Nicodemus Claire M.

Nicodemus Maps

Nicodemus History

On April 18, 1877, a group of seven Kansans, six of whom were black, established the Nicodemus Town Company. African American W.H. Smith and W.R. Hill, an experienced white land speculator, served as the town’s president and treasurer, respectively. Most of the group consisted of former slaves from Kentucky in search of a new livelihood. The goal was to establish the first all-black settlement on the Great Plains. Two theories explain the choice of the name Nicodemus. One claiming the town was named after the biblical figure Nicodemus. The other holds the town was inspired by the legendary account of an African prince taken into slavery who later purchased his freedom. The location of the town, chosen by Hill, was along the northern bank of the Solomon River, an area suitable for developing farming. The town itself was located on a 160-acre plot, of the 19,200 acres of the township, at large.

Nicodemus Today

Fun-facts• Nicodemus is a small unincorporated community

in Graham County in North West Kansas.• Nicodemus is named after a Biblical figure.

Sources • http://pix.epodunk.com/locatorMaps/ks/

KS_4892.gif• http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/

thumb/f/fe/Map_of_Kansas_highlighting_Graham_County.svg/800px-Map_of_Kansas_highlighting_Graham_County.svg.png

• http://www.kansastravel.org/06nicodemus0.jpg• http://www.kansastravel.org/06nicodemus6.jpg