Historically African-American communities and settlements


Historically African-American communities and settlements, known in various areas as "Freedmen Towns," "Freetowns," "freedom colonies," or "All-Black towns" were established by or for a predominately African-American populace. Many of these municipalities were established or populated by freed slaves either during or after the period of legal slavery in the United States in the 19th century.
In pre-segregation Oklahoma, many African-American migrants from the Southeast found a space whereby they could establish municipalities on their own terms. 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.
Monroe Work's Negro Year Book editions included a listing of "Negro Towns and Settlements in the United States."

List

Places marked in italics are no longer populated. Places marked with * are absorbed into larger cities.

Alabama

California

Colorado

Florida

Georgia

Illinois

New Philadelphia

Indiana

Kansas

Louisiana

Maryland

Massachusetts

Mississippi

Nebraska

New Jersey

New Mexico

New York

North Carolina

Oklahoma

Pennsylvania

Tennessee

  • Boxtown*

Texas

Source:

Virginia

Freedman's Village - Freedman fully evicted by U.S. Army by 1900, now part of Arlington National Cemetery