DeWitty, Nebraska
Encyclopedia
DeWitty, later renamed Audacious, was a village in Cherry County
, Nebraska
, United States
. The settlement, which was founded in 1907 and disincorporated
in 1936, was located 10 miles (16.1 km) north and west of Brownlee. DeWitty was Nebraska's "largest and most permanent colony" of African American
homesteaders.
amended the Homestead Act
to provide particularly large allotments of land for settlers in Nebraska's Sand Hills
. This lured a number of African-American families to move to the area. By 1910 twenty-four families filed claim to acres (57 km²) of land in Cherry County. By 1920 185 African Americans claimed acres (160 km²) around DeWitty, a small town named after a local African American business owner.
Clem Deaver was the first African American to file a homestead claim in Cherry County as a "Kinkaider". While working in Seneca
, a railroad town, Deaver went to Valentine
to claim land. There he learned that acres (200 km²) of unclaimed land were available 10 miles (16.1 km) northwest of Brownlee. The tract bordered the North Loup River for almost 15 miles (24 km) in the eastern part of Cherry County. He returned to Seneca and started promoting the land. By 1907 sod house
s of new settlers dotted the land. Within a few years, black Canadian farmers who settled near Overton
in Dawson County
joined the settlement, bringing the population to 66. By 1917, the settlement had 100 families.
During the town's history, it was renamed Audacious. A church was started in 1910 by Reverend O.J. Burchkardt, a missionary of the African Methodist Episcopal Church
in Lincoln
. The town had a post office
, a baseball
team, a barber
, a general store
, and three school district
s for area students. The town cemetery includes almost twenty burial sites. Many of DeWitty's young men served in World War I
and returned after the war.
Droughts and crop failures following World War I
caused DeWitty's families to mortgage their properties. Many lost their claims to bankers, as did small farmers throughout the Great Plains. They discovered that the Plains were not good for subsistence farming. The last resident to leave DeWitty sold his land to neighboring white ranchers in 1936. DeWitty's population trends were similar to those of African-American farming settlements throughout Nebraska. Nonetheless, DeWitty was described as an important contribution to the development of agricultural communities throughout the American West
during the time of the Kinkaid Act.
Cherry County, Nebraska
Cherry County is unusual in being split between two time zones, Mountain Time and Central Time. The lines between the two runs roughly north to south along the eastern third of the county. Cherry County is also the location of the Valentine National Wildlife Refuge, the Fort Niobrara National...
, Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The settlement, which was founded in 1907 and disincorporated
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in 1936, was located 10 miles (16.1 km) north and west of Brownlee. DeWitty was Nebraska's "largest and most permanent colony" of African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
homesteaders.
History
The 1904 Kinkaid ActKinkaid Act
The Kinkaid Act of 1904 is a U.S. statute that amended the 1862 Homestead Act so that one section of a township of undeveloped land could be claimed in 37 northern and western Nebraska counties...
amended the Homestead Act
Homestead Act
A homestead act is one of three United States federal laws that gave an applicant freehold title to an area called a "homestead" – typically 160 acres of undeveloped federal land west of the Mississippi River....
to provide particularly large allotments of land for settlers in Nebraska's Sand Hills
Sand Hills (Nebraska)
The Sand Hills, often written Sandhills, is a region of mixed-grass prairie on grass-stabilized sand dunes in north-central Nebraska, covering just over one quarter of the state...
. This lured a number of African-American families to move to the area. By 1910 twenty-four families filed claim to acres (57 km²) of land in Cherry County. By 1920 185 African Americans claimed acres (160 km²) around DeWitty, a small town named after a local African American business owner.
Clem Deaver was the first African American to file a homestead claim in Cherry County as a "Kinkaider". While working in Seneca
Seneca, Nebraska
Seneca is a village in Thomas County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 51 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Seneca is located at ....
, a railroad town, Deaver went to Valentine
Valentine, Nebraska
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 2,820 people, 1,209 households, and 733 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,401.1 people per square mile . There were 1,373 housing units at an average density of 682.2 per square mile...
to claim land. There he learned that acres (200 km²) of unclaimed land were available 10 miles (16.1 km) northwest of Brownlee. The tract bordered the North Loup River for almost 15 miles (24 km) in the eastern part of Cherry County. He returned to Seneca and started promoting the land. By 1907 sod house
Sod house
The sod house or "soddy" was a corollary to the log cabin during frontier settlement of Canada and the United States. The prairie lacked standard building materials such as wood or stone; however, sod from thickly-rooted prairie grass was abundant...
s of new settlers dotted the land. Within a few years, black Canadian farmers who settled near Overton
Overton, Nebraska
Overton is a village in Dawson County, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Lexington, Nebraska Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 646 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Overton is located at ....
in Dawson County
Dawson County, Nebraska
Dawson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of 2010, the population was 24,326. Its county seat is Lexington.Dawson County is part of the Lexington, Nebraska, Micropolitan Statistical Area....
joined the settlement, bringing the population to 66. By 1917, the settlement had 100 families.
During the town's history, it was renamed Audacious. A church was started in 1910 by Reverend O.J. Burchkardt, a missionary of the African Methodist Episcopal Church
African Methodist Episcopal Church
The African Methodist Episcopal Church, usually called the A.M.E. Church, is a predominantly African American Methodist denomination based in the United States. It was founded by the Rev. Richard Allen in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1816 from several black Methodist congregations in the...
in Lincoln
Lincoln, Nebraska
The City of Lincoln is the capital and the second-most populous city of the US state of Nebraska. Lincoln is also the county seat of Lancaster County and the home of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln's 2010 Census population was 258,379....
. The town had a post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
, a baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
team, a barber
Barber
A barber is someone whose occupation is to cut any type of hair, and to shave or trim the beards of men. The place of work of a barber is generally called a barbershop....
, a general store
General store
A general store, general merchandise store, or village shop is a rural or small town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, sometimes in a small space, where people from the town and surrounding rural areas come to purchase all their general...
, and three school district
School district
School districts are a form of special-purpose district which serves to operate the local public primary and secondary schools.-United States:...
s for area students. The town cemetery includes almost twenty burial sites. Many of DeWitty's young men served in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and returned after the war.
Droughts and crop failures following World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
caused DeWitty's families to mortgage their properties. Many lost their claims to bankers, as did small farmers throughout the Great Plains. They discovered that the Plains were not good for subsistence farming. The last resident to leave DeWitty sold his land to neighboring white ranchers in 1936. DeWitty's population trends were similar to those of African-American farming settlements throughout Nebraska. Nonetheless, DeWitty was described as an important contribution to the development of agricultural communities throughout the American West
Western United States
.The Western United States, commonly referred to as the American West or simply "the West," traditionally refers to the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. Because the U.S. expanded westward after its founding, the meaning of the West has evolved over time...
during the time of the Kinkaid Act.