Each summer, Nicodemus, Kansas hosts a weekend-long “family reunion” for descendants, whose ties to the community remain strong, even if they live out of state. The Western Kansas town with less than 15 full-time residents, was settled by formerly enslaved African Americans at the end of the post-Civil War Reconstruction era. During the last week of July, the town’s population swells to 300, with family members arriving to celebrate the town’s history.
