Homesteading in Kansas

As an early settler, Zachariah T. Fletcher was instrumental in the development of Nicodemus. He opened a general store, the town’s first business, in the fall of 1877 and opened Nicodemus’s first post office, operating as its first postmaster. Z. T. Fletcher and his family were heavily involved in several aspects of the community including education, businesses, and local politics.

Charles Page was a veteran and Black homesteader who went west with the Exoduster movement. He homesteaded in the Black colony of Nicodemus, Kansas. He proved up and acquired the patent to his land in June 1887. Between proving up and receiving his patent he moved to Atchison, Kansas. There he made a name for himself and became wealthy working as a houseman.

Abraham Hall was a civil war veteran, railroad porter, Nicodemus homesteader, and business owner. Hall enlisted into the Union Army serving in the 117th U.S. colored troops infantry, Company B for three years. He lived in Chicago working as a Porter for the Pullman Palace Car Company before deciding to take a chance out west by filing for a homestead claim in 1885. 

Kirtley arrived in Nicodemus in November 1878. He believed that owning land encouraged self-sufficiency. His passion, however, was education. As a child denied the chance to learn to read and write, he arrived in Nicodemus carrying books. He worked with other community members to organize the community's first school and permitted the students to use the books that he had brought with him.

In the spring of 1878, Daniel and Willianna Hickman and about 150 other formerly enslaved people left Georgetown, Kentucky. They traveled by train to Ellis, Kansas and then on foot to Nicodemus. Attracted by the allure of what was predicted to be the “largest Colored Community in America”, the Hickmans and others saw homesteading on the frontier of Kansas as a new beginning. As a Baptist pastor, Daniel was leadership figure in the Black community of Nicodemus.

Albert Fisher filed a homestead claim at the Kirwin, Kansas Land Office in 1879, and worked diligently to prove up on this claim with his wife, Eliza. Albert Fisher was one of the first settlers in the Wildhorse township of Graham County, Kansas and was incredibly involved within his community. Fisher was also a Civil War veteran. In 1885, he was chosen to be a part of Graham County’s Republican convention.

Nicodemus is the longest-lasting black homesteader colony in America. In 1877 six black entrepreneurs in Topeka joined with a local white developer to form the Nicodemus Town Company. They located their town in the Solomon River valley in north-central Kansas. Most who stayed filed homestead claims. By 1899 they had received 114 homestead patents, making them owners of 18,126 acres. Nicodemus still stands as a small village and is designated as a National Historic Site.

Luna Warner was 15 years old when her family migrated from Massachusetts to Kansas to homestead. Luna wrote a diary that chronicled her experience. This 3 part video series shares some of her experiences. This content is great for elementary classrooms and for anyone wanting to learn about what homestead transition and life was like in the 1870s.

Over the course of his lifetime, Carver rose from slavery to become a renowned educator and research scientist. For over 40 years, he worked endlessly to find practical alternatives to improve the agricultural practices and thus the economic status of African Americans. He is regarded as one of the most prominent black scientists of the early 20th century.

Milton Hill received Homestead Certificate #650 on March 15, 1873 for 78 acres of which 40 acres were cleared for cultivation. Hill was married with two children and built a house that was 12 x 12 feet, one story, board roof, one door, one window, and a plank floor. In addition to cultivating 40 acres, he fenced about 80 acres; set out an orchard containing over 100 fruits trees; and had a well built stable and corn crib.