Nicodemus National Historic Landmark Feasibility Study

National Park Service

This report describes a suitability/feasibility study, conducted by the National Park Service of Nicodemus, Kansas, a National Historic Landmark (NHL). The purpose of this study is to determine whether Nicodemus would be a suitable and feasible addition to the National Park System. During the study. the NPS also developed a range of alternatives for the protection, management, and use of the townsite. Nicodemus, Kansas, is of national significance because it is the only remaining western town established by free blacks during the reconstruction period, and represents the western expansion and settlement of the Great Plains. The significance of the events at Nicodemus cannot be disputed, yet the loss of some structures and the deteriorating condition of its remaining historic structures limits the ability of the physical features to convey this important element of American history. While the Nicodemus historic district has lost some integrity since designation and is approaching a risky level of diminished value, it continues to hold on, tenuously, to its status as a NHL. The Nicodemus National Historic District NHL depicts six significant historic themes which are represented to a varying degree in the National Park or the National Historic Landmark Systems. Nicodemus was originally found to represent the following themes: Ethnic Communities, Poverty Relief and Urban Reform, Civil Rights. Though not presently noted in the thematic representation of National Historic Landmarks, Nicodemus Historic District is representative of these additional themes: The Reconstruction Era, The Fanner's Frontier, Farming Communities. Nicodemus represents the African American experience and contribution to western settlement and expansion; it illustrates the important role of community in the social reform movement of southern black Americans: and it interprets the lives of black Americans during Reconstruction. Though the NPS administers four areas pertaining to the Civil Rights theme, Nicodemus could be the only site depicting the establishment of self-governing communities as a route toward acquiring civil rights. In support of these findings, Nicodemus is found to be suitable for inclusion to the National Park System.If Nicodemus is not protected and preserved by a public or private entity, it seems inevitable that the historic structures will continue to deteriorate and eventually be razed. In order to meet the objectives of preservation and public use, the stabilization and restoration of nearly all the remaining contributory structures and the reconstruction of the Sayers General Store and Post Office would be necessary. Support facilities for the management and operation of a public use area would need to be built, but in order not to negatively impact the historical character of the site, approximately forty acres would need to be acquired outside the NHL for these developments. While there is a desire, by the residents, to share the town's history with the public, strong sentiment has been expressed for designation of Nicodemus as a National Historic Site, but with a large degree of private ownership. Strong local backing for designation of a Nicodemus National Historic Site exists, though there are concerns about the effects a Federal presence will have on the community. The historic fabric is deteriorating at an accelerated pace with neither the funding nor the technical expertise available to the local historical society to stabilize and presetve the historic structures and character of the town. The infrastructure that would be needed to accommodate larger numbers of visitors is not in place, and a strong local management partner is absent. All of these factors point toward the necessity of a large appropriation for the preservation, restoration and operation of Nicodemus, and for some sort of Federal presence, in order to interpret the significance of the site.