A quarter section of land a mile and a half south was originally homesteaded by George Washington Carver, an African American scientist who revolutionized agriculture in the South with his discoveries. From sweet potatoes and peanuts alone, he made paint, soap, wallboard, milk substitute, medicines, cosmetics, and some 500 other products. Born in Missouri around 1864, Carver came to Kansas in 1878 seeking an education. He lived first in Fort Scott, and later in Olathe, Paola, and Highland. In 1880 he joined friends to homestead near Minneapolis where he attended high school. In 1886 Carver moved to Ness County. After deciding on the land he wished to homestead, he built a sod house and occupied it while working his claim. Carver eventually left to pursue a college degree in Iowa. In 1896, after he completed his master's degree in agriculture, Carver joined the faculty of Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, where he spent more than 40 years teaching and researching.