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This  John Brown statue is one of the oldest statues of John Brown that still stands. Located on the grounds that once belonged to Western University in the Quindaro community of  Kansas City, Kansas, the statue was a statement of pride Quindaro residents had in the area’s connection with John Brown and his cause.The Quindaro community was a pro-abolition sanctuary before the Civil War and later became a prosperous Black community.  In 1911, students at Western University, along with Bishop. Abraham Grant of the Allen Chapel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, raised funds and paid a sculptor in Italy to carve the life-size marble statue of John Brown. Funding and students rapidly decreased during the Great Depression, which caused the closure of the school in 1943. The surrounding neighborhood has fallen, and only a few cornerstones of Western University and the John Brown Statue are all that are left.


John Brown Statue, erected in 1911 by Western University

John Brown Statue, erected in 1911 by Western University

John Brown, around the time he lived in Kansas Territory

John Brown, around the time he lived in Kansas Territory

Cabin owned by John Brown's relatives, where he lived when he moved to Kansas Territory and organized his campaigns. The cabin is now located in the John Brown Memorial Park in Osawatomie.

Cabin owned by John Brown's relatives, where he lived when he moved to Kansas Territory and organized his campaigns. The cabin is now located in the John Brown Memorial Park in Osawatomie.

"Tragic Prelude" a painting by artist John Steuart Curry depicting John Brown at the center of the Bleeding Kansas clashes

"Tragic Prelude" a painting by artist John Steuart Curry depicting John Brown at the center of the Bleeding Kansas clashes

An anti-slavery meeting scheduled for December 2, 1859, the day John Brown would be executed

An anti-slavery meeting scheduled for December 2, 1859, the day John Brown would be executed

Sketch of John Brown riding on his coffin on the way to his execution

Sketch of John Brown riding on his coffin on the way to his execution

Kansas Tourism

Sky, Pedestal, Sculpture, Statue

Sky, Pedestal, Sculpture, Statue

Plant, Sky, Pedestal, Sculpture

The Statue was the first monument in the United States to be raised to the controversial figure. Given the existing political climate, it was a project that was both courageous and defiant; “Jim Crow” laws were being passed in many states, violence against blacks was on the rise, and in 1910, Kansas City, Kansas had elected an avowed segregationist, J.E. “Cap” Porter, as mayor. [1] The plan to build the monument began in 1909. The main sponsor was Bishop Abraham Grant of the AME Church, who was helped by Dr. S.H. Thompson and I.F. Bradley, who were two prominent figures in the African-American Community in Kansas City, Kansas, and the students of Western University. A total of $2,000 was raised and they labeled them as “the washwoman’s contribution.” The money that was raised also came from packing house workers, teachers, and businessmen. People of all different racial backgrounds donated toward the memorial statue. When the money was raised for the statue, they hired an Italian sculptor to carve the life-size statue of John Brown. The sculptor produced the bearded figure of John Brown on a tall base, clothed in a great coat with a facsimile of the Emancipation Proclamation rolled up in his right hand. At the base of the statue, there is an inscription that reads, “ Erected to the memory of John Brown by a grateful people.” [1]

The statue was placed directly in front of Ward Hall and unveiled at the commencement of classes on June 8, 1911. Unfortunately, Bishop Grant did not witness the completion of his project. He died last winter. About three thousand people gathered around the grounds of Western University in front of the statue to witness the unveiling. Amongst the people that were present, there was a great deal of white people. The dedication ceremony was considered a strong symbol of unity. 

Amongst the people who were present was the Kansas governor during the exodus John P. St. John. He was known for his work in finding solutions for the issues of the Exodusters in his time and was almost as controversial as John Brown [1] Over time Western University declined and so did the town of Quindaro. Only a couple of residential buildings from the original Quindaro town still stand, the John Brown statue is one of them. Over time, the statue suffered damage. In the most recent attack, vandals broke off some of the statue's fingers and the scroll with the Emancipation Proclamation was stolen, they defaced the statue by drawing swastikas and other racist symbols on the statue. No one knows why this event happened but it could be driven by historical controversy, racial tensions, political statements, ignorance, or miseducation.

  1. Km C554E-20200723110822 - Wyandotte County, Kansas, www.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/planning-amp-urban-design/documents/1984-3-01_quindaro-and-western-university-historic-district.pdf. Accessed 12 Dec. 2023. 
  2. Greenstein, Melissa. “Slavery Opponent John Brown’s Statue Hit Again by Vandals.” KSHB 41 Kansas City News, KSHB 41 Kansas City News, 20 Nov. 2019, www.kshb.com/news/local-news/slavery-opponent-john-browns-statue-hit-again-by-vandals. 

Image Sources(Click to expand)

Kansas City Lens: https://kansascitylens.wordpress.com/2011/08/26/john-brown-statue-at-western-university/

https://www.kansasmemory.org/item/455

https://www.kansasmemory.org/item/306065

https://civilwaronthewesternborder.org/islandora/object/civilwar%253A1291

https://www.kansasmemory.org/item/90549

https://www.kansasmemory.org/item/208737

The statue of John Brown, erected on the former campus of Western University.