March 16: Nicodemus

Day 310

This past Saturday I took a small group of library patrons to the nearby town of Nicodemus. Nicodemus is a neat little community and a VERY historical one. Nicodemus was settled entirely by freed African Americans during Reconstruction. To this day, Nicodemus is an all-black community and it is the only remaining all-black settlement in the United States. Nicodemus is a National Historic Site and a National Park. We drove the hour north to Nicodemus, but in 1877, the first settlers had to walk the 40 or so miles to their destination.

While in Nicodemus, we had a tour with Angela Bates, who is the executive director of the Nicodemus Historical Society and one of the main advocates of the community. Following the tour, Angela served us a catered lunch in her home (Angela also opperates a seasonal business, Ernestine's BBQ, in Nicodemus). Finally, we attended a program on African American hat culture. It was fascinating and beautiful and different than anything I'd ever seen before. Here are some pictures:

This is a cake!

The lady in orange was honored as a "hat diva" for her extensive collection and ability to wear a hat.

Some of these hats were called "showstoppers"

I've never lived in a time when women regularly wear hats in public or to church. Seeing this hat show and listening to the pride these women had in their hats made me want to go out and buy a hat...until I found out how much they cost. These women invest LOTS of money in their hats...sometimes more than $500!

I'm purging another text book today.