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Their sunrises were escaping from American slavery to Canada; they arrived as refugees to make successful lives and careers. Their sunsets were enjoyed as their eyes closed on DeWitty, their successful creation of the largest Black settlement in all of Nebraska.

See our History

In 1855, Sally Bayne arrived in Omaha and is counted as the first free African American to settle in the Nebraska Territory. There were 25 African Americans recorded in the 1860 territorial census. William Walker, a black Canadian, purchased land that year of 1860 in Richardson and Nemaha Counties. The Homestead Act provided another incentive for settlement.

By 1877 federal troops are pulled out of the South; laws segregating blacks from whites are being enacted. Nebraska and other western states were attractive, because there were millions of acres of free land for farmers to claim. Nebraska was known to be a safe haven for Eastern Europeans, Irish, and African Americans, not just tolerant of them.

For Lesson Plan Contact

Avis Roper

retirement1217@gmail.com

Reenactment Great Plains Black History Museum

Reenactment

Contributions

Please support us in keeping the memory of my ancestors alive through Education, Research, and Outreach log on to smile.amazon.com and Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible Amazon Smile purchases. Thank you in advance the Descendants of DeWitty, NE