, Library of Congress.

Image 2: Black and white photo of run-down brick building with no roof in 1937. A label on the back of this photo identified it as the "Old Post Office." Graham County Historical Society.

Image 3: Painting of busy Nicodemus street scene in the late 1880s by Greg Harlan.

Spring has truly sprung in Nicodemus!Lilac bushes around town, including by the former St. Francis Hotel, are showing of...
04/22/2026

Spring has truly sprung in Nicodemus!

Lilac bushes around town, including by the former St. Francis Hotel, are showing off their beautiful, aromatic blooms right now. Have you taken time to stop and smell the flowers lately?

Address

304 Washington Avenue
Nicodemus, KS
67625

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 5pm
Sunday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+17858394233

Website

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