23-05-2025
Quindaro Townsite designated as National Historic Landmark
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The National Park Service on Thursday officially designated the Quindaro Townsite in Kansas City, Kansas as a National Historic Landmark.
Quindaro was a short-lived, thriving town and a key stop on the Underground Railroad that helped enslaved people escape to Canada.
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Founded in 1857 by both Black and white abolitionists, the settlement offered a safe haven for formerly enslaved individuals and became a vital point of entry into free territory.
The town later became home to institutions like Western University, the first Black university west of the Mississippi River.
A proposal to build a landfill there in the 1980s led to an investigation of the site and the discovery of multiple buildings' foundations.
In 2019, the Conservation Management and Recreation Act established Quindaro as a national commemorative site.
'This designation is a profound recognition of the generations who lived, struggled, and persevered in Quindaro,' said Lucinda Adams, executive director of Freedom's Frontier National Heritage Area.
'It ensures that this sacred ground is preserved for future generations to learn from and be inspired by.'
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Former , who died last year, long advocated for the site's restoration and development as a national historic landmark for several decades before he won an open House seat in 2022.
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