Weston Black
Heritage Mural
Our new Museum Without Walls exhibit honors Weston’s Black history by depicting the agricultural labor of enslaved people—from hemp to tobacco—and recognizing four notable post-emancipation Black residents.
Muralist: José Faus
Location: 400 Block of Blackhawk Street, Weston, Missouri
Funders: Platte County Parks & Recreation and ArtsKC
Thanks to: Weston Historical Museum; Mayor Kim Kirby and the City of Weston Aldermen; Mural Committee members Phyllis Becker, Angela Hagenbach, Sally Gaskill; Jim Norwood and Mark Schroer
Weston Black Heritage Mural: From Slavery to Freedom
In The Fields 1837-1865
Enslaved individuals, originating largely from Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee, provided the labor for hemp, tobacco, and varied row crops in rural Weston. In 1850, forty-five percent of the town's 5,000 inhabitants were enslaved, laboring as field hands, domestic laborers, and skilled builders.
Dinah Wright Robinson, Civic Leader 1817-1895
Born enslaved in Hedgesville, Virginia, Dinah moved to Weston in 1842 with her enslaver. After purchasing her liberty and that of her husband, Thomas Robinson, and their children in 1859, she began acquiring property. In 1867, Robinson purchased Thomas Street Alley—fronting Weston’s School for Colored Children—for the Second Baptist Church, thereby providing safe passage for her community. Her legacy is upheld by her descendants: Angela Hagenbach, founder of the Black Ancestors Awareness Campaign (BAAC), and members Joyce Johnson and Vincent Bell.
Mabel Emery Bell, Educator 1889-1974
Beginning her tenure in 1914, Bell served as the educator for the Mary McLeod Bethune School, formerly the Weston School for Colored Children, a one-room schoolhouse located on Thomas Street Alley. Her career spanned forty years throughout the Jim Crow era, a time when Weston's segregated public schools did not offer education for Black students beyond the eighth grade. She championed Black education and used her own financial resources to prevent the school's closure in 1935. Following her retirement, she moved to Parade Park in Kansas City, Missouri.
George Washington Ellis, Attorney, Diplomat 1875-1919
A native Weston son, Ellis attended Weston’s School for Colored Children through the eighth grade before continuing his education in Atchison, Kansas. He earned a law degree from the University of Kansas. A distinguished author, speaker, and diplomat, Ellis shaped diplomacy as secretary of the American delegation to the Republic of Liberia from 1902-1910. He spent the final decade of his life in Chicago where he established a private legal practice.
Raymond Eugene Dydell, Volunteer Firefighter 1939-1971
A student of Mabel Emery Bell through the eighth grade, Dydell relocated to Kansas City to attend Lincoln High School. He lived with the Bell family in Weston on weekends. Following his high school graduation, he became a dedicated community member, serving as president of the Weston Sports Association and participating in the Jaycees. He ultimately lost his life in the line of duty while serving as a Weston volunteer firefighter.