Western University (Kansas)

Quindaro Townsite is a former settlement, then ghost town, and now an archaeological district. It is around North 27th Street and the Missouri Pacific Railroad tracks in Kansas City, Kansas. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 22, 2002. The townsite was purchased and organized in 1856 from and by Wyandots for development as a port-of-entry for Free Staters settling further within the Kansas Territory, with construction starting in 1857. The boomtown population peaked at 600, rapidly settled by migrants. They were supported by the New England Emigrant Aid Company, who were trying to help secure Kansas as a free territory. One of several villages hugging the narrow bank of the Missouri River under the bluffs, the town was established as part of the resistance to stop the westward spread of slavery. Quindaro's people also aided escaped slaves from Missouri as a "station" on the Underground Railroad. After Kansas was established as a free state, there was less unique need for the port and the growth slowed in the commercial district. At the same time the economy in Kansas suffered from over-speculation. In 1862 classes were started for children of former slaves, and in 1865 a group of men chartered Quindaro Freedman's School (later Western University), the first black school west of the Mississippi River. Former slaves continued to gather in the residential community, which became mostly African American by the late 19th century. The area was incorporated into Kansas City in the early 20th century. Western University closed in 1943. The overall town sharply declined with a nationwide economic depression and with the American Civil War. The lower commercial townsite was abandoned and became overgrown. It was rediscovered during archaeological study in the late 1980s, which revealed many aspects of the 1850s town. The only structure surviving from Western University and Quindaro is a full-size statue of abolitionist John Brown. In 1978 the John Brown Memorial Plaza was dedicated. The John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act designated it the Quindaro Townsite National Commemorative Site in 2019, allowing the National Park Service to provide technical and financial assistance for preservation and education.

This is an article about the defunct university in Kansas. For the university sometimes previously known by the same name located across the state line in Missouri, see University of Missouri–Kansas City. For the health sciences university in Kansas City, Missouri, see Kansas City University of Medicine and BiosciencesKansas City University was a private Methodist university in Kansas City, Kansas that was founded in 1896 and that ceased operations in 1933. It was the successor-in-interest to Campbell College in Holton (which in turn had been the successor-in-interest to Lane University in Lecompton). In 1906, newspapers noted that the college president D. S. Stephens spoke in favor of a controversial merger between the United Brethren and Methodist church conferences.The university was based out of Mather Hall, a large brick and mortar building that held the school's library, administrative offices, and numerous classrooms. Today, the building is still standing and is owned by the Central States Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, who use the building as a conference and retreat center.

The Arabia is a side wheeler steamboat that sank in the Missouri River near what today is Kansas City, Kansas, on September 5, 1856. The boat sank after hitting a tree snag submerged in the river, and was rediscovered in 1988 by a team of local researchers. Artifacts recovered from the site are now housed in the Arabia Steamboat Museum.

Pettis Township is an inactive township in Platte County, in the U.S. state of Missouri.Pettis Township was erected in 1839.

Wyandotte High School is a fully accredited public high school located in Kansas City, Kansas, United States. It serves students in grades 9 to 12 and operated by the Kansas City USD 500 school district. The building itself is a historic and notable public building, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. The school principal is Mary Stewart. The mascot is the Bulldog and the school colors are red and white.

The Fairfax Bridge was a truss bridge over the Missouri River that handled southbound U.S. Route 69 (US 69), connecting Interstate 635 (I-635) in Riverside, Missouri with the Seventh Street Trafficway in Fairfax, Kansas. Built by the Kansas City Bridge Company, it was 2,486.5 feet (757.9 m) long and had 13 spans on 15 piers. The bridge has now been removed, with the approach spans being demolished using explosive charges on January 16, 2015, and the main spans on January 24, 2015.

The US 69 Missouri River Bridge is a girder bridge carrying U.S. Route 69 (US 69) over the Missouri River. It connects Interstate 635 (I-635) in Riverside, Missouri with the 7th Street Trafficway and Fairfax District in Kansas City, Kansas. Construction began in the fall of 2014. The bridge opened to automobile traffic in October 2016 and was formally opened to all traffic on March 16, 2017. In addition to automobiles, the bridge also carries bicycle and pedestrian traffic. It replaced the now-demolished Fairfax and Platte Purchase bridges. The bridge was constructed by the Missouri Department of Transportation at cost of $79 million (equivalent to $89 million in 2021). Construction costs were split with the Kansas Department of Transportation.

The Platte Purchase Bridge was a continuous truss bridge over the Missouri River that handled northbound U.S. Route 69, connecting the Seventh Street Trafficway in Fairfax, Kansas with Interstate 635 (Kansas–Missouri) in Riverside, Missouri. Its biggest span was 465.96 feet and it is 2552.19 feet long and had a deck width of 28.31 feet and vertical clearance of 15.02 feet. The bridge was named for the Platte Purchase.

Bishop Ward High School is a private, coed, Roman Catholic high school in Kansas City, Kansas, United States. It is part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas.

Kansas State School for the Blind (KSSB) is a fully accredited public high school located in Kansas City, Kansas, U.S., serving students in grades Pre-K through 12. The school was established in 1867. It is located on 10 acres (40,000 m2) located in downtown Kansas City, Kansas. It opened its doors in May, 1868 and admitted the first five students.

The A. Porter Davis Residence, also known as Castle Rock, is a historic house located at 852 Washington Boulevard in Kansas City, Kansas. The house was built in 1938 for Dr. A. Porter Davis, a prominent African-American physician. Davis began practicing medicine in Kansas City in 1913; as he could speak Spanish, he mainly focused on serving Mexican immigrants at first. In 1920, Davis founded a maternity hospital for unwed African-American women, a badly underserved patient population due to racial segregation. Davis later held several public health positions in Wyandotte County and became president of the National Medical Association in 1953. In addition to his medical career, Davis was one of the first African-Americans to obtain a pilot's license.Architect Raymond J. Buschhusen designed the French Eclectic style house. The two-story house has an "L"-shaped plan and was built from rusticated limestone. A conical tower tops the front entrance, a key feature of the style. The second floor has several projecting wall dormers with steel casement windows.The house was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 18, 2000. It is also listed on the Register of Historic Kansas Places and is a Kansas City, Kansas Historic Landmark.

Sumner Academy of Arts and Science is a nationally ranked magnet school in Kansas City, Kansas which prepares students for high-level academic and creative pursuits. Named for abolitionist Charles Sumner, it started in 1905 during a period of racial tension as a segregated school for black ("Negro") students, which offered vocational training, but emphasized college-preparatory training. Located at 1610 N. 8th Street, the current architecturally significant complex began with its Art Deco core in 1937, but has been repeatedly expanded. The segregated Sumner High School closed in 1978, converting at that time to its present high-challenge magnet program.