Director

Chester C. Owens Sumner Alumni Room, located at Sumner High School, preserves the history, artifacts, and other memorabilia of Sumner High School, the only high school established for African Americans from 1905 to 1978 in Kansas. The community is very proud of what was accomplished academically, athletically and historically in that time. The exhibit includes photographs, trophies, documents, school newspapers, and books written by Sumner Alumni associates and other materials.

Chester C. Owens Sumner Alumni Room

Sumner High School was built on the corner of 9th and Washington Blvd. in Kansas City, Kansas following a 1905 law authorizing the segregation of schools within the state, the Governor built a new school to serve the growing African American community. Sumner High School was named after Charles Sumner, a famous abolitionist whose values were deeply rooted in the ethics of Sumners’ academic community. Despite the additions of new rooms as well as a gym in 1924, the growing African American population in Kansas City Kansas quickly outgrew the school building, and with Sumner High School continuing to grow very quickly by 1939, the school had moved to a new, larger campus on 8th and Oakland. As soon as Sumner opened, the community created an academic culture that was centered on nurturing students and created an exemplary college prep curriculum, despite the School Board pushing for a manual training or vocational focus. As a result, the majority of graduates from Sumner went on to pursue higher education. Not only that but Sumner was home to the highest percentage of public school teachers with graduate degrees, which no doubt helped this school rise to its prestigious ranks. By 1914, Sumner had received membership in the North Central Association of Secondary Schools (NCASS) as a result of the school's high-ranking achievements. In its 73-year history in which the school operated, there were only six principals, with J.A. Hodges serving a 35-year term. Sumner High reached the end of its life in 1978, when racial integration of schools in Kansas became a federally-mandated issue. The legacy of Sumner was hard to dampen though, as shortly after its closure, the school reopened as the Sumner Academy of Arts and Sciences, continuing to educate the Kansas City Kansas community today in the tradition of academic excellence. In 1984, the Sumner High School Alumni Association was established to aid in preserving the memory of Sumner and its lasting legacy and remains active to this day. One can visit the Chester C. Owens, Sumner Alumni room to learn more about the history of Sumner High School and the alumni. A memorial stands at the former site of the school.

Sumner High School was built on the corner of 9th and Washington Blvd. in Kansas City, Kansas following a 1905 law authorizing the segregation of schools within the state. As a countermeasure for the recently passed law, the Governor built a new school to service the growing African American community, with the intent for the courses to be devoted to manual training. After the community objected, a more well-rounded curriculum was adopted that focused on college preparation. A few years after opening (without a name) the school was named in honor of Charles Sumner, an abolitionist and leader who fought for the rights of African Americans. Sumner High School provided an exceptional education for all those in attendance, as many of the educators held high-level degrees and many of the students excelled to the point of state, regional, and national recognition.

 Sumner High School

From Quindaro to Kaw's Point Park, this trail includes landmarks and stories about dozens of people who made history in Kansas City, Kansas. The tour starts in Quindaro with stops and stories that share the legacy of a town built around the Wyandot Nation that was later home to abolitionists and freedom seekers. Uncover hidden designs etched into the bluffs along the river and stitched into quilts as codes for those traveling the Underground Railroad. Take in the sights, sounds, and food of the hometown of legendary African Americans, including jazz legend Charlie Parker. And connect to a community whose future is defined by its culture as you work your way through each neighborhood. The tour concludes at Kaw's Point Park where Lewis, Clark, and York’s expedition first arrived at land that would one day be part of Kansas City, Kansas. 

Northeast Kansas City Kansas Heritage Trail 

The River Trail strengthens the connection between the center of the neighborhood and Kaw Point.

Marjorie Cates was born in Kansas City, Kansas in 1930. Since Marjorie grew up in Kansas City Kansas, she graduated from Sumner High School in 1948 and Sumner encouraged Marjorie's passion and pursuit for knowledge. Following High School, Cates went off to college in to earn a degree in economics and medical technology from Kansas State University. After earning her bachelor's degree, Cates then became the first African American woman to earn a medical degree from the University of Kansas School of Medicine in 1958. Dr. Marjorie's passion for learning merged into a medical career pretty naturally, as from an early age Marjorie was inspired to fight diseases after suffering the loss of her sister to cancer.Dr. Cates was a pioneer in medicine, focusing on hematology and sickle cell disease. She taught hematology at Howard University and dedicated her time serving as associate director of its Center for Sickle Cell Disease. Cates went on to become the chief medical officer at D.C. Health Department North Area Health Center, where she published “Sickle Cell Disease, a Bibliography,” in order to spread awareness about the disease.Dr. Marjorie Cates was briefly married to Clifford E. Ransome, and prior to their divorce the pair had one daughter named Lauren.In 2018, the University of Kansas dedicated The Cates Society in her honor for recognition of her contributions to the medical field. Dr. Marjorie's daughter was there to represent her mother in the grand opening of the Cates Society, and fondly remembers her mother has an inspiring and caring mother and physician (Smith, 2018). Unfortunately, Dr. Marjorie died at age 61 from cancer

Following her time at Sumner High School, Marjorie Cates was the first African American woman to graduate from the University of Kansas Medical School. Following her sister’s death from cancer at a very young age, Dr. Cates went on to teach hematology at Howard University where she also served as the Associate Director of the University's Center for Sickle Cell Disease. In 2018, Dr. Cates' legacy was honored by the donation of academic society in her name, The Cates Society.

Dr. Marjorie Cates

Cordell Meeks was born in 1914 in Arkansas to a Minister and his wife, and the family only moved to the Kansas City, Kansas area when Cordell was an early teenager. While attending Sumner High School, Meeks successfully became elected as class president, which became the beginning of his career in the life of public service. From a young age, Cordell knew he wanted to be a lawyer, and upon high school graduation, Meeks went off to study policy at the University of Kansas. Cordell continued his pursuit for higher education until graduating with his Doctorate in Jurisprudence from KU Law school in 1939. During his time at school, he was elected to the Student Council (the second African American to have been) and president of his fraternity. Cordell was fond of his college years, moving on to become the Director of the Univ. of Kansas National Alumni Association, where he was an active member. Setting up shop in Kansas City, Meeks opened his own law firm in 1941 where he catered to the growing community. While living out his childhood dream of practicing law, Meeks served many positions for the county including Assistant District Attorney, County Commissioner (20+ years), and Chairman of the Board (5 years). Cordell was also highly active in the community, as he was VP and Director of Douglass State Bank, served for the Democratic National Convention twice, became the Director of the Regional Health and Welfare Council, and was also the local AME Church Trustee. During his time serving on the Health and Welfare Council, Meeks was responsible for helping to open two affordable housing buildings in the Kansas City area, the Gateway Plaza Homes and Gateway Plaza Homes East. In 1972, Meeks made history when he was elected as the first African American Judge to serve for the states’ District Court, serving two terms (8 years). This was not his only notable achievement as the year prior, Meeks had been recommended for Kansas’ Supreme Court.Judge Cordell Meeks served the majority of his life working in the public sector and in politics, up until his retirement in 1980. In 1986, Cordell released his autobiography, “To Heaven Through Hell”’ to account for his lifelong career in public service and the barriers he had to overcome in his pursuit to become the first African American Judge. The following year, Judge Meeks passed away at the age of 73. Meek’s son, Junior, carried on his father’s legacy, becoming a local lawyer and judge.

Kansas’ first African American District Judge, Cordell Meeks, was elected in 1972 and served two terms. Prior to becoming a judge, Cordell owned and operated his own law firm alongside his 19-year career as County Commissioner, where he successfully organized for two low-income housing developments to be built in Kansas City, Kansas (the Gateway Plaza Homes and Gateway Plaza Homes East). Following Judge Meeks’ terms, he retired in 1980, and began writing an autobiography which he published five years later, “To Heaven Through Hell: An Autobiography of the First Black District Court Judge of Kansas.”

Judge Cordell Meeks

In August of 1957, the State of Kansas chartered the Kansas City Kansas Housing Authority (KCKHA) with the goal of establishing low-rent housing developments in the Kansas City Kansas area. The first five Commissioners included Leonard Childers, Robert DeVero, Oscar Hall, Allen Sever, and Fletcher Speck. These commissioners helped to establish KCK's first family development known as Juniper Gardens, which was built on a 33-acre plot located in Northeast KCK in 1962. This development started a trend in family developments throughout the community and today, Juniper Gardens is the oldest and largest public housing development in Kansas that still stands.Juniper Gardens consisted of a total of 390 units and the development cost around $6 Million. Part of what made this project more successful was that senior housing was also being planned for the area, with the first unit opening in 1969, Wyandotte Towers.In 2021, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) required KCKHA to remove Juniper Gardens from the public housing program as a result of the age and condition of the units, long-term low occupancy as well as environmental concerns. Since this determination, KCKHA has helped residents relocate to other properties that will provide a better quality of life. Despite the closure of this public housing option, the building is not yet slated for demolition and when sold the proceeds will go back into the KCKHA program. Currently, there are plans to redevelop this site to be a more sustainable public housing option, with better access to necessary resources.Located just down the street from the Juniper Gardens housing development is Juniper Gardens Training Farm. Not only does this 9-acre farm house a refugee training program, but 10 community garden plots, in addition to other plots which graduates of the program can lease. This training farm is working to spread awareness on the importance of urban agriculture and how it benefits the greater community, and regularly provides the area with access to fresh and affordable healthy food through their farmers markets.

The State of Kansas chartered the Kansas City Kansas Housing Authority on August 6, 1957. The first five Commissioners included Leonard Childers, Robert DeVero, Oscar Hall, Allen Sever, and Fletcher Speck. Their goal was to establish a low-rent housing development for the community, and they did that through their first family development, Juniper Gardens. The development was built on a 33-acre plot located in Northeast KCK in 1962. A total of 390 units were built in Juniper Gardens at a cost of $6 Million, making it today the oldest and largest public housing development in the State of Kansas.

Juniper Gardens 

In 1803, Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, and Clark’s servant York embarked on an expedition of the newly-acquired Louisiana Purchase Territory under the request of President Thomas Jefferson. Lewis and Clark were hired to take a two-year journey to record major landmarks. They were the first Americans to travel through Wyandotte County and leave records of their discoveries. Clark brought York on the expedition as well, as an expert hunter and navigator and a liaison to the Kansa and Osage tribes. York was born enslaved and grew up alongside Clark, as York’s parents were enslaved by Clark’s father. Throughout the trip York helped to feed the team and navigate them along their voyage, to name a few of his responsibilities and many of his roles required him to use a gun, which was strictly prohibited for use by enslaved individuals at the time and just one of many examples of his trailblazing experience. Most importantly York served as a liaison of sorts between the Native Americans and those on the expedition, which allowed York to hold a standing equal to many members of the crew in some decisions.  In 1804, the crew arrived at the convergence of the Kansas and Missouri Rivers or Kaw Point, where they then spent three days. While staying at their Kaw Point campsite, Lewis and Clark surveyed both sides of the river. This site would soon be the future location of Quindaro, were members of the Wyandot Nation settled and helped to establish a free state port town.At the end of their expedition, all members of the crew received their payment, aside from York. Following the expedition, York married an enslaved woman but she was soon taken off to Mississippi and he never was able to see her again. Despite asking for freedom from Clark as a reward for his exceptional service and critical role throughout the expedition, he was denied this request, eventually dying from Cholera.

Lewis and Clark set upon an exploration of the Louisiana purchase in 1803 alongside York. York was enslaved by William Clark and was the first African American (that was not an escaped slave) to visit Kansas. The team spent several days at Kaw Point and were the first Americans to pass through the county and leave records. Today there is a monument on the campsite where Lewis and Clark surveyed the land on both sides of the river. While York is not represented in the statue at the park, he played a critical role in the expedition. Despite Yorks’ great service and essentiality to the cause, he was neither paid nor freed. Kaw Point Park is a 10-acre wooded area along the confluence or the river and features great views of downtown KCK. This park is also part of the greater “Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail,” which connects park-goers to the Missouri side. Here you can find an amphitheater with limestone seating blocks carved with names of the members of the expedition, and the Confluence of Nations Plaza, containing a memorial to Indigenous peoples. One panel describes the homeland of the Kanza Indians.

Lewis, Clark and York at Kaw Point

River Trail

The Heart Trail creates a loop, centered around Sumner Academy, connecting the edge of Downtown KCK to Quindaro Boulevard.

Parkwood Park is a central node of activity for residents and members of the community. The Park Shelter, swimming pool, open spaces and tennis courts are major neighborhood assets. It includes a footbridge designed by the nationally-renowned and local Hare and Hare landscape architecture firm, as well as the Parkwood Park Shelter designed by John G. Braecklin.

Parkwood Park

In 1905, Boston was born the son of a preacher and one of six children. Daniels grew up on a farm in Arkansas, and after losing his father at an early age, quickly took on a major role in helping with the family farm. Early in his career, Daniels held jobs as a Pullman porter, ditch digger, and gas station attendant. During WWII, he shifted gears and began building planes before deciding to become an officer of the law. Boston Daniels married Rosemary and had a loving 50-year marriage where they both pursued their passions of serving the community. While building a successful career as a policeman, Daniels quickly became a pillar of the Kansas City community and built strong relationships with those he served. Rosemary was well-known in the Kansas City community as a cosmetology teacher at Sumner High School before going on to lead the department at the area school.Making his way to Kansas at 23 years old, Daniels enrolled in the Kansas City Police Force in 1945, where he served a lengthy career. While towering over many at 6’2 and upwards of 200 lbs, Boston was well known and well respected for his good nature, non-violent methods, and genuinely kind personality. Throughout his time working up the ranks within the force, Daniels was known to be creative and thorough in his investigative work. While serving his year-long term as the first African American Police Chief, he added two substations in the community, grew the size of the police force, added more training programs, created a citizens’ watch radio, and also brought in a helicopter in efforts to serve the rapidly growing population. Daniels retired in 1971, after 25 years of service. Given his exceptional reputation, upon his retirement, the local newspaper wrote an editorial piece on Boston and his legacy was instilled upon the community. Daniels wholeheartedly believed that "better housing, education, health programs, recreational facilities and jobs were the best way to fight crime" and throughout his career he worked to live that value and lead by example. Following his retirement from the force, Boston led a security team for the Housing Authority and also ran for both mayor and a position on the School Board. Daniels was called upon by universities and police academies to lead lectures on peaceful and impactful policing as he was well known for his tactics in conflict de-escalation as well as interviewing. In 1995, Kansas City dedicated the "Eighth Street" park in his honor. Boston was 91 years old at the time and was able to attend the dedication of the park to be named in his honor. The Kansas City Kansas Police Department also helped secure a museum display in their headquarters to honor Boston Daniels and his legacy of peace, community, and preventative policing. Today, the park remains a destination for residents. Daniels’ great niece has been rallying the community to support her efforts in revitalizing the park.

In 1945, Boston Daniels’ dream of becoming a policeman came true after joining the Kansas City, Kansas Police Force. In Boston’s 25-year career, he worked his way up to become police chief and was known for his non-violent approaches to conflict de-escalation as well as his all-around good nature. Before his death in 1995, Kansas City dedicated a park in his honor–what is today known as Boston Daniels Park, located on the corner of 8th St. and Quindaro Blvd. Recently, Boston’s surviving relatives are restoring the park to a destination fit for the community, working regularly to garner support for their revitalization efforts to carry on Daniel’s legacy of “love, unity, and community.”.

Boston Daniels

Lucky Easterwood has been painting murals across the Quindaro neighborhood since 1996, when the “Something to Live For” mural was completed. The mural is an expression of the grief he felt for the victims of murder in his neighborhood, including his own nephew. He wanted to provide a message of hope for the area, and while the mural has faded over time, it is now a local landmark, and remains a powerful symbol for all.

"Something to Live For" Mural

Benjamin Singleton (also known as the ‘new Moses,’ ‘father of the Black Exodus,’ or ‘pap’) was instrumental in bringing exodusters into Kansas during the migration. Singleton himself was born a slave in Tennessee in 1809, had escaped to freedom at age 37 and then used his legendary skills as an orator to gather those who were seeking freedom. When Singleton began building his career as a free man, he worked as a bondsman and eventually moved out to Kansas. Once established, Benjamin devoted his time to bringing African Americans out to Kansas to begin new colonies in an established free state with affordable land prices. In doing so, Singleton traveled throughout the South and successfully organized people willing to colonize Kansas, even distributing advertisements. Kansas was sold as a new opportunity full of promise and a better chance of sustained freedom. Singleton was so successful in helping people migrate, he created a formal homestead association known as the Edgefield Real Estate and Homestead Association and was even able to hire an associate, known as Columbus Johnson. Originally, the association began by sending a committee to Kansas in 1872 to study settlement opportunities for the colonies. Following this exploration, Singleton acquired a steamboat and organized railroad transportation to then help thousands of immigrants settle in Kansas. From 1877-1879 alone, Benjamin and his Association were responsible for bringing a group of over 300 African Americans into Kansas. There were a few primary areas in Kansas where the exodusters set up their colonies: Baxter Springs in Cherokee County, Wyandotte, Dunlap Colony, and Topeka. As the exoduster settlements grew in popularity, so did the strain on resources. This led to the Kansas Freedmen’s Relief Association (KFRA) being formed in 1879 in an effort to distribute resources and assist the struggling communities in dealing with the growing population. In the early 1890’s, Singleton moved to Topeka to create a new organization known as the United Colored Links. The organization served to foster unions that would protect African American laborers and encourage patronage of African American businesses. Singleton died in 1900, and his legacy as “Pap of the Exodus” is solidified in history.

Benjamin Singleton was coined the 'new Moses' bringing formerly enslaved African Americans to Kansas during the exoduster immigration period. Benjamin was an organizer of parties in the South, acting as a recruiter with promises of freedmen gaining access to farms of their own in the free state of Kansas. In addition to creating a homestead association, he provided access to steamboat and railroad transportation for thousands. This park is in the center of what once was Rattlebone Hollow and was built on top of a former landfill that was created in the neighborhood, much to the dismay and protest of the neighborhood. The landfill ended up seeping toxic waste into the community only a few years after it opened. As a result, a park was built on top of the landfill in the early 1980’s. Because of community pushback, the park closed in the 1990’s, the landfill cap was upgraded (wycokck.org), and the safety remediation efforts were finally completed in 2011. Currently, the park is still under construction in an effort to create a community-driven destination.

Benjamin Singleton

McGrew Grove is the location of the mansion of James McGrew, the third Lieutenant Governor of Kansas. He was a major player in the early days of Kansas history as a proponent of Kansas’ admission to the Union as a free state. He was one of the first merchants in Wyandotte, the mayor of the City of Wyandotte two terms, and was elected to the State Senate twice.

McGrew Grove

Colonel Wiley M. Pope was born to wealthy parents in Charleston, South Carolina. He inherited a large estate and was one of the wealthiest planters of the state until financial misfortune struck. He moved to Mississippi and recovered some of his funds, but when cotton production stalled, he moved yet again to Texas. His financial issues followed him, and he was pursued by creditors. Still subject to Mississippi law, Wiley’s family could be sold off to pay for his debts. He fled Texas and headed straight to Kansas, where he was advised to meet with a Judge Chadwick that would provide him counsel The Judge, along with his associates, drafted the emancipation and advised the family to hide until it was finalized and signed. On June 26, 1860, the first emancipation of Kansas was signed and delivered to the Pope family.

In early June, 1860, Colonel Wiley M. Pope approached Judge Chadwick for a “Deed of Emancipation” for himself, his wife, and his children. Pope and his family had just fled Mississippi. He had acquired a significant amount of debt, and because his wife was formerly enslaved and their thirteen children were biracial, under Mississippi laws, they could be sold to recover Pope’s debt. Pope and his brood were one of the first five families to settle in the town of Quindaro, and the entire community rose together to protect them until emancipation was signed. This was the first emancipation in the State of Kansas.

Wiley M. Pope

Rattlebone Hollow was originally formed as an exoduster settlement along Jersey Creek in 1879. “Exodusters” refers to the formerly enslaved African Americans who fled for freedom, often in groups embarking on an exodus to a free state like Kansas. Many of those that settled in Rattlebone Hollow escaped on foot from Kentucky and Tennessee. By the 1940s, Rattlebone Hollow was an entirely self-sufficient African American community, where the majority of the population were homeowners. This homeownership also meant hardship for those in the community, as most of their income went to mortgages. As a result, the community created a nurturing environment where neighbors could depend on each other.  Where did Rattlebone Hollow get its name? It depends on who you ask. One story involves the community’s early churches. Stories say that since there was no money to buy instruments, rib bones were used to make music. When the music was playing one could hear bones rattling through the hollow. Others say the name spurred from the local meat packing plant in the community, which would throw away the animal parts that were unwanted for consumption. When residents heard the bones rattling from the cart, they knew it was time to come claim these parts for nourishment. A lot of historical greats came out of this neighborhood. Some of the famous people who grew up in Rattlebone Hollow include author Maxine Clair, boxers Tommy Campbell, Floyd, and Willie Mayweather, sculptor Ed Dwight, and Soul Sister Marva Whitney (who toured with legend James Brown in the late 1960s). In 1972, Kansas City Kansas, and the Unified Government of Wyandotte County agreed to start breaking ground on a landfill that was to be placed in Rattlebone Hollow. The plan was to fill the landfill for a few years and then to cover it and build a parking lot over it, all of which were to be pioneered by the Environmental Protection Agency. This project was less than an environmental success, however, as the landfill started to seep toxic waste into the local water table a few years later, which expedited the parking process prior to the perceived lifespan of the landfill.

Whether the namesake spurred from the early churches using rib bones to make music or as a result of the local meat packing plant's waste being claimed from the rattling neighborhood cart, Rattlebone Hollow is a community rich in history. Originally a small exoduster settlement that formed along the Jersey Creek, this community became home to several significant historical figures including Maxine Clair, Tommy Campbell, Ed Dwight, Marva Whitney, and Floyd and Willie Maywether.Rattlebone Hollow was nestled between Haskell Street on the southern border, Fourth Street on the eastern border, Seventh Street on the western border and the railroad tracks and the bluffs on the northern border.

Rattlebone Hollow

In 1965, The Hub was opened by Chester and Lillie Owens and James and Dorothy McField and quickly became the cultural hotspot for African Americans in Kansas City Kansas. During this time, there was an awakening in the US as a new awareness among African Americans that there was a wealth of Black literature, music, and arts that were largely ignored by public school curricula and bookstores. During this time, there was also a post-Civil Rights Black nationalism that looked to its roots in Africa for cultural identity. The Hub became a gathering place for the community and a breeding ground for new ideas and arts. Prior to the Hub, the building was home to the Curt Drugstore, a local family pharmacy. After Curt sold the site the building also housed a Grocery store before falling vacant when the Hub then moved in.Longtime pals Chester Owens and James McField saw that the main commercial corridor of Kansas City, Kansas was lacking a bookstore and a place for African Americans to go to experience new ideas. Soon after, they and their wives opened The Hub, and quickly the store became a regional destination. The Hub featured a carefully-curated collection of African American books, artwork, music, and news as well as a safe space for people to gather and share ideas. This spot was so hot, that even the youth gathered here to find out what was new and provided an opportunity for education beyond what they were receiving at school.In the late 1960s, The Hub was targeted like many other African American-owned bookstores across the country by anti-communist counterintelligence initiatives that brought surveillance to their locations. This along with the immersion of their products into national retailers, African American bookstores across the country began to close, with the Hub closing in 1975. Today, the legacy of The Hub lives on in McField’s home studio, which houses a variety of the merchandise once sold in The Hub, open to the public.

HUB BookstoreThe Hub Bookstore was founded in 1965 by two local couples and quickly became more than just a bookstore–it was the cultural hotspot for African Americans in the Kansas City community. Opening during the period of awakening for African American literature, music, and art, The Hub was the one-stop-shop for gathering, learning, listening, and creating. When national chains began carrying similar products, The Hub began its decline, leading to its closure in 1975. Despite closing, the store left a lasting legacy on the people and cultural artifacts that spent time in the space.

HUB Bookstore

This neighborhood named after the Jersey Creek, is a historic neighborhood in northeast Kansas City. It is centered on N. 5th St.

Jersey South Neighborhood

In 1912 Nathan W. Thatcher Sr. founded Thatcher’s Funeral Home at 1514 North 5th Street. Thatcher and his family have been an institution in Turtle Hill and the surrounding neighborhoods.

Nathan W. Thatcher Sr. 

Douglass State Bank was first established in Kansas City, Kansas in 1947 and set out to serve local African Americans as the Midwest’s very first African American-owned bank. Henry Warren Sewing, a local insurance salesman, founded the bank and then hired James H. Browne to serve as its Vice President. In 1961, after much success the bank expanded and also helped local African Americans to expand their businesses and personal wealth, spurring economic development throughout the Kansas City community.H.W. Sewing was born in Texas. After serving in WWII, he moved to the Kansas City, Kansas area where he found odd jobs until landing a teaching position at Western University. Following his time at the University, Sewing began his insurance career in 1922. After much success, he decided to open up a bank to service African Americans and allow them access to loans and mortgages. Douglass Bank loyally served the Kansas City, Kansas community up until its closure in 1983. During its lifetime, the Douglass State Bank became the 17th largest African American owned bank in the country but was closed due to insolvency as a result of the F.D.I.C. discovering millions of dollars in loan losses resulting in the bank's assets being far overshadowed by its liabilities. This closure was also not shy of scandal, as the F.B.I. was investigating several high-positioned members of the bank for fraudulent activity. Following its closure, the F.D.I.C. aided local African American investors to reopen the bank as Douglass Bank and was given new management.

Named after Frederick Douglass and established by H.W. Sewing, Douglass State Bank opened its doors in 1949 as the first African American financial institution West of the Mississippi. After reaching the status of the nation’s 17th-largest African American-owned bank, the bank was shut down in 1983 by banking authorities because its liabilities had far exceeded its assets. The bank was then succeeded by Douglass National Bank.

Douglass State Bank

Dr. S.H. Thompson Sr.Solomon Henry Thompson was born in West Virginia in 1870 and grew up as the older brother of his fourteen other siblings. Thompson went off to college and then left West Virginia to earn a medical degree in 1892 from Howard University. After graduation, Dr. Thompson moved to Kansas City, Kansas where he settled down following the acceptance of an internship at a local Wyandotte hospital. Following his internship, Dr. Thompson opened a pharmacy in 1898 where he also operated a medical practice. The same year Thompson opened his pharmacy, he married a St. Louis school teacher and the pair went on to have two sons and two daughters. It was also in Kansas City where he had the opportunity to meet other notable African American physicians, which then inspired him and T.C. Unthank to establish the Douglass Hospital. Dr. S.H. Thompson is most remembered for pioneering the “African American Hospital Movement” in Kansas City, Kansas. Thompson believed that health care should be available to everyone and opened his Douglass Hospital in 1899, with the help of fellow physician Unthank. Not only was this hospital open to anyone, and the first hospital available to African Americans west of the Mississippi, but it was also a teaching facility aimed at encouraging more African Americans to become doctors, including women. For more than 50 years, Dr. S.H. Thompson devoted his life to expanding access to healthcare while working at Douglass. In 1905, Kansas City Kansas’ A.M.E. Church partnered with Douglass Hospital, and in 1924 the growing campus moved to a new location. (It relocated again in 1937). Dr. S.H. Thompson passed away in 1950, but his legacy still lives on today. Aside from establishing a successful African American teaching hospital, he was also credited with helping to discover the cures for spinal meningitis as well as the Spanish flu. Following WWII hospitals became more integrated, which put a strain on Douglass Hospital and led to its eventual closure in 1977.S.H. Thompson Jr.S.H. Thompson Jr., the eldest son of Dr. S.H. Thompson and his late wife, made waves of his own in the Kansas City community. Although he did not become a doctor, he carried on his father’s legacy in the field of education. After graduating from Hampton Institute in 1925, S.H. Thompson Jr. then went on to obtain a master's degree before moving back to Kansas to teach at Western University. In 1938, Thompson Jr. set out to work in various Kansas City schools until landing his dream job in 1951, where he began his 20-year term as principal of Kansas City Kansas’ Sumner High School. S.H. Thompson retired in 1972 and enjoyed time with his family until his death in 1989.

Founder of Douglass Hospital, Dr. S.H. Thomspon Sr. ensured that there was equal access and care to all patients in his facility, hiring people who shared this value regardless of their race or ethnicity. The facility was considered the best African American public hospital in the nation. Thompson’s son also left a lasting legacy in the community, serving as Sumner High School’s principal for over 20 years.

Dr. S.H. Thompson Sr. and S.H. Thompson Jr.

This neighborhood is generally bound by 5th St. to the east, 7th St. Trafficway to the west, Freeman Ave to the north, and Washington Blvd. to the south. It has a rich history with many important residents including Judge A.B. Howard, Judge Cordell Meeks, and Nathan W. Thatcher Sr.

Turtle Hill Neighborhood

The Wyandots (also called the Huron by the French) originated in the Georgian Bay area of Ontario, Canada. They referred to themselves as Wendat, or People of the Islands. In 1843, the Wyandots were forced to leave Ontario due to war and disease. One group headed east to Quebec and the other south to Ohio and Michigan. Upon arriving here, the name Wendat was Anglicized to Wyandot/Wyandott/Wyandotte. In 1843, the Wyandots were forced to leave Ohio. They were the last of the Indian Tribes to be forced from their lands through the Indian Removal Act, and they relocated to Kansas. Native Americans that inhabited the Northeast Kansas City Kansas region prior to the United States coming to be were the Kansa 'Kaw" and the Delaware. After arriving in Kansas by boat through the soon to be port of Kaw Point, the Wyandot purchased thirty-six sections of land from the Delaware Indians for $46,080. They were given an additional three sections by Delaware in appreciation for the land they had given to Delaware in Ohio.That same spring, it rained for six weeks and at Kaw the River rose 14’ above its banks, covering what is now Kansas City, Kansas, and Kansas City, Missouri with water. Disease spread quickly due to the flooding, and more than 100 Wyandots died. These were the first burials at the Wyandotte National Burying Ground. This burying ground was not new to the area though, as this sacred ground already served as the Huron Cemetery.After settling into the NE KCK area, the Wyandot Villagers realized they shared similar beliefs with the abolitionist regarding slavery and decided it was a good thing to sell some of their lands to this group to form a free state port town. That town became Quindaro, the first free port on the Missouri River. Following the Civil War, the Wyandots that stayed in Kansas (while others moved to Oklahoma) came to be known as the Wyandot Nation of Kansas. The names of prominent Wyandots still mark the streets: Armstrong, Tauromee, Splitlog, and Clark. Today, the Wyandot Nation of Kansas is dedicated to the preservation of Wyandot history and culture and the preservation, protection, restoration, and maintenance of the Wyandot National Burying Ground which was nearly demolished in the early 20th Century until the three Conley sisters barricaded themselves in the cemetery to save it from destruction.

Wyandotte County was named after the Wyandot Nation, who have played a vital part in the community landscape since 1843. Originally from Canada, some of the Wyandot nation or "Wendat - people of the island" were relocated to Ohio and then Kansas City, where they aided in the creation of the safe port town of Quindaro. Today, the Wyandot Nation of Kansas is dedicated to the preservation of Wyandot history and culture and the preservation, protection, restoration, and maintenance of the Wyandot National Burying Ground in Kansas City, Kansas.

Wyandot Nation

The mural is named "Dawning of a New Day" and was created in 2004 by artists Joe Faus and Alisha Gambino. The artwork was sponsored by the Kansas Arts Commission and Bank Midwest. This mural was created to honor the importance of generations, family, and culture in the African American community, with the lefthand side of the mural, emphasizing cultural legacy and the middle features the seven principles of Kwanzaa and shows the hope of children and the future.Finally, there is the righthand side, which mirrors an urban African American skyline."Dawning of a New Day" is located on the north wall of the Frank Williams Outreach Center, a facility providing a number of services to the local homeless community. Its namesake, Frank Williams, worked as a case manager for the Wyandot Center, a local non-profit community mental health center, for four years before suddenly passing away.

The mural is named "Dawning of a New Day" and was created in 2004 by artists Joe Faus and Alisha Gambino. The artwork was sponsored by the Kansas Arts Commission and Bank Midwest. This mural was created to honor the importance of generations, family, and culture in the African American community, with the lefthand side of the mural, emphasizing cultural legacy and the middle features the seven principles of Kwanzaa and shows the hope of children and the future.Finally, there is the righthand side, which mirrors an urban African American skyline.

A view of the center and some of the right and left sides of the mural.

Dawning of a New Day Mural - Frank Williams Outreach Center

The mural is named "Pandatopia: Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and was created in 2005 by artists working under Artist Director Joe Faus. The artwork covers around 1,600 square feet and was sponsored by the Kaffman Youth Advisory Board.Pandatopia is painted along the northern wall of what currently houses the Pandarama Pre-School, and was inspired by the learning and discovery unlocked by books and play.

This mural is located on the north side of the Pandarama Preschool building facing Nebraska Ave. The building is currently used as a child care center that helps children between the ages of 1 and 12 with early childhood education.

The Learning Center Mural

Alex Haley was born in New York in 1921. At a young age, his parent-teachers– moved back to Tennessee, and Alex spent a considerable amount of time with his grandparents. In 1939, Haley left college to join the Coast Guard, quickly working his way up the ranks. Up until his retirement from the Coast Guard in 1959, Alex served as the Coast Guards’ chief journalist and throughout his military career received several awards, including the American Defense Service Medal, WWII Victory Medal, and National Defense Service Medal.Haley retired from the Coast Guard and began working as a freelancer in New York City, working for Reader’s Digest. In 1962, Haley landed his big gig when Playboy offered him the opportunity to interview Miles Davis. This interview skyrocketed Haley to fame, and he quickly became Playboy magazine's go-to African American interviewer, where he interviewed Martin Luther King Jr., Sammy Davis Jr, Quincy Jones, George Lincoln Rockwell, Muhammad Ali, and Malcolm X. Haley’s time with Malcolm X was so influential that in 1965, Haley released his first book, “The Autobiography of Malcolm X,” which told the story of the civil rights movement through the eyes of the icon. Even after finding fame, one could find Haley hanging around Kansas City Kansas’ The Hub bookstore where he was known to give and attend lectures while traveling across the country.In 1976, Haley released “Roots,” which detailed his family’s history and recounted the lived experience of an African American family brought to the US via the slave trade. Alex spent more than 10 years tracing back his family history based on the stories told by his grandmother and her family. The story is told through the eyes of Haley’s relative, Kunta Kinte, who was captured in 1767 and brought to the US. The novel was such a hit that the following year, it was adapted into a nationally televised mini-series. More than half the country tuned in to watch a record-breaking number.Alex and his brother created the Kinte Corporation, established to study African American genealogies. He married Myra Lewis in 1972 and the pair had three children. Following “Roots” Haley released several more projects and even a few more novels pursuing his passion for writing up until his death in 1992. In 1999, the Coast Guard named a cutter after Haley and awarded him the Korean War Service Medal.Haley’s nephew, David Haley, serves as a US senator for Kansas.

Acclaimed author Alex Haley served a 20-year career in the Coast Guard prior to pursuing a full-time journalism career. Haley’s role as a journalist began as a writer and senior editor at Reader’s Digest. His career soared when he was featured as one of Playboy Magazines first African American interviewers, with his first piece covering Miles Davis. During his successful journalism career, Alex interviewed many African American cultural icons, most notably Malcolm X. Their conversation became the basis for the “Autobiography of Malcolm X.” Haley also authored award-winning book “Roots,” which told the story of his family’s history and their relationship with slavery.

Alex Haley

Albert Porter Davis, born in 1890, grew up in Texas until leaving for college in 1907 to move to Tennessee and follow in his father’s footsteps of becoming a doctor. Following his graduation from medical school in 1913, Dr. Davis moved to Kansas where he then passed the board and became licensed to practice medicine in the state. Albert had gone to Meharry Medical College in Nashville, one of the first African American institutions known for producing doctors in a time when doctors were of great necessity for the African American community because many white doctors would refuse treatment. Dr. Davis established his medical career in Kansas by starting a family practice that specialized in medicine and surgery that was open to anyone. Dr. Davis spoke Spanish which allowed him to truly care for all who needed treatment. It was also in Kansas City Kansas where he met his love, a teacher named Hazel, and the pair married in 1926, having a daughter in 1940. A few years after settling in Kansas (in 1917), Albert enlisted as a lieutenant in the army reserves where he mainly served as a part of the US Army Medical Corps during World War I. It was his time in the reserves where Dr. Davis developed his appreciation for flight as well as the arts, writing music and even starring as an actor in the first African American film produced in Kansas City. While a man of many talents, Dr. Davis did not let these activities hinder his service as a medical practitioner, even founding the Davis Maternity Sanitarium for Unwed Mothers in 1920. This was a groundbreaking operation, offering educational services, prenatal care, adoption assistance, and general aid to women in need, remaining a valuable community asset for more than twenty years. In 1926 Dr. Davis received a promotion and became the first African American Assistant Health Director for Kansas City, a position he held for six years. Living in Kansas City Kansas, Dr. A. Porter Davis found it useful to hold a license to practice medicine in both Kansas and Missouri in an effort to best serve his community, as he actively worked in hospitals and had his own office in both States. This also allowed him to nurture his love for flight and spent much of his time in Missouri pursuing his pilot's license. In 1928, Dr. Davis, who has later coined the ‘flying physician’ - was officially licensed to fly planes, and even purchased his own American Eagle. Notably, a lot of this experience involved flying his friends around the state and he even opened a school for African Americans interested in aviation in 1929. By 1939, he made headlines for his passion for flight, when the paper detailed that Dr. A. Porter Davis was the fourth African American to hold a pilot’s license and the oldest in seniority with eleven years of private flying experience and among the first few people to gain licenses to fly. As a result of his popularity and successes, Dr. Davis became well known in the aviation community and was even awarded a trophy for his role in the advancement of aviation by the National Airmen’s Association of America, or NAAA. This leadership in the aviation community-led to Dr. Davis’ election as one of the seven vice presidents of the NAAA and their decision to hold the next conference in Kansas City. Today, his mark on the world of aviation can be seen in the Kansas aviation hall of fame.Not only did Dr. Davis pursue a successful career in medicine and devote a great deal of his time to his love for aviation but he also dipped his hand into entrepreneurship. Davis made history when in 1927 he founded the Red Top Taxicab Co. as well as a savings and loan association called Service Finance Corp. and was the first African American man to own establishments such as these. His entrepreneurial endeavors did not stop there in 1953. Dr. Davis built the Kansas Trailer Village that could house 50 trailers. This mobile home park created a community as well by providing access to amenities, so much so that all of the residents of the community were white. This experience proved so successful that in 1956 he headed up the Wyandotte County Mobile Homes Association in effort to encourage more African Americans to start their own mobile home parks. During this time, Davis remained practicing medicine at Douglass Hospital on the Kansas side and also Wheatley Provident Hospital II on the Missouri side of the city. His experience and reputation both inside and out of the hospital helped Davis secure the role of deputy coroner in 1950, a position he held for two years in Wyandotte County. Davis’ attentions were then diverted as he became president of the National Medical Association, which was a collective established by African Americans because they were barred access to the American Medical Association (AMA). Dr. A. Porter Davis died in 1976, after declining in health rapidly for the prior 7 years but his legacy is continuously honored today, with his home - nicknamed ‘Castle Rock’ on the National Register of Historic Places as well as Kansas City Kansas’ Historic Landmarks. Even to this day, the home is occupied by Davis’ relatives and remains as a memorial to his achievements. Castle Rock, aside from being Davis’ residence, was built for him in 1938 by a local architect and had impeccable architectural standards.

Dr. Davis served several prominent roles in Wyandotte County: the first African American Assistant Health Director of the County, County Coroner, president of The National Medical Association, and also remained an active staff member in two area hospitals. Albert also had a keen business sense, founding both the Red Top taxi company and the Service Finance Corp. (savings and loan agency), a first of its kind to be owned by an African American man in the state of Kansas. Dr. Davis was also among one of the first federally-licensed African American pilots and enjoyed flying his personal plane. The A. Porter Davis Residence, also known as Castle Rock, is a historic house located at 852 Washington Boulevard.

Dr. Albert Porter Davis

Charlie Parker was born in Kansas City, Kansas in 1920 and grew up living in Wyandotte until his parents divorced in 1932. As a teenager, Charlie would hang out across the border in Kansas City Missouri’s jazz district along Vine Street, which was lined with nightclubs booming with live music. Here, you could find greats like Count Basie, Bennie Moten, Lester Young, Mary Lou Williams, and Buster Smith. It was in these clubs where Charlie learned to play, and where he began to grow his career by jamming alongside the greats. In 1940, Charlie joined a band and grew his own musical style, successfully recording an album in 1941. Soaking up all that the Vine Street District had to offer, Charlie went on to become a legend in his own right, helping to usher bebop, an upbeat jazz style that steered away from traditional harmonies and big band styles. When Charlie turned 18, he moved off to the Big Apple and took on many odd jobs, as needed, while launching his music career. During this time, his band regularly opened at Harlem’s Savoy Ballroom, where Parker quickly became one of their star soloists and attracted a following. It was in New York City where Parker met trumpet player Dizzy Gillespie, and together, they revolutionized jazz with bebop. They headed across the country to Los Angeles to introduce this new era to the West Coast. In 1945, the pair recorded songs with Max Roach and Miles Davis, producing legendary hits in what many says was the best recording session in jazz history.Unfortunately, given the racial tensions of the time, many of Bird's accomplishments were not recognized by large-scale media outlets despite his radical influence. It wasn’t until Parker went abroad to Europe and returned home that he received the fandom he so deserved. For the next few years, the majority of Charlie’s time was devoted to touring and recording until his death in 1955, after losing his fifteen-year battle with addiction. Despite his tragic and early death, Charlie Parker left his legacy in jazz music and his influence is still felt today. During his lifetime he became one of the greatest alto saxophonists in the world and was known as one of the fathers of the bebop jazz style.

Charlie ‘Bird’ Parker, a talented saxophonist, was one of the fathers of the Bebop genre of jazz and forever changed music history. Born in Kansas City, Kansas and raised in Wyandotte, Charlie rose to stardom in Kansas City, Missouri’s clubs, several of which are still standing today. Along Big Eleven Lake there is a memorial in his honor, located within the Charlie ‘Bird’ Parker Plaza.

Charlie ‘Bird' Parker

This historic neighborhood was a stop on the Underground Railroad, the birthplace of Charlie “Bird” Parker, and home to many notable local African Americans. Located close to downtown, nearby quarries, steel mills ,and stockyards, Douglass-Sumner was a great place for working-class families for decades.

Douglass Sumner Neighborhood

Big Eleven Lake is located in the heart of Kansas City, Kansas, and has been a green amenity for the city since its opening in 1911. Originally, local landscape architecture firm Hare &amp; Hare was selected to design a park, taking a neighborhood ‘eyesore’ (between State Ave., Washington Blvd, 11th St., and Waterway Dr.) and turning it into a grand Waterway Park complex. The original design featured a park surrounding a sunken water garden and reflection pool, anchored by two lakes–one of which included Big Eleven. While the buildout didn’t quite achieve this vision, Big Eleven Lake and the surrounding area became a destination. In the 1920s, the park saw its first redevelopment, with the filling of the sunken garden and Southern lake as a result of high maintenance costs. While the park lost quite a bit of space to parking, the remaining portion of the Waterway Park received a newly-constructed shelter to create a community gathering space. A few years later (roughly the 1930’s), additional changes were made to Big Eleven, most notably adding a concrete base and limestone borders along the shore. This project was taken on by WPA and involved complete drainage of the lake. This caused quite a stir in the community, as the lake had long been home to ghost stories and neighbors were worried about what may be uncovered during draining. While only a few non-newsworthy items were found, the number of spooky stories that were whipped up as a result of the project helped give the lake a lasting legacy.Big Eleven has been no stranger to the pollution problems associated with excess fertilizer use leading to increased algal blooms, which are very dangerous to aquatic environments. In the 1980s, an oxygenation system was installed in Big Eleven to help mitigate the threats of algal blooms by cleaning the water and aiding in the survival of aquatic life. Today, the lake is regularly monitored with the water quality measured in an effort to maintain a safe and healthy ecosystem. Big Eleven remains a gathering place for the community with a variety of recreational opportunities. A walkway surrounds the park and the community regularly hosts local games at its soccer fields.

Landscape architects, Hare and Hare, turned an ‘unsightly hole’ into a 3.8-acre ‘Waterway Park Complex’ in 1911 that is today known as Big Eleven Lake. Twenty years after their effort, additional improvements were made to the lake, requiring it to be drained. Locals had many suspicions of what lay beneath the surface, including ghosts! Today, Big Eleven Lake is a recreational destination and features a memorial to KCK’s very own, Charlie Parker.

Big Eleven Lake

Struggler’s Hill is one of Kansas City, Kansas’s most historic neighborhoods, well known for its many famous and influential African Americans who grew up there. Much of its legacy has been told through stories, passed down from generation to generation. Struggler’s Hill is most commonly known by association with the best-selling book by Alex Haley, Roots, which details the experiences in this neighborhood where his family came to settle and where he established his roots. Today, a neighborhood group still exists and is fighting to keep the legacy of the community alive. Struggler’s Hill was established in the 1920’s with the first residents, Georgia Anderson, and her husband. The neighborhood quickly grew into a vibrant African American community. The neighborhood was named Struggler’s Hill as a result of the experience of those who moved there. Residents faced financial hardships due to high housing costs and segregation. At the time, it was rare for an African American neighborhood to mainly consist of homeowners, and while many struggled financially, the community built a rich network of relationships. Neighbors living in Struggler’s Hill have been known to lend a helping hand since the establishment of the community and rich friendships were created for generations to come.In 2007, locals created a neighborhood tour to help tell the story of five famous residents that grew up in the community. The tour featured the historic homes of Alex Haley, James H. Browne, Bishop John Gregg, Delano Lewis, and Reginald McKamie. These individuals, along with many other famous and influential figures, have credited the nurturing and impressive community environment as a key to their success. Today, the Struggler’s Hill/ Roots Neighborhood Association is very active in campaigning to memorialize the history of the neighborhood and ensure the legacy remains intact through tours, parades, websites, and community events.

Struggler’s Hill was established in 1920 and named after the lived experience of the residents who moved there–the idea being that once you moved in, you would then struggle to make payments. While the community had sufficient infrastructure and local businesses, (a majority of which were run by homeowners), housing costs were high. Yet the community endured and the neighborhood was a strong and supportive network, resulting in many talented African American firsts and generations of families that live there to this day.

Struggler’s Hill

John B. McLendon Jr. was born in Hiawatha in 1915 and was raised in Northeast Kansas City, Kansas, attending Dunbar Elementary and Sumner High School. McLendon was African American on his father’s side and Native American (of the Delaware Nation) on his mother's side. Unfortunately, when John was only three, his mother passed away and his family was split up for a time. It wasn't until his father remarried in 1921, that the family was reunited, moving back to Kansas City, Kansas and settling into the Oak Grove neighborhood.As a child, John was a natural athlete and developed an early love for basketball. It was when John was in 6th grade he laid eyes on his first indoor basketball court, and the rest was history. While he did not make the Sumner basketball team, he was actively involved in the school's gymnastics program and served as the manager for the Sumner basketball team.Following high school, his love for athletics continued and he went off to the University of Kansas to study Physical Education. McLendon knew he wanted to be a coach and went to KU to learn from the basketball legend, James Naismith, who was the athletic director there at the time. John's father was a big push in this decision, as he advised John that "instead of going to the place where basketball was invented, he should go to its inventor" and when McLendon met Naismith he knew he had made the right decision. In 1936, McLendon became the first African American to receive a P.E. degree. Following graduation, John began a career coaching basketball, making history time and again throughout his career. John's first coaching job was in the Lawrence public schools, by the referral of Naismith. This was just the stepping stone John needed to get into the coaching world, as in 1941 he landed the position as head coach for North Carolina College for Negroes (which is now North Carolina Central University). In 1944, when John was coaching at North Carolina, his team (the Eagles) took part in what is today known as 'The Secret Game' against Duke University. No spectators were allowed to take part in this event. This game made history as the first intercollegiate basketball game where whites and African Americans were able to compete on the same court. The Eagles had a sweeping victory against Duke (88-44), who were conference champions at the time. This game made history as the first integrated basketball game.McLendon's experience with the Eagles served as his springboard to coaching at Tennessee A&amp;I, where the magic really started to happen. While at Tennessee A&amp;I, John helped to curate an almost unbeatable team, where he remained for four years. In 1957, McLendon and his team became the first African American University to win a national title, again making history when this trend became a trifecta. After such great success coaching at Tennessee, McLendon landed the coaching position for the Cleveland Pipers in 1962, making him the first ever African American professional coach, and marked his introduction into the American Basketball League. In 1966, McLendon made history again when he transitioned over to coaching at Cleveland State (CSU), a predominantly white college. 1969 saw the end of McLendon's coaching career, when he concluded his final season with the Denver Rockets (today known as the Nuggets). At age 54, John retired from coaching but had a hard time leaving the Basketball world behind. In 1972, John returned to coach the US Olympic team for the second time. Then in 1991, he went back to CSU to serve as the athletics department advisor.Throughout his various coaching positions, McLendon, or Coach Mac (as his teams called him) was known for his signature coaching style, which transformed the way basketball was played. His teams were known for their "superior conditioning, patented fast break offense, and an aggressive in-your-face defensive attitude" (hoophall.com). In addition, McLendon is remembered for inventing the 'full-court press and the four-corner offense' (Bell, 2016) that is often still seen today. Not only was McLendon a three-time winner of the NAIA Coach of the Year award but he also made history again by bringing his team to win three consecutive NAIA championships. Given his many accomplishments both as an athlete and a coach, John was elected into the Basketball Hall of Fame. Following McLendon's coaching career, he moved his family to Ohio since he held a position as CSU athletic director, and during this time he also became an ambassador for Converse Shoes. John really enjoyed his career at Converse as the goodwill ambassador, and described his job in two sentences " anything that's good for basketball and good for Converse, do it. Anywhere in the world" (Jauss, 1987). Through his work with Converse, John became known as 'the shoe man' to two generations of children throughout the basketball community as a result of his many basketball shoe distribution efforts, many of which took place on the South side of Chicago. McLendon worked as the athletic director and as a global ambassador up until passed away at age 84 in 1999.

John B. McLendon Jr. was raised in Northeast Kansas City Kansas, attending Dunbar Elementary and Sumner High School. John was a natural athlete and as such, a major contributor to the sport of basketball - both as a player and a coach. In 1946, he was drafted by the Washington Capitols, a former Basketball Association of America team based in Washington D.C.Upon being drafted by the Capitols, McLendon became the first African American to sign a contract with an NBA team, and he remained on the team until 1951. Following his time as a professional athlete, John began coaching basketball, making history again as the first African American to head coach any sport. McLendon had a very successful coaching career, as he was a three-time winner of the NAIA Coach of the Year award. John also led his team to win three consecutive NAIA championships, making history as the first college coach to have ever done so. Given his many accomplishments both as an athlete and a coach, John was elected into the Basketball Hall of Fame. After retiring from coaching basketball, McLendon didn't leave the basketball world behind, instead he worked as a worldwide ambassador for Converse Shoes.

John B. McLendon Jr. 

Heart Trail

The Town Trail connects the historic Quindaro Townsite with the Jersey Creek area of the neighborhood.

Quindaro was founded in 1856, originally stretching from 17th-42nd street and parallel to the Missouri River (kansastravel.org). The town came to be when Abelard Guthrie and his soon-to-be wife Nancy Quindaro Brown moved along with the Wyandot tribe from Ohio into Kansas. A land deal was brokered that was a part gift and part purchase, allowing Quindaro to become a free port of entry for immigrants looking for a new life. As a result of the proximity to the river and the designation of Kansas as a free state, Quindaro became a very influential point along the Underground Railroad. The population within Quindaro grew and so did the boundary of the town and the success of the local business establishments. At the beginning of 1856, Quindaro started constructing the town’s wharf, the primary port of entry into the town via steamboat. Once completed, the wharf took in an average of 36 steamboats every week (legendsofkansas.com). This helped to rapidly increase the town's population– by the summer of 1857, the town had already grown to over 600 residents (kansascity.com). With these residents came a variety of establishments such as retailers, hotels, medical practices, a newspaper, a post office, and even a few taverns. Despite the presence of taverns in town, Quindaro had largely been a supporter of the temperance movement. By 1858, the town's population had grown to over 1,200 before Quindaro began its rapid decline (kansascity.com). Despite the town's original success and promise for freedom, issues of vacancies and population decline began to plague Quindaro. In 1862, following the exodus as a result of the Civil War, Quindaro’s incorporation was revoked by the state legislature, marking the official end of the town (kansas.travel.org). While the town may have officially reached its end that year, Quindaro had a lasting legacy on those that lived within and passed through it. Following the dissolution of Quindaro, the area quickly became a network of exoduster settlements that rapidly grew. Many flocked to what was formerly Quindaro because of the reputation the town had built as a community with the promise of freedom for those looking to start a new life. Many of the exodusters and others migrating to the area following the Civil War settled at the top of the hill and along the bluffs, taking advantage of the built environment that was left behind and the natural resources that were so readily available. Quindaro’s reputation continued to remain on top as the schools present in the community also produced students that excelled academically and allowed African Americans access to educational opportunities they may not have previously had. In 1983, Quindaro was threatened by the proposal of a landfill on top of the old site. The community protested, and as a result, an archaeological study that was required for a public project, revealed the remains of the 1850s townsite. The foundations of 20 main buildings, two outbuildings, three wells, and one cistern were found. From original maps, newspapers, and letters, researchers know other structures existed. Because of the significance of the town, the townsite has been designated an archaeological district on the National Register of Historic Places. From there the site was preserved and eventually in 2019, was deemed a National Commemorative Site. Today the majority of the land is still owned by the AME Church and a portion of it belongs to the Wyandotte County government.

In Wyandot, Quindaro translates to "bundle of sticks," a signifier of strength, and is also the namesake of one of the town's founders. In 1856, Quindaro was created containing fourteen businesses along Main Street. It also included various residences and even Kansas' first public park. Despite the town being destroyed in 1862, the remnants of Quindaro's townsite were placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002, following community organization to cease a landfill from destroying the site. The Quindaro Ruins overlook is built over what remains of Quindaro’s original townsite, representing the lasting legacy the town had on Kansas City and the US. In 2002, the site secured a designation on the National Register of Historic Places, further protecting the memory of Quindaro.

History of the Town of Quindaro

The Quindaro-Parkville Ferry traveled along the Missouri River between the two towns (Quindaro/Parkville) and was operated by the Leimkuhler family. This ferry gained notoriety during its lifetime as it was known to secretly carry formerly enslaved and escaping African Americans across the river at night and into freedom. By utilizing the ferry these individuals were allowed passage through the port of Quindaro and establishing its' role along the Underground Railroad. Parkville was on the Missouri side of the river and offered daily trips to and from Quindaro. Since the Kansas side port of Quindaro was a free state, the ferry was a direct route into freedom provided an escaped slave secure a ticket at the right time. The ferry measured over 100 feet and was called The Otis Webb, named after the owner and captain of the Steamboat.

The Quindaro-Parkville Ferry was a key resource for the daily operations of the Underground Railroad. At night, the ferry carried many formerly enslaved individuals into freedom. In 1861, the Missouri side (pro-slavery) sank the ferry in protest of it being used as a “freedom ferry.” And yes, despite this effort, a number of small transfer boats continued to ferry people across the river, continuing on the spirit of the freedom ferry. In 1862, due to a record cold winter, a ferry was not even needed, as a number of people walked across the frozen river.

Quindaro-Parkville Ferry

The hospital was initially chartered in 1899 when four influential African American men (two local doctors, a minister, and a lawyer) came together to organize a healthcare facility and education center dedicated to improving the accessibility of these services to African Americans, including women. In 1905 with the sponsorship of the AME Church, Doctors T.C. Unthank and S.H. Thompson founded the Douglass Hospital and Training School for nurses. The establishment of this hospital began the ‘Black Hospital Movement’ in the Kansas City community. Dr. Thomas C. Unthank was known as the ‘father of Kansas City’s Negro hospitals’ due to his role in founding Douglass Hospital, Lange Hospital, and the Jackson County Home for Aged Negroes (static1.squarespace.com), as well as his position as Superintendent of the hospital. Dr. Solomon H. Thompson was a local pharmacy owner, one of three local African American physicians, and further secured his legacy by opening up access to hospitals for African Americans due to his influential role in the founding of Douglass Hospital. From that moment forward, Dr. Thompson devoted his life to Douglass Hospital and his dream for healthcare access to everyone for more than 50 years before his death. The hospital’s other cofounder, Isaac F. Bradley, was the first African American to graduate from the University of Kansas’ Law School and the first elected African American Judge in Kansas City. Bradley and Thompson were successful business partners, also founding three additional cooperative businesses in the Kansas City area. Reverend Abraham Grant was an active member of the AME church, having been elected to serve as Bishop in 1888, a position he held until he died. The AME Church was a key financial backer for the hospital and had an active presence on site.Collectively these influential men as well as the church helped provide health care access to all in the Kansas City area. Not only that, but they provided healthcare education to all, contributing to greater enrichment of the community.As a result of the growth and success of both the hospital and school functions, Douglass Hospital outgrew their building not once, but twice. In 1924, the hospital moved to 335 Quindaro Boulevard. Then in 1937, the hospital found its final home near Western University’s campus on 3700 N. 27th Street. What set Douglass Hospital and Training School ahead of the pack was the fact that it allowed women to take training courses, making it the only hospital west of Chicago allowing African American women to enroll. This was truly the only hospital and training center at the time open to anyone wishing for treatment or education. In 1943 when Western University closed its doors, Douglass Hospital expanded by moving into what was Grant Hall. Douglass Hospital continued to serve the local African American community with quality health care services up until its closure in 1978. Douglass Hospital leaves a lasting legacy today in both education and healthcare accessibility as it successfully served the Kansas City Kansas community for more than 70 years.

On the intersection of N. 27th St. and Vernon St., one will find the site that housed the third home for Douglass Hospital, which was founded primarily by Doctors Thompson and Unthank. Douglass Hospital was named in honor of African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Minister Calvin Douglass, a reverend at Western University. The idea of Douglass Hospital was born during a meeting between two local doctors and a lawyer in 1898. This idea led to the establishment of a hospital and training school devoted to educating African Americans and others. Ten years later, the school and hospital were chartered, and in 1905, the AME Church's Fifth District began sponsoring the institution. After much success, the school and hospital grew enough to necessitate the expansion to a new location in 1924, where it remained until its closure in 1978.

Douglass Hospital in Grant Hall Western University.

Douglass Hospital (1905-1924)

After the Civil War, Eben Blachley and others organized a school intending to educate exodusters who had resettled in Quindaro and the surrounding areas. This school was called the Quindaro Freedman’s School, and in 1867 the Kansas legislature approved funding and allowing the school to open its doors. Over the next couple of years, Blachley and his wife expanded the Freedman Elementary School to include college courses, calling it Freedman’s University. In 1869, the State of Kansas donated additional land for the construction of new buildings to accommodate a growing student body, as the addition of college curriculum proved to be in demand. And in 1872, the Kansas Legislature approved a bill that would incorporate the Colored Normal School of Quindaro within Freedman’s University. That same year, Charles Langston– an abolitionist and political activist– took over as President of the University. When the student population started to lag in the late 1870s, the African Methodist Church (AME) supported the University financially and voted to rename the school Western University in 1881. The church chose the name due to the schools' geographic location west of their first university in Ohio. In 1896, 25-year-old William Vernon, head of the University’s Collegiate Department, was appointed president. During his time in this position, Vernon brought Western University's enrollment from half-a-dozen to several hundred students, while also expanding the campus and faculty. In 1899 he gained legislative approval and financial support to add industrial education to the college, which prompted the building of numerous structures for the new classes, as well as dormitories. Industrial courses included commercial business courses, drafting, printing, carpentry, tailoring, Blacksmithing, and auto mechanics and repair.The music school was introduced in the early 1900s and developed by Robert Jackson, who also created the Jackson Jubilee Singers. The group toured the United States and Canada through 1940, raising money for the college and helping to preserve African American traditions. The school’s most famous alumni were women who became influential 20th Century pioneers in composition as well as performance. Examples of these prestigious alumni include composer and music critic Nora Douglas Holt, Gershwin choral director Eva Jessye, and Broadway star Etta Moten Barnette.  The Great Depression reduced available financial support, and with the University also facing increasing competition to attract students, the school eventually shut its doors in 1943. Over time the remnants of the campus began to fade away, with some buildings lost to fire, and others to demolition as sites were redeveloped. The last historic structures remaining were three faculty houses, which were demolished near the end of the 20th century. Today, nothing but cornerstones of the earliest two halls still exist and the site is now home to the statue of John Brown.

The Freedman’s Elementary School began educating formerly enslaved African Americans in 1857. It soon expanded into Freedman's University, the first African American University west of the Mississippi River, to include college courses. Freedman's was originally run by Charles Langston with the assistance of Eben Blachly and his wife. When poverty within the community began to rise, student enrollment declined, which led to the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church taking over the university and renaming it Western University.Some of the original buildings were lost to fire and the others, to demolition, as the sites were redeveloped. The last historic structures remaining of the university were three faculty houses, which were demolished near the end of the 20th century. Today, nothing but the cornerstones of the earliest two halls still exist. Currently, the site is home to the statue of John Brown.

Freedman’s Elementary + Western University 

In Connecticut in 1800, John Brown was born, as the middle of eight children. Only a few years after his birth, the family moved to Ohio where John attended much of his schooling. In 1816, Brown headed back to Connecticut to attend a prep school with the hopes of becoming a minister, and it was here that he met his wife. Once married in 1820, Brown and his wife Dianthe moved to Pennsylvania to start their family, which grew to seven children. The couple lived a happy life as farmers with John operating a business up until her death in 1832. Only a year later, he remarried Mary Ann and she and John had thirteen more children. The family moved out to Ohio four years later, where Brown expanded his tannery business and started to build a reputation in wool, and it was his time here that exposed John to the abolitionist cause in which he swiftly worked to support. Upon the death of a dear abolitionist friend, Brown and his family migrated to Massachusetts in 1846 to partake in the growing abolitionist movement. It was here where Brown began to establish a following and his sons were also readily involved in the abolitionist cause. John Brown had many roles throughout his lifetime—he was a strong abolitionist leader, father of 20 children, and a very tough fighter. Brown arrived in Kansas via wagon with his eldest sons on a mission to take action for the abolitionist cause. On their voyage, they collected rifles from their stops in Ohio and Illinois in an effort to arm themselves for their mission to defeat ‘satan’s legions.’ These legions were primarily the proslavery militias that came out of the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act which required all citizens to aid in the capture of fugitive slaves. Upon their arrival in Kansas, Brown led many battles alongside his sons, including the Pottawatomie Massacre which resulted in the death of five slavery supporters in an act of retaliation. Although Brown denied his involvement in the massacre, he supported the effort nonetheless and there was a retaliation at play between the proslavery men that had died in efforts to inflict revenge on Brown and his supporters. This fight was only furthered by the creation of a proslavery militia that took over Kansas, a free state, in an effort to capture those seeking freedom and try to reverse the free state status. In 1856, one of Brown’s sons was killed in the fight against slavery, which only fueled him further on his cause and led John to lead raids and free slaves throughout the Kansas area in 1858. During this time, Brown became notoriously violent, garnering Kansas the nickname ‘Bloody Kansas’.Brown most famously stated, “I only have a short time to live–only one death to die, and I will die fighting for this cause”. He then continued on his journey northward, in an effort to gain financial support for his war against slavery that was to eventually invade the south. In this endeavor, Brown secured a meeting with Harriet Tubman to discuss his plans and garner her support. Tubman was a vital contact for Brown as she had connections to many wealthy abolitionists who would be willing to purchase arsenal and supplies in addition to aiding in the recruitment of foot soldiers for the war.. Luckily for Brown, Harriet Tubman was enchanted by him, as she considered him to be the ‘greatest white man to have ever lived’ which helped him to secure the financing for his southern invasion. Support from Tubman helped others garner more trust for Brown as he continued to recruit and fight for the abolitionist cause.  The ‘Secret Six’ invested in Brown's cause and he then returned to Kansas to prepare. That December, Brown led a group of twelve fugitive slaves on an 82-day journey of over 1,500 miles in an effort to defeat a force of US troops. This ultimately led to Brown's death following the raid on Harpers Ferry in Virginia in 1859 as well as the death of two more of his sons. The attack resulted in four deaths on the proslavery side, the death of ten abolitionists, with five of Browns’ men escaping and seven having been captured. After the failed insurrection attempt, Brown was charged with treason and then hanged. Although this solidified Brown’s legacy as a martyr for the cause, this raid was a driving force in escalating tensions prior to the Civil War.

Abolitionist leader and minister John Brown was father to 20 children and an avid soldier. Leading battles in Kansas in the war against slavery, Brown gathered quite the following. Harriet Tubman referred to Brown as the 'greatest white man to have lived.' Brown vowed to die fighting to end slavery, a promise that was kept following the failed insurrection at Harpers Ferry after which he was charged with treason and then hanged. Students of Western University in 1911 successfully campaigned and funded the commissioning of an Italian sculptor to erect a marble statue of John Brown on this site. While Western University closed in 1948, the statue still stands today.

John Brown

Nancy Quindaro Brown was the daughter of Adam Brown, Wyandot chief of the Big Turtle Clan. Quindaro, her Wyandot name, translates to bundle of sticks and signifies strength in numbers (kckpl.org). Not only did she hold a title of respect among the Wyandot Nation, but she was also a force of nature and a trailblazer in her own right. Nancy Quindaro even made headlines as it was recorded in a journal from 1844 that she was the most beautiful of Wyandot women, with a “tall and faultless form”.Nancy Quindaro met Abelard Guthrie, an abolitionist, while they were both living in Ohio. At the time, Abelard was a land agent and coincidentally was also much disliked by Nancy’s father, the pair even involved in a feud that at one point resulted in her father’s arrest following him shooting at Abelard. When the Wyandot were forced out of Ohio, Abelard and Nancy moved off to begin a new life together in Kansas. Shortly after making the move, the pair married in 1844, taking part in Wyandotte County’s first official marriage. Although Abelard was not the chief's first choice for his daughter, after their marriage, Abelard was adopted into the tribe. The happy couple went on to have four kids– James, Abalura, Norsona, and Jacob. In 1856, Nancy and Abelard helped broker a deal in which a portion of the Wyandot land distribution from the Big Turtle Clan, as a result of the Wyandot Tribal Allotment, would create the town of Quindaro. Abelard acquired a significant portion of land within the town and he and Nancy helped to build this first free port on the Missouri River, which served as an Underground Railroad site and a temperance town. Despite her protests, the status of Nancy and her children as members of the Wyandot nation was revoked and they became Citizens. Nancy remained in Kansas for the remainder of her life, although not within Quindaro. She passed away In Cherokee County, Kansas in 1886.

Daughter of Wyandot clan chief Adam Brown, Nancy Quindaro was a force of nature. Nancy married Abelard Guthrie and they had quite a love story, as Abelard–an abolitionist–was not a member of the Wyandot clan. After moving away to Kansas to establish new roots, the pair took part in Wyandotte County’s first marriage. After finishing their marriage business in the area, Nancy and Abelard helped negotiate the purchase and gifting of land that then created the town of Quindaro, a safe port of entry for free-state settlers. The Old Quindaro Museum, while currently closed, is a part of the Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area and was a well-known African American history museum in Wyandotte county. Not only does this site pay tribute to the original townsite of Quindaro, but also to the lives that were shaped in the area that was formerly Quindaro after the town came to an end. Originally established in the 1980’s the museum was open for tourists around 40 years before falling into disrepair. The community still wishes to save this historic site.

Nancy Quindaro Brown Guthrie

Founded in 1858, the Colored School of Quindaro opened to serve the purpose of educating the local African Americans and their children in the abolitionist-led town of Quindaro. Many of the residents came from formerly enslaved families or had come to Quindaro to start fresh. Following the New Deal, the Colored School of Quindaro was redeveloped into the Vernon School, featuring a larger building to accommodate the growing population of students in the 1st through the 8th grade.  The new school building was named after William Tecumseh Vernon, a prominent African American leader who served as president of Western University. Western University was the first African American college west of the Mississippi and Vernon was largely regarded for his expansion of the curriculum to include an industrial training program. In 1906, Vernon left his leadership role to serve as register of the US Treasury, at the age of 26 and by appointment from President Roosevelt himself. Vernon successfully served as treasurer for two terms, even surviving a regime change when Taft took office before he left to pursue a life of service for the church. In 1920, Vernon was elected as bishop of Quindaro’s AME Church. Following his election, the Bishop and his wife moved to South Africa, where he served for the church for four years before returning home to Quindaro and Western University. Following the 1954 Brown vs. the Board of Education ruling and the subsequent desegregation of schools across the country, the Vernon school saw a boost in students. But this was short lived, as it was not long before urban renewal cleared out many of the homes within the community, resulting in a population decline. Due to this decline in population, in 1971 the Vernon School closed its doors to students and educators after 13 years. The school still stands today, currently serving as a community/cultural center while also containing an Underground Railroad Museum. In 2004, the building was added to the National Historic Register, allowing the building to continue to serve as an educational and cultural asset to the community.

Originally named the Colored School of Quindaro, the Vernon School opened its doors prior to the Civil War as the first school in the area for African American children. Utilizing funds from the New Deal program, the Vernon School replaced the original and was then renamed after William Tecumseh Vernon, president of Western University, Register of the U.S. Treasury, and Bishop at the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) church. After thirteen years, in 1971 the school closed as a result of the integration process which also reduced the population of students. Today, the Vernon Multi-Purpose Center houses a museum that is dedicated to the Underground Railroad as well as a cultural/community center, all of which is in the former Vernon School building. In 2004, the building was added to the National Historic Register, solidifying the legacy of the school as a center for education. To make the building more multifunctional, the school's classrooms were transformed into offices, community space, and the museum, with the original Blackboards and cabinetry still a prominent feature.

Vernon School

Clarina Nichols was born in 1810 in Vermont. During her long career as a lecturer, activist, and journalist, she was one of the early leaders of the first organized movement in the United States for womens’ rights. Clarina had four children–the first three she cared for as a single parent, earning ½ to ⅓ what a male counterpart would make for similar tasks. She began writing for a paper in Vermont and soon married the editor and publisher, John Nichols. When he became disabled, she quietly took over the duties of the paper and became intertwined in various social movements of the time, including temperance, women’s rights, and anti-slavery.Clarina was an active member of the First National Women’s Rights Convention of 1850, alongside Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott. In 1852, she met Susan B. Anthony and traveled throughout the country, lecturing on equal rights for all races and genders.When the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 threatened to establish slavery outside of the South, Clarina moved her family to “KT, Kansas Territory” in 1854. In Quindaro, she regularly sheltered those traveling along the Underground Railroad as her home was marked as a safe haven, and often spread her beliefs on the free-state movement as she was a big supporter. During her time in Quindaro, Clarina slid right back into her journalistic roots, serving as the Associate Editor of the Quindaro Chindowan, a four-page weekly that began shortly after the town was founded. Clarina regularlyNichols left Kansas in 1871 to be with two of her children in California. She died there in 1885.

Quindaro native Clarina Nichols was an abolitionist and a women's rights activist, holding an influential voice in the community as co-editor of the Quindaro Chindowan Newspaper. Many of her newspaper articles advocated for the Free-State cause, and as a result Clarina became one of the territory’s most prominent free labor and free state proponents. In 1861, Clarina successfully campaigned to allow women the right to vote in the Kansas School Board elections. Clarina also made history as an Underground Railroad conductor, using her home as a safe space for freedom seekers.

Clarina Nichols 

In 1854, Kansas was established and open for settlement (travelks.com). It was not until 1861 that Kansas entered the Union and officially declared itself a free state. The Underground Railroad was an essential component in moving people into and through the state. Kansas alone had more than 21 known stops (travelks.com). In addition, the journey into and through Kansas often involved stopping in Quindaro as this was a port town along the Missouri River.Due to the secretive nature of escaping into freedom, some of the histories of the Underground Railroad died along with the people who experienced it. What we have today is what remains of the stories told and artifacts uncovered. The Underground Railroad was a series of safe houses and sympathizers that helped formerly enslaved African Americans escape to freedom (kshs.org). The people that helped along the way were known as conductors, and the safe houses were known as stations, where one could find food, shelter, and even transport. One of the primary means of communication was through quilts, as everything was coded in patterns.Quindaro’s port was the only port along a long stretch of Missouri that wasn’t controlled by pro-slavery states or sympathizers. Given that all it took was crossing the river into freedom, Quindaro made a great location to create a free-state port settlement. Many relied on Quindaro for passage into freedom via the Parkville-Quindaro route. While it may seem as simple as crossing the river, this was still a very dangerous endeavor. The threat of slave hunters meant relying on boats to cross the river, aside from one historically cold winter where the river was frozen enough to allow those to run across. Quindaro’s decline followed the declaration of Kansas as a free state, because the port of entry became a bit less essential than it had been leading up to the rapid growth of the town. With this and the growing demands of the Civil War, the town was left to ruin and the state pulled the town charter. Despite the town losing its ‘official status,’ many former slaves sought to live in what was once Quindaro, taking advantage of the emptying townsite.Clarina Nichols was one of Quindaros’ most reputable conductors, operating a station out of her home on the bend of Missouri. Not only was Clarina a prominent local journalist for The Quindaro Chindowan, but she also spent her free time aiding those working towards a life of freedom. In her 1882 memoir, she revealed another local house used by the conductors in Quindaro to house runaways known as ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’ (kansascity.com). The Colored School of Quindaro run by Eben Blachly, which would soon become the Vernon School, was also another local Underground Railroad station.

From 1855 to 1862, Quindaro operated an essential component of the Underground Railroad to help those escaping from Missouri across the river and into the free state of Kansas. Many sites throughout Quindaro's community were a part of the operation.The Vernon Multi-Purpose Center is housed in what once was the Vernon School, which closed in 1971. Now the building serves as a museum honoring the legacy of the school and the role that it played in serving as a stop along the Underground Railroad. Today, the Underground Railroad Museum features the local collections of artifacts and photos.

Underground Railroad

Nora (born Lena Douglas) was born in Kansas City to African Methodist Episcopal Church minister Calvin Douglas and his wife, Gracie Douglas. She loved music from an early age. She started piano lessons at the age of four and played the organ in her father’s church in Kansas City, Kansas. Lena passionately studied music composition, musicology, and music criticism at Western University and was voted class valedictorian. Given her love of music and natural talent, Holt went on to attend the Chicago Musical College. In 1918, she earned a master’s degree from there and made history as the first African American woman to earn a master’s in music composition in the United States, just one of the many groundbreaking achievements Holt went on to have.Holt performed throughout the world and was a music critic and co-founder of the National Association of Negro Musicians and the magazine Music and Poetry. Lena Douglas changed her name to Nora Holt when she married her fourth husband. For a short time, she published her own magazine, called Music and Poetry. When George Holt died in 1921, Nora inherited his fortune and she moved to New York City, where she was an influential player in the Harlem Renaissance scene, hosting and attending soirees with the leading writers and thinkers of the era. After her time in New York as a socialite, Holt traveled extensively throughout Europe and Asia. Before leaving the United States, she placed her nearly 200 works of orchestral and chamber music in storage. Unfortunately, these and her other possessions were stolen during her travels. Only two compositions, The Sandman and Negro Dances were preserved due to their publication in Music and Poetry, and many great treasures were lost.Upon her return to the United States in 1938, Nora settled in Los Angeles where she taught music for several years in the public school system. It wasn't long before the Big Apple called her back and she then returned to New York where she became the first music critic for the Amsterdam News and later the New York Courier. In 1945 Holt became the first African American member of the Music Critics Circle of New York. She produced and directed “Concert Showcase,” a radio show on WLIB in New York in the 1950s and 1960s. Holt died on January 25, 1974.

Gifted musician Nora Holt was responsible for writing the score of Western University's school song. Her father, an administrator at the school, wrote the words. From there Nora went on to earn both a BA in music and became the first African American woman to earn a master's degree in music in the United States. After graduating from the Chicago Musical College and pursuing a career in music, Holt composed more than 200 works of music and was associated with the leading figures of the Harlem Renaissance and the co-founder of the National Association of Negro Musicians.

Nora Douglas Holt

Charles Henry Langston was born in Virginia in 1817 to a wealthy white man who had married his mother, a formerly enslaved African American with Native American heritage. Upon his father’s death in 1834, Langston and his brothers received an inheritance and moved to the free state of Ohio to attend college. Here, Langston began his life working as an activist, fighting for the rights of African American men, as he was openly critical of women gaining power. Langston and his brother made history as the first African Americans to attend Oberlin College. While at Oberlin, Langston studied politics and education, became politically involved, and quickly became a part of the abolitionist movement as well as the temperance movement. Following graduation, Langston was a practicing lawyer for fifteen years. While his brother, John Mercer, followed graduation with a successful career as an attorney and activist, eventually making his way to becoming the first African American to be elected to Congress, Charles balanced his love of activism with his desire for equal access to education. In 1856, Charles began his educational career when appointed the principal of the Columbus Colored School. During his educational pursuits, Langston remained very active politically and served as a longtime conductor along the Underground Railroad. In 1858, he was convicted and moved to Kansas. Here, he founded a school at Leavenworth dedicated to educating African Americans and refugee children. Charles met his love Mary, and after the pair married they went on to have four children. Langston quickly became a pillar of the community and in 1865 he was appointed as the Superintendent of the Kansas Freedmen’s Bureau. Following his success and impact in Leavenworth, Langston and his wife moved off to a farm just outside of Quindaro in 1868. It wasn’t long until Langston was appointed the first president of Quindaro’s Freedman’s School in 1872. Charles was an active advocate for civil rights and enjoyed life on the farm up until his death in 1892. His legacy was not forgotten as his children held his deep values and his grandson was famous poet Langston Hughes.

Prominent orator for African Americans, self-appointed abolitionist, and political activist Charles Langston, devoted his life to protecting civil rights and pushing for the end of slavery. Although he wasn't born in Kansas, Langston made great waves in the state and it was where he chose to call home. Charles was appointed the Superintendent for Kansas’ Freedman’s Bureau in 1867 and served as the Freedman’s Elementary School’s president. His grave can be found in Memorial Park Cemetery.

Charles H. Langston 

The Underground Railroad was a network of supporters that aided enslaved individuals in their escape to freedom. Given the nature of secrecy, as these were matters of life and death, one of the main lines of communication that are said to have been utilized were quilts. Quilts would carry the coded patterns that were used to guide freedom seekers along the trail and to safe-houses. These codes could be found carved into trees or buildings as well as quilted into fabrics out for display. In some cases, the quilts were maps that had been designed as a code to aid in the memory of those who were about to embark on their journey.Codes - (as accounted for by National Geographic)<ul><li class="ql-indent-1">Wrench Pattern: “gather your tools, get physically/mentally prepared to leave”</li><li class="ql-indent-1">Wagon Wheel: “pack belongings, going on a long journey”</li><li class="ql-indent-1">Bears Paw: “follow footprints for food/water”</li><li class="ql-indent-1">Tumbling Blocks: “displayed when conditions were right”</li></ul>In 2014, Kansas City Kansas local, Nancy Dawson created a play called “Stories from Da Dirt,” which was written to retell the oral histories passed down to Dawson by her great-grandmother who was one of the many African Americans who historically ran across the frozen river into Kansas in pursuit of freedom. One of the tools readily utilized by her ancestors and represented in her play was of quilts, which are believed to have aided in the escape of slaves to freedom. This project led to the creation of a series of quilts that were created by local children that portray people important to them. Part of the success of the project was that Dawson partnered with local artist Nedra Bonds, who has devoted her life to spreading her love of quilting and passion for history. Nedra, from a family of quilters, rose to fame when fighting the incoming landfill on the site of the Quindaro ruins by quilting an image depicting Quindaro’s legendary history. Today, Nedra is still working to educate the public on the cultural importance of quilts and their significance in African American history.

All along the Underground Railroad, one would find Patchwork Quilts which were representative of codes that provided instructions to slaves working to escape into freedom. These quilts were hung on clothes lines, in windows, or carved into the landscape, with 12-20 codes leading travelers on their secret journey into freedom.

Presentation on the Underground Railroad Quilt Code in 2020

Patchwork Slave Quilts

Edward Dwight Jr. was born in 1933 in Kansas City, Kansas to Monarchs baseball star Ed Dwight Sr. and his wife Georgia. Dwight grew up in Rattlebone Hollow, on the end of N. Tremont St. and this is also where he nurtured his love of art and appreciation for flight. At an early age, Ed was artistically gifted and extremely intelligent. After his mother petitioned the Vatican to require Bishop Ward to integrate to allow her son to attend a Catholic School, he became the first African American to attend and then graduate in 1951. During his teenage years, he often would spend hours in the library devouring air force flight manuals. He went to college to pursue a degree in aeronautical engineering, both to appease his father’s demand of him becoming an engineer while also nurturing his dream of one day becoming a pilot. Dwight joined the AirForce in 1953, being one of 33 men to pass the test. While serving in the AirForce, Dwight quickly worked his way up the ranks while continuing his education at UC Berkeley. Throughout his AirForce career, Dwight was able to fly a variety of planes, even those that were highly advanced for the time. While out testing planes and flying for the Air Force, Ed accumulated over 9,000 hours of flight. It was his renowned experience in flight that aided in his selection to be a candidate for NASA’s astronaut program. In the 1960’s Dwight found fame after garnering national attention in his pursuit to become the first African American astronaut. Dwight was the only African American who received entry to the NASA test program and had received a personal letter of recommendation from President Kennedy. While this was the opportunity of a lifetime and Ed garnered a great deal of fans who would even pen him fan mail, Dwight was subjected to racial tension and bullying as he was one of few African Americans present at the facility and was made an example while experiencing the four-year program. Even though he had received a personal recommendation from the White House, the officer in charge did not appreciate this overstep and made it a mission to force Ed out. Despite making it through to graduate the program, reaching eligibility for space, Dwight lost out to officially become an astronaut. While Dwight made waves for African Americans looking to pursue flight and aeronautical careers, it wasn’t until 1983 that an African American would go to space. In 1966, Dwight left his military career, and went on to pursue his second love–art. After moving to Denver to start his own studio, characteristically in an airplane hanger, Dwight then traveled across the country to create sculptures in honor of African Americans and their hardships and triumphs. Many of his works are featured along the route of the former Underground Railroad. Dwight founded the AAAC, or African American Artists Collective. In 1975, Dwight's first major piece to garner national attention was commissioned by Denver to honor African American history. It eventually was on exhibit in the Jefferson National Memorial. This success then led to another famed piece, honoring the history of jazz in the African American Community. More recently in 2009, Dwight was commissioned by the Obama Administration to create a sculpture of his inauguration and can still be seen on exhibit throughout the US. In 2009, Dwight also published an autobiography, ‘Soaring on the Wings of a Dream’ to account for his life accomplishments and his trying times working towards becoming an astronaut.

Edward Dwight was born and raised in Rattlebone Hollow, and after becoming the first African American male to graduate from Bishop Ward, went on to pursue an engineering degree from Kansas City Junior College where he also enlisted in the Air Force. Dwight was one of the first African Americans to enlist in the Air Force’s astronaut training program. His successful career led the Kennedy administration to select him as a candidate to become one of NASA’s newest astronauts–a campaign which controversially ended with Edward not being selected. Soon after, Dwight returned to his artistic roots and began designing memorials and sculptures found all over the world, including several locations along the Underground Railroad.

Northeast Kansas City Kansas Heritage Trail

Chester C. Owens Sumner Alumni Room

Introduction

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