Steptoe Lives Formed to Commemorate Vanishing
African-American Neighborhood Near Westport

After the Civil War, the Steptoe neighborhood just south of Westport filled up with freed slaves who were allowed to own and rent property in this area. This photo from 1940 shows some of the homes between Summit and Wornall from W. 43^rd to W. 44^th Streets that made up Steptoe. While all but a handful of homes have now been destroyed, a new group called Steptoe Lives is working on ways to commemorate the neighborhood and its rich history.

Learn more about the history of Steptoe HERE.

Although most of the buildings in Midtown Kansas City’s former African American Steptoe neighborhood have been demolished, a newly-formed coalition of groups has come together to keep its memory alive.

The Steptoe Lives coalition is concerned about Steptoe’s vanishing history on the heels of the recent demolition of several more of its homes. The Steptoe neighborhood centered around 43^rd Street Terrace and Pennsylvania Avenue just south of Westport. After the Civil War, it became a unique place in Kansas City where former slaves could live and buy property. A 1925 map of the area show about 80 structures in Steptoe, bounded by Broadway and Summit Street between W. 43^rd and W. 44^th. In addition to modest family homes, the neighborhood included two churches and the Penn School that served its residents.

The late local historian Joelouis Mattox began the effort to gather the legacy of the neighborhood almost two decades ago, and a documentary including interviews with former residents was filmed.

Today, less than a dozen structures remain. They have been replaced by the expansion of St. Luke’s Health Center, the retirement community Bishop Spencer Place, apartment buildings and parking lots. In June 2022, three more Steptoe buildings were demolished to make way for a surface parking lot and a few days later, another home was razed, creating new concern that the physical reminders of the area are being lost.

See HKC Letter HERE.

Steptoe Lives, which includes the Plaza Westport Neighborhood Association, Historic Kansas City, the Westport Presbyterian Church, the St. James Missionary Baptist Church, the Santa Fe Neighborhood Council and other individuals, is made up of people who lived in Steptoe, have ties to it, live in the neighborhood today, and others interested in keeping its memory alive.

Recognizing that there have been multiple attempts over the past several decades to document Steptoe history, Steptoe Lives says it wants to tie up the loose ends in documenting the neighborhood’s history and ensure there are tools to keep Steptoe’s story alive in the future.

Short-term Goals

Steptoe Lives has identified a number of short-term goals including: requesting that the city return W. 43^rd Street Terrace to its original name, Steptoe; replacing markers that once pointed out the former location of the Penn School, the first school west of the Mississippi built for the express purpose of educating Black children; and creating physical historical markers to broaden awareness of Steptoe.

The Kansas City Historic Preservation Office has begun conducting a survey of Steptoe to see if it would qualify as a historic district.

Street Renaming

One of its major accomplishments this past year was the official renaming of W. 43rd Terrace back to Steptoe Street, its original name. The street was designated as Steptoe when the area was platted as part of Westport in 1857, but was changed to W. 43rd Terrace in 1933 when Kansas City standardized some street names. The historical blue tiles are also being added to the sidewalks along the street, another effort to keep the memory of Steptoe alive.

Steptoe Street became the heart of an area settled by formerly enslaved people after the Civil War. By the early 1900s, Steptoe had become a unique family place – a “little island” – physically separated yet still connected to other Black neighborhoods through community events and work. Although most of the homes in Steptoe have been lost to development, Steptoe Lives has been working with former residents to keep the memory of the area alive.

Background:

Ordinance No. 230029 authorizing the renaming of W. 43rd Terrace to Steptoe was introduced and was sponsored by Councilmembers Shields and Bunch. It was approved by the City Council on January 18th renaming this portion of W. 43rd Terrace, from Jefferson to Washington, is not merely an “honorary” designation that can quickly vanish, but an actual renaming of the street, with those changes being made on official maps of the City. Statements of support for the street renaming were provided by the St. James Missionary Baptist Church, Plaza Westport Neighborhood, Parkway Towers, St Luke’s Health System, and Historic Kansas City.

Watch the public hearing HERE. (first 24 minutes)

See Ordinance No. 230029 HERE.

Fox4 interviewed Kennth Stone and Marker Turner about growing up in Steptoe and Amelia McIntyre of Steptoe Lives about efforts to commemorate the neighborhood. Video  HERE. (you will go to the station’s page, and from there you can click on the video to watch it).

Coming Up This Year

Steptoe Lives is working with the city to get historical markers installed as part of the city’s African American Heritage Trail. The group is also working on plans to enhance the Dr. Jeremiah Cameron Park near the northwest corner of Broadway and W. 43rd Street as a memorial to the Penn School, the first school west of the Mississippi entirely devoted to educating the children of ex-slaves, which stood nearby. Funding for both the street renaming and the historic markers came from the City of Kansas City.

Church Founded by Former Slaves Celebrates 152 Year Anniversary

Photo courtesy Kansas City Public Library, Missouri Valley Special Collections.

The group participated in its first event on Sept. 9, when the Westport Presbyterian Church dedicated a mural documenting the history of Steptoe and the Penn School. The mural is located at the rear of the church, 201 Westport Road, on the wall of the Willow Woods Child Development Center.

A 1940 photo of the St. James Missionary Baptist Church at 508 W. 43^rd Street, shortly after it had moved to this new location. The church was founded by former slaves, many of whom lived in the historic Steptoe neighborhood near Westport. Courtesy Kansas City Public Library, Missouri Valley Special Collections.

A church founded by former slaves in Kansas City will celebrate its 152nd anniversary on Sunday, Oct. 16 with an old-fashioned tent meeting.  The St. James Missionary Baptist Church (St. James MBC), 508 W. 43^rd Street, will celebrate its history from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. including a historical reenactment, the story of the church over the decades, and a new effort to keep the memory of the surrounding Steptoe neighborhood alive

St. James MBC, which is on the Kansas City Register of Historic Places,  had its beginnings in cottage prayer meetings of former slaves beginning in the fall of 1870. The first formal church congregation met in temporary quarters at the corner of Archibald and what is now known as Mill Creek Blvd. Brush Creek served as the baptismal pool at that time.

The first church building was erected at Mill and High Streets (40^th Terrace) in 1886. According to the historical register nomination, “This building served the African American community in Westport until 1938, when the neighboring Manor Bakery purchased the building to expand their bakery. The church members purchased property at 43^rd and Washington and also bought the adjoining house at 4224 Washington and held services there until the new church was completed in 1939. “

In 1939, the congregation moved to its current location at 508 West 43rd St. The congregation has continually worshipped at this location since then, except when the sanctuary was under reconstruction. It is the second oldest African American Christian church in Kansas City and the current building has resiliently emerged from two arson fires, rebuilding each time.

Joining church members in the anniversary celebration will be members of the Steptoe Lives coalition, a group of individuals and associations concerned about Steptoe’s vanishing history. Steptoe Lives includes: the Plaza Westport Neighborhood Association, Historic Kansas City, the Westport Presbyterian Church, the Santa Fe Area Council, the St. James MBC Church and other individuals who lived in Steptoe, have ties to it, live in the neighborhood today, and are interested in keeping its memory alive. The Westport Presbyterian Church is serving as a partner in this celebration and has assisted by providing actors for the historical re-enactment. Rev. Scott Myers of Westport Presbyterian will also participate in the service.