Rattlebone Hollow

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 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.

Hoffman , Catherine . Resurrecting Rattlebone Hollow, Flat Land KC. October 11th 2021. Accessed April 5th 2022. https://www.flatlandkc.org/curiouskc/curiouskc-resurrecting-rattlebone-hollow/.

Unified Government of Wyandotte County. John Garland Park Reuse Plan, Unified Government of Wyandotte County. Accessed April 5th 2022. https://www.wycokck.org/Departments/Public-Works/Construction-Projects/John-Garland-Park-Reuse-Plan .