August 16, 2018 Dena Sanford History & National Register Programs National Park Service Midwest Regional Office c/o Agate Fossil Beds National Monument 301 River Road Harrison, NE 69346 Vergil E. Noble, Ph.D. National Historic Landmarks Program Midwest Archeological Center National park Service Federal Building, Room 474 100 Centennial Mall North Lincoln, NE 68508 RE: Quindaro Townsite National Historic Landmark Kansas City, Wyandotte County, Kansas Draft Nomination Dear Dena and Vergil: On behalf of Freedoms Frontier National Heritage Area, I am pleased to present the first draft National Historic Landmark nomination for the Quindaro Townsite, Kansas City, Wyandotte County, Kansas. The Microsoft Word version of the draft nomination, the list of photographs, and the individual digital files of the supplemental images are submitted electronically through the National Park Service secure file transfer process. I look forward to receiving your comments and working with you to get this property designated a National Historic Landmark. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. I can be reached at 816-472-4950 or [email protected]. Sincerely, Rachel Nugent National Register and Survey Coordinator cc: Julie McPike, Freedoms Frontier National Heritage Area NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK NOMINATION NPS Form 10-934 (Rev. 12-2015) OMB Control No. 1024-0276 (Exp. 01/31/2019) QUINDARO TOWNSITE Page 1 United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service National Historic Landmarks Nomination Form 1. NAME AND LOCATION OF PROPERTY Historic Name: Quindaro Townsite Other Name/Site Number: 14WY314 Street and Number (if applicable): Generally bound by 32nd Street, Sloan Avenue, and Missouri-Pacific Railroad City/Town: Kansas City County: Wyandotte State: KS 2. SIGNIFICANCE DATA NHL Criteria: 1 NHL Criteria Exceptions: N/A NHL Theme(s): I. Peopling Places- (3) Migration from outside and within; II. Underground Railroad Resources in the U.S.; and III. Reconstruction-(2) African American Institution Building. Period(s) of Significance: 1857-1945 Significant Person(s) (only Criterion 2): N/A Cultural Affiliation (only Criterion 6): N/A Designer/Creator/Architect/Builder: N/A Historic Contexts: I. Migration from Outside and Within: Indian Removal and Westward Expansion; II. The Underground Railroad/Abolitionism; III. African American Institution Building: Quindaro in the Post- Civil War Era Paperwork Reduction Act Statement. We are collecting this information under the authority of the Historic Sites Act of 1935 (16 U.S.C. 461-467) and 36 CFR part 65. Your response is required to obtain or retain a benefit. We will use the information you provide to evaluate properties nominated as National Historic Landmarks. We may not conduct or sponsor and you are not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. OMB has approved this collection of information and assigned Control No. 1024-0276. Estimated Burden Statement. Public reporting burden is 2 hours for an initial inquiry letter and 344 hours for NPS Form 10-934 (per response), including the time it takes to read, gather and maintain data, review instructions and complete the letter/form. Direct comments regarding this burden estimate, or any aspects of this form, to the Information Collection Clearance Officer, National Park Service, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, Mail Stop 242, Reston, VA 20192. Please do not send your form to this address. NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK NOMINATION NPS Form 10-934 (Rev. 12-2015) OMB Control No. 1024-0276 (Exp. 01/31/2019) QUINDARO TOWNSITE Page 2 United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service National Historic Landmarks Nomination Form 3. WITHHOLDING SENSITIVE INFORMATION Does this nomination contain sensitive information that should be withheld under Section 304 of the National Historic Preservation Act? _X_ Yes ___ No 4. GEOGRAPHICAL DATA 1. Acreage of Property: 70.5 acres 2. Use either Latitude/Longitude Coordinates or the UTM system: Latitude/Longitude Coordinates (enter coordinates to 6 decimal places): Datum if other than WGS84: Latitude: Longitude: A. 39.149136 -94.665011 B. 39.152100 -94.664921 C. 39.153425 -94.664579 D. 39.154278 -94.663732 E. 39.155242 -94.661812 F. 39.154942 -94.659205 G. 39.154709 -94.659642 H. 39.154006 -94.658886 I. 39.152981 -94.655556 J. 39.151767 -94.655556 K. 39.151739 -94.657344 L. 39.151456 -94.659134 M. 39.151357 -94.660810 N. 39.150365 -94.663961 OR UTM References: Zone Easting Northing NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK NOMINATION NPS Form 10-934 (Rev. 12-2015) OMB Control No. 1024-0276 (Exp. 01/31/2019) QUINDARO TOWNSITE Page 3 United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service National Historic Landmarks Nomination Form 3. Verbal Boundary Description: RESTRICTED INFORMATION. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the boundary beings near North 32nd Street and North 32nd Terrace at the location of the southwestern most archaeological dig site. It then continues northward roughly following North 33rd St before curving eastward towards the cemetery. The boundary then veers east, loosely following the existing pipeline corridor to the eastern extent of the existing National Register boundary; thence heading south, continuing to follow the existing National Register Boundary; thence veering west towards the Quindaro Overlook structure and gently curves to terminate at the starting point. 4. Boundary Justification: The boundaries of the Quindaro Townsite were chosen to include areas associated with the original development of the Quindaro Townsite in 1857, subsequent residential expansions, and the development of Western University. This boundary reflects the continued use and occupation of the area during the period of significance. 5. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT AND DISCUSSION INTRODUCTION: SUMMARY STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE The Quindaro Townsite is a 70.5-acre site that encompasses the original town plat for Quindaro, in Wyandotte County, Kansas, listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2002, as well as an area of residential development and a cemetery that convey the continuous occupation of the site beyond the meteoric rise and decline of the commercial center (Figure 2). The town of Quindaro developed almost instantaneously in 1857 on the west bank of the Missouri River in what was then Kansas Territory. European settlers from northern and eastern states collaborated with members of the Wyandot tribe to establish the first Free State river port, providing a strategic location in the struggle to determine the status of Kansas when it entered the Union. The integrated multi-cultural community of residents in Quindaro brought with them strong anti-slavery sentiment as well as an established history of participating in the Underground Railroad. Quindaro experienced exponential growth in the first two years after its founding. Just as quickly as it grew, however, the commercial center declined, although residential occupation of the town held steady. By the end of the Civil War, the commercial center was all but abandoned. Town residents established Freedman’s University, later Western University, with a substantial campus for the education of black residents. When the operation of the school declined in the mid-1940s, the campus transitioned to Douglass Hospital to provide another service that was otherwise lacking for black residents. The initial decline of Quindaro left the commercial core in ruins (Figures 8 and 9). Remnants of only one of the original buildings remain visible above ground. Archeological investigations begun in 1984 identified twenty- one features containing ruins or archeological deposits (Figures 3 and 4). Most of the features were left exposed and are now partially covered. Information gathered from these features supports the theory that Quindaro was occupied continuously into the twentieth century. While the site does not retain sufficient archeological integrity to support its significance under National Historic Landmark Criterion 6, it is nationally significant under National Historic Landmark Criterion 1 for its associations with broad patterns of events that are identified with and have made a significant contribution to United States history. The Quindaro Townsite is an outstanding representation of these patterns from which an understanding and appreciation can be gained. The Quindaro Townsite is eligible under three National Historic Landmark Themes: I. Peopling Places – (3) Migration from outside and within; II. Underground Railroad Resources in the U.S.; and III. Reconstruction – NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK NOMINATION NPS Form 10-934 (Rev. 12-2015) OMB Control No. 1024-0276 (Exp. 01/31/2019) QUINDARO TOWNSITE Page 4 United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service National Historic Landmarks Nomination Form (2) African American Institution Building. The period of significance for the Quindaro Townsite is 1857 to 1945, spanning from the founding of the townsite and its initial occupation, through the development of Freedman’s University/Western University, to the year the University closed and the buildings turned over to Douglass Hospital. While Douglass Hospital was an African American institution, the organization promptly began demolishing buildings that were part of the Western University campus. The national significance of the Quindaro Townsite is in the interconnection of the various groups of people who came together at this location in support of a common