There isn’t much left of the town of Nicodemus, just a few scattered houses, the township hall, two churches and a school but it has secured a place in history as the oldest and only remaining Black settlement west of the Mississippi River. After the Civil War Black settlers came west from the southern states to farm the land and build the town however when the railroad bypassed the town in 1888 many people moved five miles southwest to Bogue. The town never recovered. There are only about fourteen descendants living in town today. Seventeen descendants still own farmland and five still farm.
The National Park service, which has a minimal presence in the town, uses the township hall as a visitor center. There are a few displays and a short film of the residents recalling their childhoods and the stories told by their parents and grandparents. Visitors may walk the streets to view the exteriors of the historic buildings. If you’re passing by the town stop and visit but don’t drive far out of your way to see it.
Everything is accessible.
RVs can be parked on the street or in the roadside picnic area lot. Nicodemus
39.39328, -99.61469
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