The First Baptist Church, which dates to 1907, has been added to Nicodemus National Historic Site/NPS
The National Park Service has added the historic First Baptist Church to Nicodemus National Historic Site in Nicodemus, Kansas.
This acquisition was only possible because of collaboration with the First Nicodemus Missionary Baptist Church congregation, the generous donation and dedicated work of the Trust for Public Lands (TPL) and the assistance of the National Park Foundation (NPF).
“Thank you to the congregation of the First Nicodemus Missionary Baptist Church, TPL and NPF,” said Cassie Branstetter, superintendent the historic site. “We rely on partnerships with the community, descendants of the Black settlers who established this historic town, and park partners like TLP and NPF. Because of these partnerships, the First Baptist Church is now another physical piece of the Nicodemus story that can be protected and shared to ensure that the national contributions of Black Homesteaders are not lost.”
A story of rebirth and salvation is told at Nicodemus, which was put on the map in 1877 by a small group of formerly enslaved African Americans from Kentucky who settled here on the prairie at the end of the of post-Civil War Reconstruction.
Attracted to Kansas because of that state’s decision to side with the Union during the Civil War, the settlers established the first Black community west of the Mississippi.
The First Baptist Church dates to 1907 and demonstrates the dedication to faith and religion that helped Nicodemus settlers persevere. For over one hundred years, this building was the site of religious gatherings, baptisms, gospel choirs, community dinners, and other events. The First Baptist Church is one of five historic structures identified in the site’s establishing legislation as fundamental to understanding the history of Nicodemus National Historic Site. The National Park Service plans to rehabilitate the structure over the next few years before opening it up to the public for viewing.
