Life after Slavery
Restarting with Reconstruction
After the Civil War, life changed for former slaves. Many took jobs in farm work or housekeeping in the county. People who escaped from slavery years earlier began to return to Nodaway County for work. After the war, Missouri’s Radical Republicans allowed Black children to receive an education. Maryville was the only city in the area that had a school for Black students. The church also played a major role in the lives of Nodaway’s Black population. The African Methodist Episcopal Church in Maryville became one of the most prominent in the area. The church offered a safe gathering space for socialization and bonding. This was essential to forming a strong community.
Click to enlarge map to the right and examine the town in 1893.
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“Plat Book of Nodaway County, Missouri, 1893.” The State Historical Society of Missouri. Digital Collection.
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Education in Nodaway County
Maryville provided the region's only school to African-American students. Formed shortly after the end of slavery, the Douglass School was located at the corner of Water and E. Jenkins Street. By 1870 there were 39 students in attendance at the school. Rather than ignoring the school entirely, some members of the white community raised concerns about the facilities at the Douglass School. In 1871, one of the newspapers reported that the school board paid for a janitor to work at the white schools in the winter months to keep a fire going but this had not been done for the Black school. The article called for more the school board to give more care and attention to the Douglass School.
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By 1925, there were 19 high schools and the 1 Black school, along with 154 rural schools in Nodaway County. Because of low enrollment, limited funding, and difficulties finding a teacher, the Douglass School closed in 1934.
The Maryville Republican, 15 October 1885, pg.5
The Nodaway Democrat, 04 October 1871, pg.1
Nodaway Democrat, 06 September 1871, pg.1
The Maryville Republican, 15 October 1885, pg.5
Scroll through the slideshow to see newspaper articles about the Black school in Maryville; click on the articles to see full images.
The Landscape of Maryville
Unlike some communities that developed racially segregated neighborhoods and business centers, Maryville and Nodaway County as a whole was an inter-mixed community. It was not unusual for Black and white residents to live alongside each other, and Black businesses appeared throughout town. To see a map of African-American businesses and homes in Maryville from 1906, click to see this map.
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However, there were still issues of segregation, racism, and violence. There was a separate Black school until 1934 (learn about that building here). The first Black student did not graduate from Northwest Missouri State University until 1963 (see his story here). And there was a violent lynching of a Black man in 1931 (learn about it here).
Map of African-American businesses and homes in 1906. Prepared by Abigail Cottingham and based on 1906 Maryville City Directory. Click here to see full interactive map.
Life as a Free Woman for Sarah F. S. Graves
The census records taken after Missouri ended slavery shows how the landscape of Nodaway County changed once people became free. By 1900, Sarah Graves and her future husband Joseph, along with their eleven-year-old son Arza, owned their own land. Sarah's mother, Virginia (Jennie), and a boarder lived on the farm with them. Going through the census reveals that their neighbors were all white, but Sarah and her mother were still able to find work as servants. Virginia Barber, who took her second husband's last name once she was free, was the only one in the household who could not read or write. Although Sarah was not able to attend school for long, she - and her husband - both were able to learn to read and write as adults when slavery ended and they were freed.
Year: 1900; Census Place: Monroe, Nodaway, Missouri; Page: 10; Enumeration District: 0113; FHL microfilm: 1240878