[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 143 (Monday, October 21, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S12464]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            HEARTFELT THANKS

 Mrs. FRAHM. Mr. President, I want to take just a moment to 
extend my heartfelt thanks to Chairman Murkowski, Senator Johnston, and 
their respective staffs on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee 
for including the designation of Nicodemus, KS, as a national historic 
site in the omnibus parks bill.
  During the 1870's, Kansas was the scene of a great migration of 
southern blacks seeking their fortune in what some African-American 
leaders described as the ``Promised Land.'' One of the most important 
settlements founded during that time was Nicodemus. From sod 
``burrows'' carved out of the prairie by the original ``colonists,'' 
Nicodemus flourished into a leading center of black culture and society 
through the turn of the century.
  Today, a cluster of five buildings is all that remains of that once 
vibrant community. National historic landmark status has not halted the 
gradual decay of this monument to the struggle of African-Americans for 
freedom and equality. In fact, in its report entitled ``Nicodemus, 
Kansas Special Resource Study,'' the National Park Service indicated 
that ``[i]f Nicodemus is not protected and preserved by a public or 
private entity, it seems inevitable that the historic structures will 
continue to deteriorate and eventually be razed.'' It was that finding 
that prompted Senator Dole's original legislation granting the town of 
Nicodemus, KS, national historic site status.
  Senators Dole and Kassebaum and Representative Roberts pursued 
historic site status for Nicodemus for years. As Kansans, they 
recognized that this little-known oasis of hope for blacks on the long 
road to true emancipation was on the verge of being lost forever to the 
ravages of time. Progress, however, was agonizingly slow. Familiar as I 
was with Nicodemus--it is located in my old Kansas senate district--I 
vowed to continue the fight. Ably assisted by Janet Sena, whom I was 
lucky enough to briefly inherit from Senator Dole, we piggybacked our 
freestanding bill onto the larger omnibus parks package to get it 
through the Senate and succeeded in incorporating it into the 
conference report to assure passage in the House.
  Now, after a long and arduous struggle, the fight is won and we have 
taken the essential step toward saving this unique piece of American 
history. Descendants of the original Nicodemus settlers are convinced 
that historic site status will give the town the prestige necessary to 
raise preservation funds. I agree. For them, and for myself, let me 
once again offer my thanks to all who made the inclusion of Nicodemus 
possible.

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