Going Home to Nicodemus: The Story of an African American Frontier Town and the Pioneers Who Settled It - Hardcover

Chu, Daniel; Shaw, Bill

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0671887238 ISBN 13: 9780671887230

Publisher: Julian Messner, 1995

Synopsis

Traces the history of the Kansas town founded by African American pioneers twelve years after the Civil War, and describes what the town is like today

About this title

From School Library Journal

Grade 6 Up?Founded by freed slaves in the 1870s, Nicodemus, Kansas, grew from a series of holes dug in the ground for shelter to a bustling black community with churches, schools, stores, and well-kept homes. Chu and Shaw trace its history by using archival material, old newspapers, and interviews with current and former residents. The early settlers experienced all kinds of hardships and difficulties, but persevered and overcame the harsh weather conditions of the plains. What they could not ultimately overcome were the Great Depression and the racism of their neighbors. Of course, all was not toil and gloom. This book is filled with a joy that comes from a shared history, from being with family and friends, and from the knowledge that life on the plains, as bad as it often was, was infinitely better than a life of slavery. The book is informative, clearly and simply written, and illustrated with black-and-white photographs of the town, then and now, and of the families who settled it. Nicodemus and its people take on a life worth knowing about.?Carol Jones Collins, Montclair Kimberley Academy, NJ
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 5^-9. Nicodemus, Kansas, is one of a handful of frontier towns settled after the Civil War by African Americans. Chu and Shaw provide a detailed account of the history of the site from its promising beginnings in 1877 to a brief boom in the 1800s to its gradual decline after the railroads bypassed the town in 1889. They also include interviews with several current residents, who explain what life in Nicodemus has meant to them. Black-and-white photographs help break up the text and catch readers' attention. Unfortunately, the text is aimed at an older audience than the book's oversize format suggests, and the authors presume a great deal of background in American history. Still, this is an interesting look at a forgotten chapter in the history of the American West, and larger collections will want it. Kay Weisman

Edition details

• Publisher: Julian Messner
• Publication date: 1995
• ISBN 10: 0671887238
• ISBN 13: 9780671887230
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 96