Nicodemus Nat'l Historic Site

Location:  Located on Hwy. US-24 about 13 miles East of Hill City.

Nearest Towns:  Hill City, Stockton

Admission:  Donations appreciated.

Photos Copyright H. Schuster.  Please do not use without permission.

A small north central Kansas town, its buildings and streets slowly crumbling, doesn't seem too unique at first glance, but this town was unique in that it was settled by former slaves following the Civil War.

The story of Nicodemus starts in the American deep south.   When the Civil War ended in 1865, a period known as "Reconstruction" began for those Southern states which had been in rebellion.  In the victorious North, opinions ranged from healing reconciliation to vicious revenge towards the South.   President Lincoln had favored reconciliation, but following his assassination in 1865, the United States Congress took a hard line.  The South was occupied by Federal troops for twelve years.  During this period, the former slaves were given citizenship and the right to vote.  This and the harsh treatment of Southern Whites by the occupying Federal troops bred even more resentment of the freed former slaves.   The final withdrawal of Federal troops in 1877 from the South led to many reprisals against the Blacks.  Some Blacks, looking for a better life, began to settle outside the Old South.  One of the most successful of these Black Settlements was Nicodemus.   By 1887, the community boasted four general stores, two druggists, two hotels, a blacksmith shop, a school, and even an ice cream parlor.  As was the case with all frontier towns of this era, attracting a railroad was vital.  In 1888, local voters were willing to offer $16,000 in bonds to attract a railroad, but the Union Pacific settled on a route six miles south, and the Missouri Pacific never advanced beyond Stockton.  The fate of the community was sealed.  The population of Nicodemus peaked in 1880 at 600, but by 1953 the population had dwindled to the point that the Nicodemus Post Office closed.  Current population is 25.

Nicodemus still has a few residents, but mostly the town today consists of empty lots and decaying empty dwellings.  The townsite was named a National Historic Site in 1996, and is administered out of Ft. Larned National Historic Site, two hours to the south.  The old Civic Hall (photo above, left) serves as a visitor center and is staffed by a park ranger.  Four additional buildings in the town are scheduled for restoration by the park service.

An empty swing blows in the restless Kansas breeze near the old school house.  It's a simple but powerful symbol of an all but abandoned townsite.  Perhaps the National Historic Site designation will help preserve and attract attention to this interesting chapter in Kansas History.

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