Archaeology Dig 2007: Nicodemus Kansas

The 2007 Kansas Archeology Training Program (KATP) field school has the potential to produce new and valuable information about the everyday lives and extraordinary struggles of a post-Civil War African American settlement and will enhance the public interpretation of the significant history of Nicodemus, Kansas, a National Historic Landmark and National Historic Site. Project director Virginia A. Wulfkuhle sent along this project description.

Nicodemus Kansas, Field School in Focus

In 1877, five African American men from Kentucky and a white land promoter claimed a 160-acre townsite along the Solomon River in western Kansas. Early settlers, numbering about 350, constructed dugouts until more substantial homes and businesses could be erected. By 1885, the population had grown to around 700 residents, but the boom ended in 1888 when the railroad built its line through another town. Severe droughts, the Depression, and children leaving to attend college or seek employment elsewhere continued to reduce the population. By the 1950s, the town of Nicodemus appeared much as it does today, with just over 30 residents; all but two of which are direct descendants of the earliest settlers or have married into those families. However, on the last weekend of July each year, a large number of descendants return for the Emancipation Celebration/Homecoming, held since 1878.

The 2007 KATP field school partners are the Kansas State Historical Society, Kansas Anthropological Association, Nicodemus National Historic Site, Midwest Archeological Center, Nicodemus Historical Society, and Washburn University. Dr. Flordeliz T. Bugarin of Howard University has been hired as Principal Investigator.

The project will excavate and document settlement-period dugout ruins to assess their integrity, function, and occupation date. The initial excavation will focus on the Thomas Johnson/Henry Williams dugout site about 2.5 miles north of Nicodemus. Although field and laboratory activities continue without stopping for the 16-day period, June 2-17, volunteers may participate for a single day or the entire time. A number of formal classes can be taken to earn college credit or simply to learn more about a particular topic: Archeological Fieldwork, Basic Archeological Excavation, Kansas Cemeteries and Gravemarkers, Introduction to Historic Preservation, and Kansas Prehistory.

The school in Damar, a community about 6 miles from Nicodemus, will be the project headquarters. More information including the registration packet is posted at the website for the project. Registration forms submitted by May 4 qualify for a participation fee of $20 for KAA and KSHS members and $80 for nonmembers. After May 4, the participation fee increases to $30 for members and $90 for nonmembers. Participants must be at least 10 years of age.

• Nicodemus Field School
• Nicodemus National Historic Site
• African Mosaic: Nicodemus, US Library of Congress
• Nicodemus, Kansas: Negro Settlers of the West, Washburn University
• More Field Schools in Focus
• Archaeology Digs 2007