Junius G. Groves was born as a slave in Green County on April 12, 1859. He was the third of seven children born to Martin and Mary Anderson Groves. Life was hard for him, but things changed when he was freed and joined the “Great Exodus” to Kansas in 1879.
Junius went to public school for three months each year but taught himself to read, write, and do math. With just 90 cents, he moved to Edwardsville, Kansas, in 1879 and got married to Matilda E. Stewart in 1880, and they had 14 children.
Junius started work as a sharecropper but soon began buying lands in 1884 and owned about 500 acres in 1905. Junius and Matilda worked hard and built a big 22-room house on their farm.
Junius became famous for growing potatoes. He sold produce all over North America. He also owned a general store, invested in mines and banks, and started several organizations to help Black farmers and businessmen. Booker T. Washington called him “our most successful Negro farmer.”
In 1902, Junius was known as the “Potato King of the World” because he grew 721,500 bushels of potatoes in one year, more than anyone else. By 1915, he was worth $300,000, making him one of the richest Black Americans of his time.
Junius used his success to fight against racism by hiring both Black and white workers to work on his farm and started a community center and a golf course for Black people in Edwardsville.
Junius died of a heart attack at age 66. His funeral was the biggest ever in Edwardsville, and he is believed to be buried near the community center he started.
STORY BY : EUNICE ADJEI