Last updated: March 20, 2026
"Go to Kansas"
Formerly enslaved African Americans left Kentucky at the end of the post-Civil War Reconstruction period to experience freedom in the "Promised Land" of Kansas. Nicodemus represents the involvement of African Americans in the homesteading movement across the Great Plains. It is the oldest remaining Black settlement west of the Mississippi River.
Community Interviews
Watch interviews with descendants from the Nicodemus community.
Five Historic Buildings
The five historic buildings were declared a unit of the National Park System on November 12, 1996.
Check out our February 2026 Newsletter!
Catch up on Nicodemus happenings in 2025 and learn what we have planned for 2026!
History & Culture
Learn about the oldest remaining Black settlement west of the Mississippi River.
Declaration 1776 Traveling Exhibit
Come on down to Township Hall in Nicodemus to see the traveling exhibit Declaration 1776: The Big Bang of Modern Democracy.
Oral Histories
Listen to some of the oral history interviews collected from Nicodemus descendants over the years.