Exploring the Legacy of Nicodemus
The Sumner County Historical & Genealogical Society will host a special program highlighting the lives of free-born children after the Civil War. Angela Bates, executive director of the Nicodemus Historical Society, will present Children of the Promised Land on Monday, Sept. 15, at 6:30 p.m. at Cowley College’s Short Education Center, Room 113, in Wellington.
Bates’s presentation brings to life the story of Nicodemus, a small town in Graham County that stands as the only remaining western settlement established by African Americans during the Reconstruction era. Founded by Black homesteaders in 1877, Nicodemus became a beacon of opportunity for formerly enslaved families who sought freedom and a new beginning on the plains of Kansas.
The pictorial history focuses on the unique experience of mothers and their children in Nicodemus—some of whom were the first in their families to be born free. For Bates, the story is also personal.
“My great uncle, Henry Williams, was the first baby born in Nicodemus just a month after my great-grandmother Emma arrived with the first group of settlers in 1877,” Bates said. “He was one of the first in his generation born on the free soils of Kansas. He represents the many children of his generation that were reared by parents who were former slaves.”
Today, Nicodemus remains a symbol of resilience. Its historic buildings were designated as part of the National Park System in 1996, recognized for their place in American history.
Bates, a nationally known speaker, has spent years sharing the stories of Nicodemus, the Exodusters, Black towns in the West, Buffalo Soldiers, and Black women who shaped frontier life.
The program is part of Humanities Kansas’s Speakers Bureau and “21st Century Civics,” an initiative designed to spark community discussions on democracy and citizenship.
Admission is free and open to the public. For more information, contact the Sumner County Historical & Genealogical Society at 620-440-4245 or visit www.ksschgs.com. After-hours inquiries may be made by calling 620-447-3266.