List of freedmen's towns explained

A historically African-American municipality, known in various areas as "freedmen's town", "freedom towns", or "all-Black towns", are municipalities which were established by or for a predominantly African-American populace.^[1] Many of these municipalities were established or populated by freed slaves^[2] either during or after the period of legal slavery in the United States in the 19th century.^[3]

In Oklahoma before the end of segregation there existed dozens of these communities as many African-American migrants from the Southeast found a space whereby they could establish municipalities on their own terms.^[4] Chief among them was Edward P. McCabe, who envisioned so large a number of African-Americans settling in the territory that it would become a Black-governed state. In Texas, 357 such "freedom colonies" have been located and verified.^[5]

List

Places marked in italics are no longer populated.

Alabama

• Africatown
• Hobson City

Arizona

• Mobile
• Randolph

Arkansas

• Fargo

California

• Allensworth

Canada

• North Buxton, Ontario

Colorado

• Dearfield

Florida

• Bradenton, Florida
• Eatonville
• Fort Mose
• Freedtown, Florida^{[6] [7]}
• Rosewood^[8]

Georgia

• Chubbtown, Georgia
• Pin Point, Georgia
• Pennick, Georgia
• Oscarville, Georgia

Illinois

• Brooklyn
  • Lakeview New Philadelphia
• Robbins, Illinois

Indiana

• Beech Settlement
• Roberts Settlement
• Lyles Station, Indiana

Kansas

• Nicodemus

Kentucky

• Huntertown^[9]

Louisiana

• Mossville
• Scotlandville

Maine

• Harbor Island

Maryland

• Unionville

Massachusetts

• Parting Ways

Mississippi

• Davis Bend
• Mound Bayou

Missouri

• Kinloch
• Meacham Park
• North Webster
• Pennytown
• Robertson

Nebraska

• DeWitty

New Jersey

• Marshalltown
• Springtown
• Whitesboro
• Lawnside
• Hobbstown

New Mexico

• Blackdom
• Vado

New York

• Eastville, Sag Harbor, New York^[10]
• Freetown, New York^[10]
• Sandy Ground
• Seneca Village
• Weeksville

North Carolina

• Bethania^[11]
  • Hayti James City
• Method, North Carolina, now part of Raleigh
• Princeville
• Roanoke Island Freedmen's Colony
• Oberlin Village, Raleigh, North Carolina

Oklahoma

• Boley
• Brooksville
• Clearview
• Grayson
• IXL
• Langston
• Lima
• Redbird
• Rentie Grove, Tulsa
• Rentiesville
• Summit
• Taft
• Tatums
• Tullahassee
• Vernon
• Greenwood, Tulsa

South Carolina

• Mitchelville
• Promised Land

Tennessee

• Free Hill

Texas

• Barrett Station
• Bear Creek, Texas (Dallas County)
• Douglass Community
• Clarksville Historic District (Austin,TX)
• Deep Ellum, Dallas
• Ellis Alley, San Antonio
• Elm Thicket, Dallas
• Freedmen's Town Historic District, Fourth Ward, Houston^[12]
• Hillcrest, Corpus Christi
• Independence Heights, Houston
• Kendleton
• Little Egypt
• Moore Station
• Mosier Valley
• Pelham, Texas^[13]
• Peyton, Texas^[14]
• Quakertown^[15]
• Saint Johns Colony
• Shankleville
• Sunnyside
• Tamina^[16]
• Tenth Street Historic District, Dallas^[17]

Virginia

• Freedmen's Village, Arlington National Cemetery^[18]
• Pocahontas Island

Further reading

• News: All-black towns across America: Life was hard but full of promise . DeNeen L. . Brown . March 27, 2015 . .

Notes and References

1. Web site: Freedmen's settlements . THAD . SITTON . June 12, 2010 . tshaonline.org.
2. Roberts . Andrea . November 17, 2017 . "A Conversation" and "Portals to Freedom or Researching in Limbo Time" . UTSOA Platform 2017: Convergent Voices . 10.
3. News: All-black towns across America: Life was hard but full of promise . . en . July 17, 2018.
4. Web site: Oklahoma's All-Black Towns This Land Press - Made by You and Me . thislandpress.com . July 17, 2018.
5. Web site: Announcement! Online Black Settlement Atlas, Statewide Survey Goes Live July 12! . Texas Freedom Colonies Project . July 12, 2018 . February 8, 2019 . The team has located and verified the existence of 357 settlements..
6. Web site: Freedtown Historical Marker . History of Pasco County, Florida . August 16, 2018.
7. Web site: Freedtown: The town that vanished in Pasco County . February 7, 2019 .
8. Web site: Rosewood Massacre - Overview, Facts & Legacy . History.com . 2022-02-16.
9. Web site: The Effort to Preserve Huntertown . Spectrum News 1 . August 30, 2021.
10. Book: Goddard, David . Colonizing Southampton: The Transformation of a Long Island Community, 1870-1900 . SUNY Press . 2011 . 48. 9781438437989 .
11. News: Keuffel . Ken . August 17, 2012 . Freedman's Community Moves Toward Recognition . Winston-Salem Journal.
12. Web site: Houston: Freedmen's Town Historic District . Texas Historical Commission . August 16, 2018.
13. Web site: Pelham, TX . Texas State Historical Society . February 23, 2021.
14. Web site: Peyton, TX (Blanco County) . Texas State Historical Society . February 23, 2021.
15. Web site: Quakertown, TX . Texas State Historical Society . June 19, 2021.
16. Web site: Powerful photos from one of Texas' most historic black communities . Mark . Murrmann.
17. Web site: Tenth Street Historic District . City of Dallas . August 16, 2018.
18. News: Holland . Jesse J. . May 20, 2010 . Arlington Graves Cover 'Freedman's Village' . https://web.archive.org/web/20141121082706/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/36651047/ns/us_news-life/t/arlington-graves-cover-freedmans-village . dead . November 21, 2014 . NBC News.