Longfellow in Kansas City in Jackson County, Missouri — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Womontown
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 30, 2024
1. Womontown Marker
Womontown, an intentional women's urban community, was created in the Longfellow Neighborhood by Andrea Nedelsky and Mary Ann Hopper in the late 1980s. Because lesbians endured housing discrimination and homophobic threats to their safety, the couple reached out to lesbians and other women from across the U.S. to come and create a new kind of community. They encouraged women to settle in the neighborhood, purchase homes if possible, and create an environment that would facilitate safety, economic autonomy, and supportive community building. Among these urban pioneers were Beverly Powell and Susan Moreno, the first women of color to join Womontown. By 1995, 75 women purchased and renovated 28 homes and 14 apartment buildings in the area, establishing for many lifelong roots in the neighborhood. At this point the groundwork was established, and outreach was lessened. Womontown continues to resonate in the lives of current and former residents, serves as a model for future neighborhood development, and demonstrates the power of possibilities.
Erected 2024 by The Gay and Lesbian Archive of Mid-America University
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Settlements & Settlers • Women. A significant historical year for this entry is 1995.
Location. 39° 4.603′ N, 94° 34.502′ W. Marker is in Kansas City, Missouri, in Jackson County. It is in Longfellow. It is at the intersection of Charlotte Street and East 27th Terrace, on the right when traveling south on Charlotte Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2729 Charlotte St, Kansas City MO 64109, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the American Midwest, in the Lewis & Clark Corridor, in the Corn Belt, and on the Santa Fe Trail Corridor. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, the Louisiana Purchase, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Thomas Jefferson (Squire) Goforth (approx. 0.3 miles away); George Caleb Bingham (approx. 0.3 miles away);
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 30, 2024
2. Womontown Marker
Also see . . . Womontown. Producer Sandy Woodson shares the story of a group of women in 1980s and 1990s Kansas City who defied gender norms, transforming 14 city blocks in the Longfellow neighborhood into a revolutionary community by and for women. (Sandy Woodson, Kansas City PBS) (Submitted on July 22, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)
Additional keywords. LGBT, LGBTQ, 🏳️🌈, lesbian feminism, separatist feminism
Credits. This page was last revised on March 3, 2026. It was originally submitted on July 22, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 1,552 times since then and 294 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 22, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
