Kansas MemoryKansas Memory

Kansas Historical SocietyKansas Historical Society

Benjamin "Pap" Singleton - Page

To order images and/or obtain permission to use them commercially, please contact the KSHS Reference Desk at KSHS.reference@ks.gov or 785-272-8681, ext. 117.


For more information see the Copyright and Permission FAQ.

Benjamin "Pap" Singleton was born a slave in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1809. Singleton escaped to Canada to gain his freedom, returning to Tennessee after the end of the Civil War. Seeking a better life for himself and for his fellow emancipated African Americans, he began his efforts to buy land in Tennessee for blacks to farm. His plan failed due to unfair prices set by white landowners. Singleton then looked to Kansas as a potential site for black emigration, organizing the Tennessee Real Estate and Homestead Association with his business partner, Columbus Johnson. This company founded the Dunlap Colony in Morris County and a short-lived settlement in Cherokee County. Although his company did not create many successful colonies, through his advertisements he did help thousands of Exodusters relocate to Kansas, leading to his name as "Father of the Exodus." Singleton also organized a political group called the United Colored Links and later in life he promoted black colonization.

Date: 1880

Bookbag Share Print

Benjamin "Pap" Singleton - 1Benjamin "Pap" Singleton - 2

Benjamin "Pap" Singleton - 1

This image can be incorporated into discussions of emigrant organizations that led Exodusters to Kansas. Also, it demonstrates how former slaves often took the lead in encouraging emigration. This source could be grouped with other images of Singleton, his poster titled "Ho for Kansas!" and sources related to the Dunlap Colony.

KS:7th:3.5:Exodusters (2005)

Item Number: 333
Call Number: B Singleton, Benjamin *2
KSHS Identifier: DaRT ID: 333

Copyright © 2007-2024 - Kansas Historical Society - Contact Us
This website was developed in part with funding provided by the Information Network of Kansas.