Righting a wrong, Wichitans gather to honor Nannie Jones

Eight decades after Nannie Jones died and was buried in an unmarked grave at Maple Grove Cemetery, some Wichitans have stepped forward to honor the African-American woman.

A new tombstone was dedicated Wednesday on the graves of Nannie and her husband, William. And those on hand honored the woman who – when she was denied admittance to a Wichita amusement park in 1908 – sued and won.

“It is such an incredible story of the strength and courage this woman had when everything was stacked against her,” said Pat Hysko, one of 10 people who donated money to have a stone placed on Jones’ unmarked grave.

“I found her story so inspiring,” Hysko said. “She was ahead of her time.”

More than 20 people gathered Wedneday to honor the couple.

Four months ago, the Neighbors edition of The Eagle published a story about Jones – who was born in 1860, before Kansas became a state. She came to Kansas after the Civil War and eventually married and settled in Wichita.

She and her husband had no children and lived in the 900 block of North Water, which at the time was Wichita’s African-American district. William was one of Wichita’s first black detectives.

In June 1908, Jones and a friend had been given free passes to the Wonderland Amusement Park, which was a small island on the Arkansas River near downtown. The island had rides, a swimming pool and even a baseball park.

The park’s assistant director denied the women entrance because they were black.

Jones sued. She won – a victory nearly unheard of in a then-segregated Kansas. A jury awarded Jones $400.

A short story was written in 1909 about the incident in The Wichita Beacon.

Jones’ story was mostly lost to the ages. She died in 1933 and was buried in an unmarked grave in Maple Grove.

Four months ago, The Eagle published her story. Immediately, people began calling, emailing and coming in to the Maple Grove office, said Wilma Moore-Black, executive director of Maple Grove Cemetery. They wanted to donate money for a tombstone.

One of the first people to donate was the Rev. Milton Colbert, pastor of Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church. On Wednesday, he gave the memorial dedication for the couple and pledged support that his church would always place flowers on the Joneses’ graves every Memorial Day.

“We thought it would be fitting for the couple who accomplished the things they did to make it possible for all of us to be together here this morning on this occasion,” Colbert said. “I didn’t think it was fair for them to be lying here without anybody knowing who they are.”

Hysko said, for her, it was important to simply right a wrong.

“It impacted me that the graves of these two people were marked only by orange utility flags,” Hysko said. “That just seemed to be wrong.”

This story was originally published July 20, 2016 at 12:51 PM with the headline "Righting a wrong, Wichitans gather to honor Nannie Jones."