Homestead of a Genius

The plaque passes quickly over Highland. Carver was accepted at Highland University, but when he arrived the school refused to let him attend because of his race. In August 1886 he traveled by wagon with J. F. Beeler from Highland to Eden Township in Ness County and took his claim near the place that became Beeler. He plowed 17 acres by hand, kept a small conservatory of plants and a geological collection, and worked as a ranch hand. Early in 1888 he borrowed $300 from the Bank of Ness City for schooling, and by June he was gone.

What the plaque says

Homestead of a Genius A mile and a half south is a quarter section of land originally homesteaded by George Washington Carver. An African American and one of America's great scientists, Carver revolutionized agriculture in the South with his discoveries. From sweet potatoes and peanuts alone, he made paint, soap, wallboard, milk substitute, medicines, cosmetics, and some 500 other products. Born in Missouri around 1864, Carver came to Kansas in 1878 seeking an education. He lived first in Fort Scott, and later in Olathe, Paola, and Highland. In 1880 he joined friends to homestead near Minneapolis where he attended high school. In 1886 Carver moved to Ness County. After deciding on the land that he wished to homestead, he built a sod house and occupied it while working his claim. Carver eventually left to pursue a college degree in Iowa. In 1896 after he completed his master's degree in agri- culture, Carver joined the faculty of Tuskegee Institute in Alabama where he spent more than 40 years teaching and researching. Erected by Kansas State Historical Society & Kansas Department of Transportation

Where it stands