As a fifth grader on field trip armed with a Kodak box camera, Johnny Black of Gallatin snapped these photos of a vacant farmhouse once profitable due to slave labor. That was the common acknowledgment back in 1971 and now the topic of historical interest.
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These buildings no longer stand. Johnny recalls the location as west off the Kidder Curve but landowner names and other details didn’t register with him as a 10-year-old. Johnny does remember being told about a tunnel between the home and barn, where slaves were hidden whenever Jayhawkers approached both preceding and during the Civil War. The cupola on the home was used as a lookout.
Gallatin R-5 elementary principal Covel Searcy (above right, back to camera) led the field trip. Other details are elusive. If you know anything to add to this tale, we’re interested.