Bradford, Wabaunsee County

Bradford, Wabaunsee County

Deconstructing the Rural Kansas Stereotype: The Story of Bradford, Wabaunsee County,
a Lost Biracial Community, 1890-1941

Bradford, located in Section 23 of Wilmington Township, Wabaunsee County, Kansas, was a small community that tells a unique story of racial coexistence and rural population decline. Black and white residents both called the area home and coexisted in relative peace — taking classes at the same school, worshipping at the same church, shopping at the same businesses, and being buried in the same cemetery. In the 1890s and early 1900s, the community was bustling, but in the decades following, it witnessed closures and consolidations due in part to the increasing use and availability of the automobile. This study is mostly based on interviews with a local historian and publicly available historical society, library, and newspaper archives.

Karl Bauer

Chapman Center for Rural Studies

Fall 2017

Kansas State University

Chapman Center for Rural Studies

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English