Investigations at BRVB have demonstrated
that significant archeological resources can
exist in association with later 20th-century
urban developments. For instance, several
intact historic structural foundations were
found by the north and east sides of the Monroe
Elementary School, and a historic well was
located in the basement of the Monroe Elementary
School. In the case of the Monroe Playground
Field, archeological resources are now known
to exist where there was never any visible
development at all. |
|
Refugees on Levee, 1897. Carroll's Art
Gallery. Library of Congress Prints and
Photographs Division
|
The archeological resources
that exist on the BRVB property tell the
story of the Monroe School neighborhood
and the growth of Topeka from the late-19th-century
into the 20th century. Encompassed in the
history of this neighborhood is the migration
of thousands of African-Americans from a
repressive system with roots deep in the
past, to a place they envisioned with opportunities
and freedoms never available to them before.
Although most Exodusters moved on to other
areas, many stayed in Topeka and made it
their home. Unfortunately, the opportunities
for equality and freedom they had hoped
for in Kansas did not materialize, and again
the African-American community was forced
to struggle under a repressive system of
racial inequality. This is a significant
period in American history that can help
us better understand the dynamics of race
relations at the turn of the 20th century.
Because the working class neighborhood that
preceded the Monroe Elementary School was
previously undocumented, the combination
of archeology and history will continue
to provide a better understanding of the
people, race relations, and historical context
that set the stage for a community to change
a nation.
Urban areas should not be assumed to be
void of archeological deposits or features
simply because none of the historic structures
exist at the present time. As demonstrated
at BRVB, what we see on the surface today
is generally only the end result of numerous
phases of construction and development that
occurred over time. These developments might
not be visible at the present time, but
information about them may be retained in
archeological signatures buried beneath
the surface.
The study of late-19th and early-20th-century
urban, industrial, and African-American
neighborhoods has seen a marked increase
in attention from archeologists and historians.
Other sites in the Midwest Region with potential
to inform about working-class communities
and ethnic minorities include Nicodemus
NHS, Kansas, and Central High School NHS,
Little Rock, Arkansas. The archeological
work conducted at BRVB has produced a wealth
of new information about the late-19th-
and early-20th-century inhabitants of the
Monroe School neighborhood, and like other
archeological projects, has provided new
avenues and questions worthy of further
investigation. Future studies focusing on
the ethnic diversity and variability in
the neighborhood, the effects of technological
change on a community, and consumer behavior
are just a few avenues which may be explored
using the archeological and historical information
gathered at the park.
Because BRVB was established to commemorate
the significance of the court decision that
was instrumental in the American Civil Rights
movement, the primary mission of the park
is to interpret the events surrounding that
period of history. Nevertheless, the 1860s–1926
neighborhood which preceded construction
of the Monroe Elementary School is highly
significant in its own right. In an effort
to avoid what Paul Shackel and others have
labeled “time freezing” or interpreting
one history at the expense of another, several
similar National Park Service units, including
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park and
Fort Smith National Historic Site, have
recently chosen to expand their archeological
and historical interpretations to include
time periods not directly associated with
the period of a park’s historical
significance. The archeological study of
the late-19th- and early-20th-century Monroe
School neighborhood is an important part
of beginning to understand the development
of Topeka and as pretext for the fight for
civil rights action at the Monroe Elementary
School. Brown
v. Board
Introduction >>
Suggested
Readings
Acknowledgements
|