Quindaro Townsite
Encyclopedia
Quindaro Townsite is an archaeological district in the vicinity of North 27th Street and the Missouri Pacific Railroad tracks in Kansas City, Kansas
. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
on May 22, 2002.
The settlement was established by abolitionists in late 1856, with construction starting in 1857. The town was rapidly settled by migrants aided by the New England Emigrant Aid Company, who were trying to help secure Kansas as a free territory. One of a number of villages hugging the narrow bank of the Missouri River
under the bluffs, the town was a Free State port-of-entry for abolitionist forces of Kansas. It was established as part of the resistance to stop the westward spread of slavery. Quindaro's people also aided escaped slaves from Missouri and linked them to the Underground Railroad
.
After Kansas was established as a free state, there was less unique need for the port and the growth slowed in the commercial district. At the same time the economy in Kansas suffered from over-speculation.
In 1862 classes were started for children of former slaves, and in 1865 a group of men chartered Quindaro Freedman's School (later Western University
), the first black school west of the Mississippi River
. Former slaves continued to gather in the residential community, which became mostly African American by the late 19th century. The area was incorporated into Kansas City in the early 20th century.
Gradually the lower commercial townsite was abandoned and became overgrown. The townsite was rediscovered during archaeological study in the late 1980s, which revealed many aspects of the 1850s town.
Quindaro was one of several competing small ports on the Missouri River
. Planners seeking to establish a Free-State port noted the site's advantages:
Abelard Guthrie, credited as the founder who purchased land for the settlement, named it after his wife Quindaro (meaning "bundle of sticks" or "strength through numbers") Nancy Guthrie. She was a member of the Wyandot tribe and had persuaded them to sell land to her husband.
Construction started in January 1857, and the town soon contained numerous stone houses and starts of several businesses. Its sawmill was the largest in Kansas. The lower townsite near the river was the commercial core, and most residences were higher on the bluff, at the upper townsite. In the first year there were 100 buildings completed, with many of stone and brick, "including hotels, Dry Goods, Hardware and Grocery stores, a Church [two churches] and School house."
John Morgan Walden
was one of many young men attracted to Quindaro, where he founded a Free-Soil paper called Quindaro Chindowan. The name Chindowan was a Wyandot word for "leader". Walden also was a missionary to freedmen and later became a bishop in the Methodist Church.
After the Kansas-Nebraska Act
was passed in 1854, a western branch of the Underground Railroad
was developed in Kansas. Quindaro was linked to this and the Lane Trail. It provided a new route of escape for slaves from Missouri
. It was most important in the years before Kansas was established as a free state in 1861. Quindaro became a legendary port for fugitive slaves and, later, blacks arriving as contraband
during the American Civil War
.
Due to economic pressures that afflicted much of Kansas, the commercial townsite declined. Later arriving African-American residents settled in the upper town on the bluff. The economy declined because of over-speculation in Kansas, and in 1862 the legislature withdrew the town charter, putting the town company out of business. Difficulties in reaching the interior from below the bluff hampered commerce, and changes after the war reduced the need for the port. In addition, the topography was difficult, surrounding Wyandot land limited expansion, and problems with land titles inhibited growth. After being abandoned, the early lower commercial townsite became overgrown, with some areas covered by earth falling from the bluffs. In the early 20th century, all of the townsite was incorporated into Kansas City
Even before the war ended, however, in 1862 Eben Blachley, a Presbyterian, started classes in his home for the children of former slaves. Other white men also got involved and organized the Quindaro Freedman's School (later Western University
, which was chartered in 1867. It was a historically black university (HBUC) started at the upper town site of Quindaro. Its principal in 1872, when the state legislature added a four-year normal school
, was Charles Henry Langston
, a leading black abolitionist and activist, educator and politician in Ohio
and Kansas
.
In the early 20th century, Western University became known for its outstanding music program.
In the early 1900s, Western University also added a full industrial curriculum
, with buildings to house livestock and another for a laundry. Later a building was added for teaching auto mechanics and repair. The university closed in 1943, and nothing but cornerstones of some early buildings still exist. Some buildings were lost to fire, others to demolition as sites were redeveloped. The last structures remaining were three faculty houses, which were demolished near the end of the 20th century.
. A number of public history projects have been undertaken to engage the public and share the discoveries.
In 1993, Kansas State University
, in cooperation with the Mayor's Underground Railroad Advisory Commission and the Quindaro Town Preservation Society, commissioned graduate students to develop proposals for a park to incorporate the ruins and archaeology of Quindaro. Their 13 proposals were presented at a major public meeting, displayed at the state capitol's rotunda, and presented in numerous venues around the state. While consensus is lacking on how to develop a park, the plans have been successful in engaging the public and teaching history.
In 1996, the University of Kansas
sponsored a major oral history
project, in which more than a dozen professors interviewed people among the nearby African-American community for their family accounts of Quindaro. The history and legends of the settlement lived in stories told by their descendants and friends. Because of the brief life of Quindaro, it was not much documented in written records. Public history projects have identified some new sources.
In December 2007, the Kansas Humanities Council awarded a grant to the Concerned Citizens of Old Quindaro, Kansas City, for In Unity There is Strength: The African American Experience, an exhibit to interpret the history of former slaves who escaped to Quindaro from across the Missouri River in the mid-19th century. The exhibit will address religious, educational, and business elements of the community which they created.
The Missouri Archaeologist, 49 (1988), 89-145.
Kansas City, Kansas
Kansas City is the third-largest city in the state of Kansas and is the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the third largest city in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The city is part of a consolidated city-county government known as the "Unified...
. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on May 22, 2002.
The settlement was established by abolitionists in late 1856, with construction starting in 1857. The town was rapidly settled by migrants aided by the New England Emigrant Aid Company, who were trying to help secure Kansas as a free territory. One of a number of villages hugging the narrow bank of the Missouri River
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
under the bluffs, the town was a Free State port-of-entry for abolitionist forces of Kansas. It was established as part of the resistance to stop the westward spread of slavery. Quindaro's people also aided escaped slaves from Missouri and linked them to the Underground Railroad
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
.
After Kansas was established as a free state, there was less unique need for the port and the growth slowed in the commercial district. At the same time the economy in Kansas suffered from over-speculation.
In 1862 classes were started for children of former slaves, and in 1865 a group of men chartered Quindaro Freedman's School (later Western University
Western University (Kansas)
Western University was a historically black college established as Quindaro Freedman's School at Quindaro, Kansas after the Civil War. It was the earliest school for African Americans west of the Mississippi River and the only one ever to operate in the state of Kansas...
), the first black school west of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
. Former slaves continued to gather in the residential community, which became mostly African American by the late 19th century. The area was incorporated into Kansas City in the early 20th century.
Gradually the lower commercial townsite was abandoned and became overgrown. The townsite was rediscovered during archaeological study in the late 1980s, which revealed many aspects of the 1850s town.
History
Quindaro was founded in the 1850s by abolitionists, settlers sent by the New England Emigrant Aid Society; Wyandots, and freedmen. The Society had aided more than 1200 settlers in their migration, hoping to secure Kansas as a free territory. The decision was to be left to the vote of the territory's residents.Quindaro was one of several competing small ports on the Missouri River
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
. Planners seeking to establish a Free-State port noted the site's advantages:
At a point six miles above the mouth of the Kansas river, on Wyandotte Indian land, they found a fine natural rock ledge where the river ran along the bank six to twelve feet deep, making a convenient landing. Plenty of wood and rock were at hand for building purposes and fertile land was adjacent.
Abelard Guthrie, credited as the founder who purchased land for the settlement, named it after his wife Quindaro (meaning "bundle of sticks" or "strength through numbers") Nancy Guthrie. She was a member of the Wyandot tribe and had persuaded them to sell land to her husband.
Construction started in January 1857, and the town soon contained numerous stone houses and starts of several businesses. Its sawmill was the largest in Kansas. The lower townsite near the river was the commercial core, and most residences were higher on the bluff, at the upper townsite. In the first year there were 100 buildings completed, with many of stone and brick, "including hotels, Dry Goods, Hardware and Grocery stores, a Church [two churches] and School house."
John Morgan Walden
John Morgan Walden
John Morgan Walden was an American Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He also gained notability as a newspaper editor and journalist, as a State Superintendent of Education in Kansas, as an officer in the Union Army, and as an Official in his Christian denomination.-Birth and family:John...
was one of many young men attracted to Quindaro, where he founded a Free-Soil paper called Quindaro Chindowan. The name Chindowan was a Wyandot word for "leader". Walden also was a missionary to freedmen and later became a bishop in the Methodist Church.
After the Kansas-Nebraska Act
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas–Nebraska Act of 1854 created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska, opening new lands for settlement, and had the effect of repealing the Missouri Compromise of 1820 by allowing settlers in those territories to determine through Popular Sovereignty if they would allow slavery within...
was passed in 1854, a western branch of the Underground Railroad
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
was developed in Kansas. Quindaro was linked to this and the Lane Trail. It provided a new route of escape for slaves from Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
. It was most important in the years before Kansas was established as a free state in 1861. Quindaro became a legendary port for fugitive slaves and, later, blacks arriving as contraband
Contraband
The word contraband, reported in English since 1529, from Medieval French contrebande "a smuggling," denotes any item which, relating to its nature, is illegal to be possessed or sold....
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
Due to economic pressures that afflicted much of Kansas, the commercial townsite declined. Later arriving African-American residents settled in the upper town on the bluff. The economy declined because of over-speculation in Kansas, and in 1862 the legislature withdrew the town charter, putting the town company out of business. Difficulties in reaching the interior from below the bluff hampered commerce, and changes after the war reduced the need for the port. In addition, the topography was difficult, surrounding Wyandot land limited expansion, and problems with land titles inhibited growth. After being abandoned, the early lower commercial townsite became overgrown, with some areas covered by earth falling from the bluffs. In the early 20th century, all of the townsite was incorporated into Kansas City
Even before the war ended, however, in 1862 Eben Blachley, a Presbyterian, started classes in his home for the children of former slaves. Other white men also got involved and organized the Quindaro Freedman's School (later Western University
Western University (Kansas)
Western University was a historically black college established as Quindaro Freedman's School at Quindaro, Kansas after the Civil War. It was the earliest school for African Americans west of the Mississippi River and the only one ever to operate in the state of Kansas...
, which was chartered in 1867. It was a historically black university (HBUC) started at the upper town site of Quindaro. Its principal in 1872, when the state legislature added a four-year normal school
Normal school
A normal school is a school created to train high school graduates to be teachers. Its purpose is to establish teaching standards or norms, hence its name...
, was Charles Henry Langston
Charles Henry Langston
Charles Henry Langston , an American abolitionist and political activist born free in Louisa County, Virginia, was one of two men tried after the Oberlin-Wellington Rescue, a cause célèbre in 1858 Ohio that helped gain impetus for abolition. In 1835 he was one of the first blacks admitted to...
, a leading black abolitionist and activist, educator and politician in Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
and Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
.
In the early 20th century, Western University became known for its outstanding music program.
"Western University at Quindaro, Kansas, was probably the earliest black school west of the Mississippi and the best black musical training center in the Midwest for almost thirty years during the 1900s through the 1920s."
In the early 1900s, Western University also added a full industrial curriculum
Industrial school
In Ireland the Industrial Schools Act of 1868 established industrial schools to care for "neglected, orphaned and abandoned children". By 1884 there were 5,049 children in such institutions....
, with buildings to house livestock and another for a laundry. Later a building was added for teaching auto mechanics and repair. The university closed in 1943, and nothing but cornerstones of some early buildings still exist. Some buildings were lost to fire, others to demolition as sites were redeveloped. The last structures remaining were three faculty houses, which were demolished near the end of the 20th century.
Rediscovery
An archaeological study in 1987-1988 required for a public project revealed the remains of the 1850s townsite. The foundations of 20 main buildings, two outbuildings, three wells, and one cistern were found. From original maps, newspapers and letters, researchers know other structures exist. Because of the significance of the town, the townsite has been designated an archaeological district on the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. A number of public history projects have been undertaken to engage the public and share the discoveries.
In 1993, Kansas State University
Kansas State University
Kansas State University, commonly shortened to K-State, is an institution of higher learning located in Manhattan, Kansas, in the United States...
, in cooperation with the Mayor's Underground Railroad Advisory Commission and the Quindaro Town Preservation Society, commissioned graduate students to develop proposals for a park to incorporate the ruins and archaeology of Quindaro. Their 13 proposals were presented at a major public meeting, displayed at the state capitol's rotunda, and presented in numerous venues around the state. While consensus is lacking on how to develop a park, the plans have been successful in engaging the public and teaching history.
In 1996, the University of Kansas
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...
sponsored a major oral history
Oral history
Oral history is the collection and study of historical information about individuals, families, important events, or everyday life using audiotapes, videotapes, or transcriptions of planned interviews...
project, in which more than a dozen professors interviewed people among the nearby African-American community for their family accounts of Quindaro. The history and legends of the settlement lived in stories told by their descendants and friends. Because of the brief life of Quindaro, it was not much documented in written records. Public history projects have identified some new sources.
In December 2007, the Kansas Humanities Council awarded a grant to the Concerned Citizens of Old Quindaro, Kansas City, for In Unity There is Strength: The African American Experience, an exhibit to interpret the history of former slaves who escaped to Quindaro from across the Missouri River in the mid-19th century. The exhibit will address religious, educational, and business elements of the community which they created.
Additional reading
- Greenbaum, Susan D., et al. The Afro-American Community in Kansas City, Kansas: A History, City of Kansas City, Kansas, 1982
- Magnuson, Carl. “The Town of Quindaro: From Community Narrative to Public Debate", Mid-America Folklore', 2 (1990), pp. 91–107.
- Mudge, Melville, ed., "Benjamin Franklin Mudge: A Letter from Quindaro", Kansas History, 19 No. 3 (Winter 1990) : 218-222.
- "Quindaro Question: Will the Historic Site Be Saved or Allowed to Fade Away Forever?", Kansas City Star magazine, June 6, 1999, p. 8.
- Schmits, Larry. “Quindaro: Kansas Territorial Free-State Port on the Missouri River",
The Missouri Archaeologist, 49 (1988), 89-145.
External links
- "Quindaro, Kansas on the Underground Railroad", Online exhibit, Kansas Collection at the Kansas City, Kansas Library, 2000