Church in the Windshield

Church in the Windshield

Treasure at Nicodemus

August 10, 2019

 

The Arrival

It’s about 9:45 Saturday morning; the campers have had breakfast and are getting ready for a day trip to Nicodemus. Our scheduled tour is for 10:30 so we should have plenty of time to get there. Nicodemus is about seven miles west of Lake Webster on highway 24. The travel is uneventful and in a few minutes we find ourselves parked in front of the old township hall where we will meet our tour guides. I have always been intrigued with Nicodemus and have been there a couple of times.

The sign out front bids us welcome and we know that we are about to experience some captivating history. I am excited to get started on the tour, especially if it is free. Free is good, but free does not begin to tell the story of the founders of Nicodemus. A group of freed slaves made their way from Kentucky to Kansas. Kansas, they were told, had great opportunity and a wonderful town that could be developed. There were buildings, sidewalks and plenty of available land to expand on. It could be the first black settlement in Kansas. One by one, folk boarded the train with a new hope and a new dream. One could hear in the minds ear, the “click-clack . . . click-clack” of the train as it rolled along on segmented sections of the ribbons of steal.  Life would be better now. Eventually, the train stopped in Ellis and as people disembarked they asked the conductor, “Where is this place?” The conductor replied, “Its north of here about thirty-five miles, I think.” With that, the conductor signaled the engineer and with a puff of steam and smoke belching from the smoke stack, the train continued down the track.

“Oh well, it’s only a minor set-back, things are going to be better.” With that, each passenger picked up their belongings and step by step headed north over the Kansas plains.

The Treasure

They finally reached the promised-land, a land filled with milk and honey; a land with hotels, houses and sidewalks. But, where are the houses, the hotels . . . and the sidewalks? All they could see was prairie land, jack rabbits and ground hogs. Was this the treasure that was promised to them in Kentucky? None the less, they were free now and they would make the most of it. Land could be purchased, a hundred and sixty acres (a quarter of a section) for the price of five dollars. The freed slaves bought the land and began to develop it. Nicodemus, they called the place, the first black settlement in Kansas. Eventually, some three hundred people made their way from Georgetown Kentucky to Nicodemus. The railroad promised to build a track through Nicodemus which would supply the community with commerce and much needed supplies. Unfortunately, railroad tycoons decided to by-pass Nicodemus and go to Bogue. Some folk returned to Ellis, others went back to Kentucky but, the strong and tenacious stayed and built on their dreams. That first winter was really treacherous; the freed slaves did not realize how cold it could be in Kansas and how brutal the winters could be. Then came the real treasure, people decided they had to work together and get along together . . . each person had value and something to offer. They built homes by digging into the hillsides (dug-outs) and built sod houses; hunted rabbits, raccoons, opossums, and other prairie land animals for food. They killed birds and fished to acquire daily staples. As time passed, the slaves began to use wood from the land to build the houses, the churches and the hotels.

Churches were built because God had been with these people. One of the first churches to be built was the AME (African Methodist Episcopal) Church built in 1885. The doors are long since closed, the singing silenced and the worship but a vague memory of the past. I felt a little saddened as I gazed upon the church and wondered what it would have been like to have attended one of the services or even served there?

A time worn tattered old sign located at the front of the church, echo’s the story and relates the history. The church was originally built with limestone then covered with stucco in the 1940’s. It was a place of worship for a number of the Nicodemus community. I breathed a quiet prayer for the church and gave God thanks for its many years of service, grace and hope. The AME Church is one of the landmarks now of Nicodemus. Another church founded in Nicodemus was the Baptist Church founded in 1878. First Baptist church of Nicodemus started with meeting in a dug out. Nicodemus residents built a new church in 1907 and it was named The First Missionary Baptist Church. The old Baptist Church still stands. It like the old AME Church could not be placed on the National Historical Register because they had deteriorated to the point that they were unsafe for the general public. I still would have liked to looked inside; especially the old AME church. There is just something about churches especially old churches that allow me to sense the spirit and presence of God. Along with that a song comes to mind, “His Name is Wonderful.” Though I won’t try to sing the song, the lyrics go like this:
 

His Name is Wonderful
His Name is Wonderful
His Name is Wonderful
Jesus My Lord

He is the Mighty King
Master of everything
His Name is Wonderful

Jesus My Lord

He’s the Great shepherd
The Rock of All Ages
Almighty God is He

Bow down before Him
Love and adore Him
His Name is Wonderful
Jesus My Lord

As we drove around town, something caught my eye and gave me quite a chuckle. Here is a picture of what I saw. I was not able to find out the story behind the picture but here are some possible captions:

“For airmail; insert coin, turn the handle and wait for the plane.”
 

“If you are reading my newspaper insert coin, turn the handle and read for the number of minutes on the meter.”

After we had the laugh about the parking meter, we traveled to the museum in Stockton, a great museum by the way. But that’s another story for another time.

Meanwhile, we traveled back to Lake Webster and on the way we saw one of those dug out homes, but because of traffic and being on a curve, we could not get a picture. The dug out cut into the side of a hill was adorned with native Kansas lime stone. Certainly, a most interesting exhibit but was on private property and not accessible to the general public.

Pet Encounter

It was the last evening of the campout and everyone was sitting around visiting; an activity we all seem to do well. Some of the campers had pets with them and brought them out to enjoy the festivities. First of all there was Smoky a beautiful gray illusive short tailed (not by his choice) cat. Smoky stayed perched in his camper on top of the sofa and peered out the window. He was always ready to be rewarded for his observation skills. After all, cat scans are expensive these days. Then there was Haley, a shy black short haired dachshund that stayed close to her pet parents. Haley usually chose not to participate in puppy games. Road King was a dark colored chi wawa something mix that was at times, playful and engaging. Then there was Katie. Katie was a beautiful loving outgoing maltipoo which is a miniature poodle maltese mix. Katie loved everybody and thought everybody ought to love her (and I think they did).   Katie always tried to include and engage the other animals to play. She could play all day long, I think, and never get tired. Obviously, she didn’t mind getting her picture taken either.

In some ways, the animals reminded me of church. Smoky reminded me of those on the outside looking in; never getting involved but always watching those that were involved. Haley might represent those that were in church but needed lots of continued encouragement. Road King might represent those that attend and might get involved if they are invited. Katie is so loving and so outgoing that she puts everyone at ease and people just love to be around her. Which one of these wonderful animals might describe you and your relationship to the church?

A nice sunset touch from God’s Art Gallery

For the closing night of the campout!

 From all of us, until next time, stay safe, stay well and enjoy campouts!

Ron & Sheron, drivers behind the windshield

Epilogue: Some of the ideas used in this particular blog, came from the Nicodemus tour guide and from Nicodemus brochures.