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Wabaunsee County (Kan.) settlement research

 Collection
Call Number: RH MS P795

Overview

This collection of research regarding a late nineteenth-century African American settlement in Wabaunsee County, Kansas was conducted by Penny Clark.

Dates

  • Creation: approximately 1994

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

No access restrictions.

Conditions Governing Use

Spencer Library staff may determine use restrictions dependent on the physical condition of manuscript materials.

History of Wabaunsee Settlement

In May 1879, the Kansas Freedmen's Relief Association (KFRA) established a settlement for African American Exodusters in Wabaunsee County, Kansas, in the areas of Rock Creek and Farmer Townships. Many considered the settlement "a test of [African American] abilities to be self-sufficient." Although the KFRA began to suffer financially, they established another settlement in Wilmington Township. With funds steadily drying up, the KFRA disbanded in May 1880; this meant that the Settlements would no longer receive much needed financial support and settlers began to trickle away. There were 75 African Americans in the settlement in 1880; by 1895 there were only 32 and no African Americans appear on the 1900 census (although "a tiny minority must have remained...[since] the last colonist in the area...left in 1905").

Extent

4 folders (4 folders + 1 oversize box)

Language of Materials

English

Scope and Contents

The Wabaunsee County settlement research was conducted circa 1994 and consists of a paper draft and maps. The draft has been hand edited and the maps are copies. Photographs from the Collection are located at RH MS-P P795. Oversize materials are located at RH MS Q260.

Physical Location

RH MS P795

Physical Location

RH MS-P P795

Physical Location

RH MS Q260

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift, Penny Clark, 1994

Title
Guide to the Wabaunsee Settlement Collection
Subtitle
Wabaunsee County (Kan.) settlement research
Author
Finding aid prepared by mbw, 2007; revised by cl, 2010; revised by skt, 2010; Finding aid encoded by mbw, 2007; revised by skt, 2010
Date
2007
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
Finding aid written in <language encodinganalog="language">English.</language>
Sponsor
Support for the processing of this Collection was provided by the Dana and Sue Anderson African American Collecting Program Endowment Fund.
Finding aid permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/10407/1296928337
Preferred citation
Wabaunsee County (Kan.) settlement research, Kansas Collection, RH MS P795, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas Libraries

Repository Details

Part of the University of Kansas. Kenneth Spencer Research Library Repository

Contact:
1450 Poplar Lane
Lawrence KS 66045-7616 United States
785-864-4334