On a frigid New Year’s Day morning, community leaders, preservation advocates, and descendants of the port town’s original residents gathered at the Quindaro Ruins Overlook to honor the legacy of those who fought for freedom more than 170 years ago and to renew their commitment to preserving that history for future generations.

The “Gateway to Freedom” event, held Thursday at the overlook on North 27th Street, brought together a group united by a common cause to ensure the Quindaro Ruins site receives the recognition and resources it deserves as one of the most significant historical sites in the pre-Civil War conflict over slavery.

“170 years ago, Quindaro was a gateway to freedom,” said Holly Zane, a member of the Wyandot Nation of Kansas and associate director at Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area. “As you look out over the river, remember that that river is the distance between freedom and slavery.”

Living legacy

The event served as both a remembrance and a call to action. Helen Beteet, president of the board of the Vernon MultiPurpose Center, which hosted the gathering, welcomed attendees then Elder Terrace Henderson opened with a prayer reflecting on 2025’s challenges and asking for “wisdom, understanding, and purpose” in the new year.

Judge Karen Arnold-Burger of the Kansas Court of Appeals and chair of Freedom’s Frontier delivered a sweeping historical overview of the site’s significance. Founded in the mid-1850s by Free State advocates and members of the Wyandot tribe, Quindaro became a crucial port town and Underground Railroad hub on the border of the slave state of Missouri.

“This place carries such importance that we have ignored for years,” Arnold-Burger said, noting that the site was home to the first known emancipation in Kansas in 1860, nearly three years before President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Many of the first Black men to fight in the Civil War as part of the First Colored Infantry were from Quindaro.

Arnold-Burger explained that Quindaro’s strategic importance stemmed from its unique status as the only free port on the Missouri River. Abolitionists who had settled in Lawrence needed supplies to support the Free State cause, but couldn’t use the ports at Leavenworth or Atchison, since both were controlled by pro-slavery forces and barred abolitionist steamboats from landing.

“The only way supplies were getting into Kansas to fight for Kansas to be a free state was through here,” Arnold-Burger said, noting that at one point, 250 steamboats per week were landing at Quindaro.

After federal troops were removed from the South in 1870, tens of thousands of former slaves fled north, with a large number entering Kansas through Quindaro. “That all started here, folks,” Arnold-Burger said. “So much that happened in this country related to freedom happened right here.”

Family histories intertwined

For many in attendance, the preservation of Quindaro is deeply personal. Nakia Hope-Paul, director of the Old Quindaro Museum, is a descendant of Robert Monroe, who escaped slavery in Platte County, Mo., and found freedom in Quindaro.

“My family has been in Quindaro since its inception, really,” Hope-Paul said. She has taken on the mission of preserving and expanding the museum after her uncle Jesse Hope, its founder, passed away suddenly in 2015. “It really does feel like my life calling.”

Hope-Paul shared encouraging news: the museum was recently added to the state historical registry, and the organization plans to launch merchandise sales for fundraising and will be organizing community cleanup events at the cemetery where escaped slaves and their families are buried.

“It is incredibly important that our community come together to help preserve this history,” she said. “It is our mission to tell the stories of those who can’t tell them for themselves anymore.”

Zane’s connection runs equally deep. Her great-great grandparents, members of the Wyandot tribe, were among those who sold land for the abolitionist town. They operated the Wyandot House Hotel and built a tunnel from the Missouri River to safeguard escaped slaves in the hotel’s basement.

As a lawyer, Zane represented the tribe in federal litigation to preserve the Huron Indian Cemetery in KCK. She is now working for the Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area, a congressionally established organization that promotes local history across 41 counties in Kansas and Missouri.

Zane noted that the site’s designation as a National Historic Landmark is awaiting final signature from the Secretary of the Interior. When complete, this can make available more technical assistance, support, and potential funding sources.

Honoring those who fought

The event included a tribute to the late Marvin Robinson, who was a leader among those who saved the ruins area from sale for a landfill and brought attention back to its historic significance. Harold Dwight, Robinson’s brother, reflected on his generosity and commitment to the community, comparing him to Christ in his willingness to give “what he did not have.”

Dwight also drew attention to the disparity in resources devoted to the site. “If they can build a Chiefs stadium, some $4 billion…in just five years,” he said, noting that advocates have been working for nearly 70 years to properly preserve Quindaro. “We need to stay vigilant.”

LaVert Murray Sr., former executive manager and then economic development advisor for the Unified Government and one of the longest-serving advocates for the ruins, shared stories of working with Robinson and Hope to build the overlook structure where the event was held. Despite their internal conflicts, the trio remained united in their mission.

“Marvin and Jesse and I, we fight like cats and dogs,” Murray recalled. “But one thing I always knew was, they always had my back. So we could fight, but they wouldn’t let anyone else fight.”

Murray called attention to an award the overlook project received from the Congressional Black Caucus, beating out Kansas City, Mo., and other Midwestern cities. The trophy sits in the lobby of the UG building, though Murray noted it’s “kind of hidden.”

Zane also memorialized others who dedicated their lives to Quindaro’s preservation, including Quindaro Underground Railroad Museum director Luther Smith, who passed away in June 2025.

Building toward the future

Supporters of the area’s historic preservation are pleased with the progress so far, but hope for even more. That vision includes accessible trails, stabilized ruins, artifact displays, and potentially National Park Service involvement — developments that could bring jobs and tourism to one of Kansas’s most economically disadvantaged neighborhoods.

As jazz musician and teacher America Patton led the group in singing “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” the message was clear: after decades of struggle, the community remains committed to ensuring Quindaro receives its rightful place in American history.