REAL PEOPLE. REAL STORIES.

Benjamin "Pap" Singleton

(1809-1892)

After escaping from slavery, Benjamin Singleton began looking for ways to assist newly freed Blacks in starting a new life. In 1869 he organized the Tennessee Real Estate and Homestead Association, which was meant to assist Blacks in acquiring land to settle on in the South. When this attempt proved unsuccessful, Singleton headed to Kansas in hopes of better opportunities. More than three hundred Black colonists followed him to Cherokee County in 1873.

By 1878 Singleton founded a second colony at Dunlap in Morris County. He also founded the Freedman's Aid Association, which provided important educational opportunities for Blacks. Singleton is credited with bringing thousands of Blacks to Kansas over the years. He also paved the way for the great exoduster movement of 1879.