Freedman’s Elementary + Western University

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.

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.

Western University (Kansas) is Founded, AAREG. Accessed June 8th 2022. https://aaregistry.org/story/western-university-kansas-founded/.

Western University (Kansas), Wikipedia. April 1st 2022. Accessed June 8th 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_University_(Kansas).