QUINDARO VIRTUAL TOUR John Brown Statue and Memorial Plaza 2. Walk through the Archaeological Ruins 3. Creek, Woods and River 4. Views of 19th and 20th Century Buildings 5. Quindaro Park and Cemeteries 6. Western University The John Brown Statue and the Memorial Plaza, located at 27th and Sewell Avenue, are the focal points as you enter the Quindaro-Western University Historical District. The purpose of the Plaza is to honor the people and remember the events related to this site that contributed to the history of African Americans in Kansas. John Brown Statue and Memorial Plaza dedicated in 1978 Photos on this page contributed by Bill Slaughter Western University Historical Marker to the right of the Brown Statue Quindaro Historical Marker to the left of the Brown Statue John Brown Statue dedicated in 1911 The original inscription on the base of the statue reads: "Erected to the Memory of John Brown by A Grateful People" The Western University Memory Club has placed a plaque on the foundation of the John Brown statue which reads: "Western University Memory Club, Commemorates this Site of Western University 1881-1943 Brown Avenue in the Quindaro area of Kansas City, Kansas was not named for the abolitionist John Brown, but in honor of Nancy Quindaro Brown Guthrie's father, Rev. Adam Brown, an early pioneer of Wyandotte County, Kansas. Another street named for the Quindaro area is Quindaro Blvd. Brown Avenue Street Marker

John Brown Statue Abraham Grant, who was the presiding bishop of the African American Episcopal Church's fifth district, was the person who originated the movement to erect a monument in memory of John Brown. The money to have a monument sculpted was raised by donations of a few pennies to ten dollars from African Americans. The cost of the monument was approximately $2,000. The monument was carved in Carrara, Italy from white Carrara marble. The sculptors used as their model a photograph of a portrait of John Brown that was hanging in the state Capitol building in Topeka, Kansas at the time. The monument was designed, brought to the United States, and erected by the M.H. Rice Monument Company. The white marble statue is a life size likeness of John Brown and stands atop a 7 foot, 2 inch granite pedestal. The John Brown Monument was dedicated on the Western University campus in June, 1911. Governor John P. St. John and other dignitaries were present for the dedication. John Brown in Kansas John Brown was an important part of the underground railroad in Kansas. He was an abolitionist who believed that the Territory of Kansas should become a state free from slavery. In October of 1855, John Brown arrived in Kansas for the first time. While in Kansas he fought against slavery with weapons and brutal force to create terror in the proslavery border ruffians. Brown returned to Kansas in 1858. While in Kansas he made raids, fought guerrilla warfare battles, and assisted slaves in escaping on the underground railroad. He left Kansas for the final time in 1859 with escaped slaves hidden in wagons and followed an underground railroad route which took them safely to Canada. During 1859 Mary A.C. Killiam wrote two letters to New Hampshire to relatives and mentioned that John Brown had been a boarder for several days in her husband's hotel located in Quindaro, Kansas. On October 16, 1859, John Brown and twenty-two men attacked the U.S. arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia and were defeated. Brown was convicted of treason and hanged on December 2, 1859. Although his methods were condemned and his life ended by hanging, Free-State Kansans considerd him a hero.

WESTERN UNIVERSITY PLAQUE 1881 - 1843 TEXT OF WESTERN UNIVERSITY PLAQUE Western University had its beginning in the Quindaro Freedman's School founded in the 1860s by the Reverend Eben Blachley, a Presbyterian Minister. The Freedman's School was intended to provide an education for the children of escaped slaves and black families that had begun to settle in the area. The school received support from the state in 1867 and 1873, but became inactive following the death of Reverend Blachley in 1877. The school was revived in 1881 under the sponsorship of the African Methodist Episcopal Church and reopened in 1882. In 1891 the school, renamed Western University moved from the valley to a new building, Ward Hall, near 27th and Sewell. William T. Vernon, who was subsequently named Registrar of the Treasury by President Theodore Roosevelt was placed in charge of the school in 1896, when Dr. Vernon retired from the school in 1910, he left behind a flourishing campus with many fine buildings. The statue of John Brown was unveiled on Commencement Day, 1911. The Monument was the project of Bishop Abram Grant of the A.M.E. Church, and was paid for by contributions from students and the citizens of Kansas City. Western University continued to prosper under Dr. H.T. Kealing, adding a Junior College and a School of Religion. As with many small schools, Western University was severely affected by the Great Depression, and was finally forced to close in 1948. A Kansas City, Kansas Historic Site

QUINDARO PLAQUE 1857 - 1862 TEXT OF QUINDARO PLAQUE Near this site was located the historic town of Quindaro, founded in 1856 as a port-of-entry for free-soil immigrants into Kansas. The principal founder was Abelard Guthrie, who named the town for his Wyandot Indian wife, Nancy Quindaro Brown. Other proprietors included Joel Walker, S.N. Simpson, Vincent J. Lane, Charles Robinson, and Sylvester Storrs. The townsite stretched from 17th to 42nd Street and from Parallel to the Missouri River. The Missouri River was then west of the present location, exposing a rock ledge that formed a natural levee for steamboat landings. The main street of the town was intended to be Kansas Avenue, now 27th Street, but it was never cut through to the river. The town boomed for three years, with much of the building occurring in the valley leading to the levee. Quindaro became a station on the Underground railway, with slaves escaping from Platte county crossing the river in small boats and secret runs of the Parkville-Quindaro Ferry. The runaways hid with local farmers before taking the long trek to Nebraska and freedom. With the outbreak of Civil War the town was abandoned by most of the inhabitants. The young men enlisted and their families moved to Wyandott City for safety. The town's incorporation was revoked by the Kansas State legislature in 1862 and the site was never fully revitalized. Even the ruins have now disappeared. A Kansas City, Kansas Historic Site

Quindaro-Western University Visitor Information Regarding access to the Quindaro Site. Regarding historical sites in Kansas City, Kansas and Wyandotte County Kansas - Kansas City, Kansas Convention and Visitors Bureau.