[citation needed] Following the Civil War, newly freed slaves in the South enjoyed their time as free citizens.

Having knowledge that Kansas was famous for John Brown's efforts and its struggle against slavery he chose it as the place he would lead his people, treating it as a type of “promised land”.

Singleton continued to support this effort by traveling across the South organizing groups of people to colonize in Kansas.

His mission to free slaves never stopped and during the 1870s, he led a group of African Americans to Kansas.

Here he formed Singleton's Colony which consisted of 200 black families and was situated on 7,500 acres of land.

Singleton, however, encouraged only independent blacks to move to Kansas and was against the highly educated “political” ones as he wanted men that worked.

He distributed posters and flyers boasting; “Sunny Kansas”, “one of the finest countries for a poor man in the world”, “plenty of stone and water, and wood on the streams”, and “large tracts of land, peaceful homes, and firesides, undisturbed by anyone”.

Between 1877 and 1879, hundreds followed him to Kansas, some settling in Wyandotte, others in “Singleton’s Colony”, near Topeka, and finally in Dunlap.

These communities went to the state government for help in this, which resulted in the Kansas Freedmen's Relief Association in 1879.

This gave those with little resources the ability to improve their quality of life and be a vital part of their communities.

[citation needed] After Singleton's death, the community continued to grow through the beginning of the 20th century.

[citation needed] Now after its founding, and after Singleton brought large numbers of Exodusters to Dunlap and its surrounding areas.

At the turn of the century, Dunlap was home to hundreds of citizens and served as a major shipping port for the surrounding counties, Morris, Lyon, and Chase.

During its heyday, Dunlap was home to a blacksmith, the Guarantee State Bank, Baptist, Congregational and Methodist churches an ice cream lounge, a dairy factory producing cheese and butter, a hotel, and a flour mill.

However, with racism still being present some store owners wouldn't let African Americans into their businesses and were forced to run their own.

This segregation eventually fell away as Dunlap integrated stores and schools far before the rest of the country.

All these factors lead to the abandonment of small farming communities across the country, resulting in the ghost town.

Hundreds left to find a better life, many going to Kansas City, Council Grove, and other larger communities.

[citation needed] The post office finally closed its doors in 1988 marking the end of Dunlap.

Dunlap's Colored Cemetery was built in response to segregation and the prejudice against the Exoduster community.

The Cemetery was officially added for its association with the Exoduster's Movement and to “Pap” Singleton the Father of the Exodus.

[11] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.23 square miles (0.60 km2), all land.

[13] The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters.

[16] The 2016-2020 5-year American Community Survey estimates show that the median household income was $53,438 (with a margin of error of +/- $30,379).