Rachel Bassette Noel was the first African American woman to be elected to public office in the state of Colorado. Born on January 15, 1918 in Hampton, Virginia, Noel earned her bachelor’s degree from Hampton University and her master’s in sociology from Fisk University. In … Read MoreRachel B. Noel (1918-2008)
Lyles Station, Indiana, is a community of African Americans located about five miles west of Princeton, Indiana, in Gibson County. It flourished from about 1880 to 1913, when it boasted an independent, self-sustaining community of about 800 black residents. The roots of Lyles Station began … Read MoreLyles Station, Indiana (ca. 1840- )
Whitesboro, New Jersey was established in 1902 as a town exclusively for African Americans. The idea came in response to increasing white resistance to black residents in Cape May County, New Jersey. The African-American Equitable Industrial Association, founded by Reverend J.W. Fishburn and four other … Read MoreWhitesboro, New Jersey (1902- )
In 1940, Marin City did not exist. During World War II, however, the W.A. Bechtel Company of San Francisco was given the contract to construct transport vessels for the U.S. Navy. It created Marinship, which during World War II built nearly 100 liberty ships and … Read MoreMarin City, California (1942- )
East Palo Alto, California is a town of 28,155 residents (2010 Census), located on the San Francisco Peninsula between San Francisco and San Jose. Originally occupied by the Ohlone nation (1000 BCE-1770s CE), early Spanish settlers called the area Rancho de las Pulgas (or Flea … Read MoreEast Palo Alto, California (1925- )
Weeksville was a nineteenth century free black community located in what is now the Bedford-Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn, New York. It is remembered today as a historic site for its community programs, urban employment opportunities, and the promotion of racial respectability. In 1838, only 11 … Read MoreWeeksville, New York (1838- )
Langston, Oklahoma is one of the few remaining all-black towns located in the former Oklahoma Territory. The town, which opened for settlement on October 22, 1890, was named for John Mercer Langston, who took office as the first black Virginian to serve in the United … Read MoreLangston, Oklahoma (1890- )
In the early 1820s, eleven African American families, some free, some fugitive, crossed the Mississippi River from the slave-state of Missouri to the free state of Illinois to found the first black town in the United States. According to oral tradition, the group was led … Read MoreBrooklyn, Illinois (ca. 1823- )
New Philadelphia, Illinois was one of the most famous of the antebellum all-black towns. Founded by Free Frank McWorter (1777-1854), a former Kentucky slave who purchased his freedom with his own earnings, New Philadelphia, Illinois was the first U. S. town to be registered by … Read MoreNew Philadelphia, Illinois (1836- )
Nicodemus, Kansas, was founded in 1877 at the end of the Reconstruction Period. It soon became one of the most famous mostly black communities in the country, formed by freedpeople migrating west. Nicodemus is located on the plains in the northwest corner of the state … Read MoreNicodemus, Kansas (1877- )
