Quindaro Townsite National Commemorative Site Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5613) to designate the Quindaro Townsite in Kansas City, Kansas, as a National Historic Landmark, and for other purposes, as amended.

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Mr. Speaker, the Quindaro Townsite in Kansas City preserves an important piece of our past whose history should be known by all. The site preserves the ruins of a frontier town on the Missouri River, founded in 1857 as a free-state port of entry during the Kansas Territory's fight over the question of slavery. The town's diverse inhabitants were antislavery and included Americans of European and African American descent, as well as members of the Wyandot Tribe.

The Quindaro area was the location of an African American refugee settlement that began during the Civil War and grew into a prominent African American community. It was also the site of the Freedman's University and its successor institution, Western University, the first Black university in Kansas.

The Quindaro Townsite is on the National Register of Historic Places and, importantly, has been designated as part of the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. Quindaro's early residents assisted fugitive slaves escaping across the Missouri River to freedom.

Supporters of Quindaro have long sought elevated status and recognition for the site. H.R. 5613 designates Quindaro Townsite as a national commemorative site. This establishes the townsite as an affiliated area of the National Park System and authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to offer technical assistance and support to Quindaro.

I want to compliment my colleague, Mr. Yoder, for bringing this matter to the attention of the Congress and for the work he has done to ensure that this site receives national recognition.

Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her kind comments.

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Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I would again like to say what a great pleasure it has been for me to work with Ms. Bordallo and the members of the Natural Resources Committee. It truly does work in a bipartisan manner, most of the time. And it is no coincidence that, most of the time, it is productive work.

Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the measure, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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