Richard Allen Cultural Center & Museum

Named for the founder of the United States' first African Methodist Episcopal Church and housed in the former home of World War I Buffalo Soldier Captain William Bly, the Richard Allen Cultural Center (RACC) opened in 1992 to highlight the African-American history of Leavenworth. It is located across the street from the Bethel A.M.E. Church, an important piece of the local Underground Railroad. The home is decorated to look as it would have around the turn of the century, and an addition to the front of the home added in 2002 displays more artifacts of early African-American history in Kansas. In addition to this look into early Leavenworth history, the cultural center also provides local services, including tutoring for children provided by ROCKS, a professional development organization that supports the advancement of African-American members of the military.

This building is the former home of U.S. Army Captain William Bly, a Buffalo Soldier during World War I. Buffalo Soldiers like Bly, who might have gained their team's nickname from their dark, curly hair, had duties from standard military operations to protecting moving settlers and resolving conflicts between ranchers and farmers. The home was deeded to the nearby Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in 1991, and the Richard Allen Cultural Center and Museum opened on the property the following year.

The museum offers a look into African Americans' local history and lives, especially in the early decades of the twentieth century. The furniture and decorations inside the home are similar to how they would have appeared when Captain Bly lived here in the 1910s and after his service in the 1920s. Other items in the collections include the Black Dignity Photos from the Mary Everhard Collection, negative prints of local African-American pioneers who lived in the Leavenworth area in the 1870s to 1920s. There are also military artifacts from notable local soldiers who served on Fort Leavenworth, such as Colin Powell, a bust of the Buffalo Soldiers' only female member, Cathay Williams, and the more frightening KKK memorabilia speaking to the history of racism in the Leavenworth area. An addition to the building, built in 2002, offers office and tutoring space. This part of the building is used today by tutors from ROCKS, an organization that helps support the advancement of African-American military officers. Members of ROCKS tutor local children of all races and backgrounds.

Richard Allen Museum, Richard Allen Cultural Center and Museum. Accessed September 10th, 2023. https://www.raccm.org/museum.

Richard Allen Cultural Center and Museum. Accessed September 10th, 2023. https://www.richardallenculturalcenter.org/.

Richard Allen Cultural Center And Museum, Visit Leavenworth. Accessed September 10th, 2023. https://www.visitleavenworthks.com/visitors/page/richard-allen-cultural-center-and-museum.

Richard Allen Cultural Center, Wikipedia. Accessed September 10th, 2023. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Allen_Cultural_Center.

Richter, Charlotte. Local Black history highlighted at Richard Allen Cultural Center, Fort Leavenworth Lamp. May 6th, 2022. Accessed September 10th, 2023. http://web.archive.org/web/20221031200355/https://www.ftleavenworthlamp.com/2022/02/10/local-black-history-highlighted-at-richard-allen-cultural-center/.

Barthell, Frank. Fighting for survival: Black regiments honored at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas Reflector. July 31st, 2023. Accessed September 10th, 2023. https://kansasreflector.com/2023/07/31/fighting-for-survival-black-regiments-honored-at-fort-leavenworth/.