A publication of the Howard County Historical Society Volume 9, Issue 3 August 2020 The Rose of Howard County

Also inside: Welcome to new Executive Director Catherine Hughes

115359_August_2020.indd 1 8/17/20 10:55 AM From the Director August 2020 Survival in the time of COVID AASLH Statement of ‌feel both privileged and challenged to have been hired as Community Support executive director this spring. The entire world is reeling from 3 Ithe effects of the coronavirus, including museums. Museum and historical society leaders are searching for the best path forward. Virtual discussions abound across the globe to help Museum re-opening is a organizations navigate many issues, like health & safety proto- sign of the times cols. Museums large and small must consider how they can 4 get creative, change and adapt in order to survive without field trips and blockbuster exhibit openings, including this organiza- New Executive Director tion. How do we transform how we do business? It may be that some changes can in fact be good ones. Adapting and evolving eager to learn, share are necessary for any healthy organization. experiences My personal challenge is to understand how things have 5 been done in the past at HCHS, in order to know what we should try to keep, and what we can let go. This transitional moment, as a new leader in a pandemic, is an opportunity to County Historian: Historic imagine anew, examine what we do and who we are, while Preservation Part II building on the Historical Society’s relevance and value in the 8 community. What has not changed is the need to be a viable, fiscally-sound organization that can raise funds. A Special Day for Years ago, I developed a 4-point rubric for best practices for programming at the Atlanta History Center and it continues Douglass School to guide my thinking more broadly. When considering what an 11 historical society does, specifically the HCHS, I am guided by these questions: Does it invite participation? Does it touch visi- Sharon A. Reed: tors’ emotions? Is it thought-provoking? Does it show history from multiple perspectives? President’s Perspective These questions are not merely esoteric or rhetorical. They 12 get to the heart of the pursuit of historical knowledge and think- ing. Contrasting and comparing our current day with those Visit with Volunteers: The past, connecting to the achievements or struggles of historic HCHS Heroes! figures, and seeing events from a new vantage point can be thought-provoking and emotional. Answering these ques- 13 tions concretely can help produce better outcomes, programs, events, and exhibits. If the community feels empowered to Mrs. Aliff Henley: The participate in the work of the HCHS, if they care enough to Rose of Howard County support what we do and they feel it is important and effective, 14 and represents them, I believe we have a path forward for our survival. I am excited about this issue of Footprints, my first! Its focus AmazonSmile Support; of African-American history is vital, even imperative. Gil Porter’s Upcoming Events research into African-American pioneers in Howard County has 22 been thrilling to uncover. If I have not met you yet, please reach out and introduce yourself. Sincerely, Copyright 2020 Catherine Howard County Historical Society

115359_August_2020.indd 2 8/17/20 10:55 AM Statement of Community Support

n June 16, 2020, the Board of Trustees for the Howard County Historical Society O(HCHS) voted to put forth the following statement. As a member of the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH), Howard County Historical Society expresses solidarity with the words and guidance recently issued by this national organization to support our community and provide opportunities to overcome local and national division. A statement from the American Association for State and Local History (June 2, 2020) The past few days have provided crushing reminders of how the nation still struggles with violence and racism born in the past and harbored in the present. Even as we experience economic, social, and political upheaval due to a new foe, the COVID-19 virus, and are learn- ing new ways to live and operate our institutions, we have not escaped legacies of inequality and violence. We must confront them, using our knowledge of the past to address the problems of today. The American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) acknowledges the emotional and psychological impact that the recent killings and the daily experience of racism have on African Americans and others in our communities. AASLH endorses the words of historian and Smithso- nian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch in expressing “deepest sympathy to the families and communities of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, and the far too many preced- ing them whose needless deaths were brought about by unjustified violence.” Like the Secretary, AASLH believes that “History is a guide to a better future and demonstrates that we can become a better society—but only if we collectively demand it from each other and from the institutions responsible for administering justice.” AASLH calls on its members to redouble their efforts to preserve and interpret history that chal- lenges assumptions, that uses evidence to trace continuities and mark changes, and that helps us to understand causation, especially in this core American story of racism and the struggle for justice. History organizations have a duty to address contemporary issues and can offer examples of historical resilience and creativity of people rising to meet challenges in the past. AASLH also calls on all history organizations, from museums to historic sites to historical societies, to embrace their roles as members of their local communities, and offer civic spaces, where people come together for conversations that can help overcome local and national division.

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115359_August_2020.indd 3 8/17/20 10:55 AM Re-opening is a sign of the times by Dean J. Despinoy tures taken upon entering the foyer. As long as the reading is 100 degrees or HCHS Publications Committee Member lower, the person will be allowed access. Tickets can now be purchased online as ‌masked Elwood Haynes is the first well as at the door for $10. Guests must thing visitors now see as they enter comply with social distancing and the A the mansion. maximum number of guests allowed in the Elwood’s likeness is the perfect exam- mansion at one time is 30. This requires ple of the change COVID-19 has brought our hosts to keep close track of the to our little corner of history. people self-touring and restrict Although COVID initially closed access of new ones if necessary. the mansion, our new exec- Extra cleaning of commonly utive director, Dr. Catherine touched surfaces also takes Hughes, has worked closely place throughout the time the with the entire staff to make mansion is open. sure that the Howard County While a self-guided tour Historical Society has might pale in comparison complied with all State and to one of our host’s guided Center for Disease Control tours, the addition of a virtual mandates to open. guided tour, now live, adds The primary goal is to keep another layer of experience that our guests, volunteers and staff will interest visitors. Guests with safe while still allowing guests to any style smart phone can acti- enjoy the displays as they tour the vate this tour by scanning QR codes mansion. Once all the procedures were displayed in each room. clarified, the next step was to ensure that Utilizing the OnCell platform, staff can our volunteer hosts understood and were change the program to accommodate new comfortable with their modified role. Jill displays or updates to historical facts. In Snyder, who is in charge of volunteers addition, Heather Fouts recently completed and membership did an excellent job in a virtual Art Tour using QR codes. Both orienting our volunteer hosts to their new virtual tours are available to everyone as duties. Unfortunately, circumstances no they tour the mansion. longer allow them to give personal tours We hope that these new procedures and of the mansion, so their new responsibili- systems will result in guests returning to ties include making sure our guests totally the mansion and learning about Seiberling understand the procedures for self-touring Mansion’s rich history, as well as interest- the mansion. ing facts and artifacts from Howard County These new procedures include the history. Flexibility is going to be key in requirement that all host volunteers and maximizing opportunity, today and in the guests wear a face covering. To help near future. We all know that conditions facilitate this requirement, masks can could change quickly and Dr. Hughes and be purchased for $1 in the foyer of the HCHS President Sharon Reed are well mansion. Guests have their tempera- poised to ensure our success. 4

115359_August_2020.indd 4 8/17/20 10:55 AM Guests at a July Open House included, from left, local history writer Gil Porter, County Historian Jon Russell, Kokomo Mayor Tyler Moore, Catherine Hughes, HCHS President Sharon Reed, and Debbi Springer, public relations coordinator for the Kokomo Rescue Mission. (Linda Ferries for the Howard County Historical Society) Catherine Hughes: Eager to learn, eager to share experiences By Linda Ferries latest position in her impressive career is HCHS Publications Committee interesting; the why includes recognition of the value she sees in HCHS’s organization er resumé is impressive – 20 years and its mission. of experience in education, interpre- When executive director, and long-time Htation, museum theater, and evalu- board member, Dave Broman announced ation; author of a book as well as author his intention to retire in January, the search and editor of numerous academic and committee formed by the HCHS Board of professional publications and book chap- Trustees threw a net far and wide, shar- ters; university instructor and international ing the opening locally and through state conference speaker and panelist; interna- and national museum and history organi- tional museum consultant; Ph.D.; success- zations. A number of impressive applicants ful grant-writer, actor and innovator. She’s came forward; Catherine Hughes quickly been interviewed for radio, newspapers, rose to the top. and podcasts and honored with scholar- Sharon Reed, president of the HCHS ships, academic accolades, and awards Board of Trustees and a member of the from national history and museum organi- search committee, expressed the enthusi- zations. asm shared when Catherine accepted the And, as of May 19, 2020, the title “exec- position. utive director of the Howard County Histor- “We are very pleased to welcome Dr. ical Society” follows designations she Hughes to Howard County and to our has fulfilled at the Museum of Science historical society,” Sharon said. “She in Boston, The Science Museum in brings a depth of experience and a great London, the Atlanta History Center, and, network of resources built through her most recently, the Conner Prairie history diverse assignments throughout the United museum here in Indiana. States and beyond. How Catherine Hughes came to this “Dr. Hughes’ commitment in working to 5

115359_August_2020.indd 5 8/17/20 10:55 AM enrich the museum experience for all audi- the museum world that is being challenged ences will be a great asset to our organiza- to survive.” (See Dr. Hughes’ column for tion,” Sharon continued. “We look forward more on this.) to new ideas and new approaches to build Why HCHS? on the society’s growth in professionalism An important answer to the question of and quality over the last 30 years.” why she accepted the position was found For Catherine, the job is an opportunity as she researched the organization. to learn as well as share her experiences “The values expressed in the HCHS with a new organization. mission statement and long-range plan “I’m on a huge learning curve in terms really appealed to me,” Catherine said, of serving in this broadly focused position,” “especially the society’s commitment to she said. “I’ve served in many different reaching out to all parts of the community positions in my career, and worked with and broadly sharing its history.” An exam- all areas of a museum, but an executive ple of this was in the research published director has to be a ‘jack of all trades.’ I’m in Footprints during the Howard County’s excited about the new challenges here.” 175th anniversary year delving into the experiences and influence of the Miami peoples who lived here before the found- hy HCHS? “The values expressed ing of the county. Hughes also noted the Win the HCHS renewed commitment to share the history mission statement of Howard County’s African-American community. and long-range plan Catherine is a native New Englander, really appealed to born in Boston, who moved with her family me, especially the to Rockville, Maryland, outside Wash- society’s commit- ington, D.C., and then Lancaster, Ohio, where she attended high school. In the ment to reaching years following her graduation from Emer- out to all parts of son College, she lived in the Boston area the community and and began her career in museums at the broadly sharing its history.” Museum of Science. “There I was involved with science education, and one of the things we did with theatre was to show that She is spending her first few months science was more than white men in lab getting to know the staff and volunteers. coats,” she said. “Women are scientists; “I want to soak up everything and really people of color are scientists. We were understand what’s happening now, what’s trying to change the face of science and happened in the past, and what we might open it up to everyone.” do in the future,” she said. “Of course, She moved back to Ohio with her COVID-19 is providing the most challeng- toddler daughter to pursue a Ph.D. in ing time in my career and we are busy Education at the Ohio State University. finding new ways to reach the community Their next big move was to Atlanta, Geor- and raise the money needed to keep the gia, where Catherine says her education organization going. I am not daunted. I just into African-American history began. wish I had more answers. We are part of At the Atlanta History Center, Catherine 6

115359_August_2020.indd 6 8/17/20 10:55 AM led the Meet the Past project, credited with & Local History’s Leadership in History transforming interpretation methods and Award.” programming to diversify audiences and As part of the presentation of the play increase attendance. Creating immersive, More Light: Douglass Returns by Celeste participatory experiences using theatrical Williams, Catherine initiated Conner Prai- techniques, she oversaw development of rie’s participation in One Million Abolition- the school program Fight for Your Rights ists, a program of the Frederick Douglass that was recognized with the 2012 Amer- Family Initiative. She invited founder ican Association for State & Local History Kenneth B. Morris Jr., a great-great-great Leadership in History Award of Merit. She grandson of the famous abolitionist, to also produced a ground-breaking public speak at Conner Prairie in 2018 and see program titled Four Days of Fury: Atlanta the play about his ancestor. From this 1906 by the playwright Addae Moon. This event, Morris was invited to be the 2019 performance piece explored a race riot keynote speaker in Kokomo for “Doing that happened in 1906 Atlanta, an event the Dream,” an annual project of Ivy Tech that had been “successfully wiped from the Community College honoring the legacy of city’s memory.” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “It didn’t matter if you were a native Atlantan, Black or White, you generally hadn’t heard of it,” Dr. Hughes said. The ‌‌am inspired by museums as story of the riot, in which White mobs killed “Iplaces for ah-ha moments, when dozens of Black residents, was uncovered suddenly someone comes to an idea through the persistence of a few historians. The play explored the causes of the riot for the first time, or from a new vantage and its aftermath. point.” “Audience members moved through eight scenes staged throughout a Judy Brown, a former HCHS board pres- 6,000-square-foot exhibit space in the ident who served as chair of the executive History Center, taking on roles, often director search committee, said she was across race ,” she said. “This was followed most impressed by Dr. Hughes’ under- by a half-hour facilitated discussion on standing of audiences and her commit- race and the experience of the play. It was ment to engaging the community through an exciting and gratifying project because museum programming and activities. people were really motivated to talk.” Catherine describes her philosophy this Catherine carried that experience into way: “I am inspired by museums as places her work at Conner Prairie as director for ah-ha moments, when suddenly some- of interpretation. She led research and one comes to an idea for the first time, or programming related to the Roberts Settle- from a new vantage point. It is this moment ment in Hamilton County, one of Indiana’s of recognition, or curiosity or disturbance, early Black pioneer communities. She that is so exciting for any of us in muse- created Conner Prairie’s Giving Voice: ums. My work has allowed me to witness African-American Presence in Indiana’s such moments, and to appreciate their History,” a partnership with Asante Chil- significance. They reveal the potential we dren’s Theatre, which was recognized with all have for change and growth.” the 2019 American Association for State 7

115359_August_2020.indd 7 8/17/20 10:55 AM A Comfortable Place in a Time of Discomfort

By Jonathan Russell Howard County Historian

“Old places speak to that need for belong- ing in a way that little else can because they give us the chance to feel a connec- tion to the broad community of human experience, a community that exists across time.” Thompson M. Mayes*

e all want to feel connected. It is a simple human truth. While the Wfield of Historic Preservation has always understood the power of place, it has not always considered the impact of its work on all groups of people. In fact, in this era of activism, “Historic Preservation” may not be the first idea that comes to mind. In another sense, however, it has been one of the longest-running and most successful activist movements: fight- ing to preserve against forces of progress, which have not necessarily been progres- sive. It began in 1850, with the resto- ration of Washington’s Headquarters in Newburgh, New York. Since those early days, thousands of structures and lands have been preserved by people willing to advocate on their behalf. With time, we have come to ask ourselves about who these activists were,

* Thompson M. Mayes: “WHY OLD PLACES MATTER, How Historic Places Affect Our Identity and Well-Being”, Image Courtesy Greater Kokomo Visitors Bureau Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2018. 8

115359_August_2020.indd 8 8/17/20 10:55 AM and for whom they were preserving these success, and a broader coalition of people structures and lands. While the choices across race, ethnicity, class and genera- they made have shaped and defined tions is particularly needed to fulfil goals. a wide swath of Americans, it has also These groups have asked for a voice in obscured and concealed others. what is preserved and to what purpose. It may be that preservationists, with their All people enjoy visiting places that are concern for old places, have not illustrated both interesting and comfortable, where a desire to recognize the people who used they feel welcome and safe. They want to them and will use them. feel as though they are “at home.” To maxi- The National Trust for Historic Pres- mize the experience, preservation efforts ervation made an attempt to combat this should appeal to a variety of peoples’ tendency with a white paper in 2017 enti- sense of purpose and community. People tled: Preservation for People: A Vision for must matter as much as places for the the Future. In it, the Trust put forth three movement to succeed and have the finan- propositions that it believes will “ground its cial support it needs to continue. work in human needs and aspirations” and As important as it is to save historic help the historic preservation movement places, it is equally important to preserve become “a prevalent, powerful and prac- the content of the community. One of the tical force to sustain, improve and enrich drawbacks of the preservation movement people’s lives:” has been the “gentrification” of neighbor- hoods. Gentrification could be considered beneficial, and it is to those with the means reservation must shift from a to obtain properties and restore them. But P“one-size-fits-all” approach, to a it also has negative effects that drive out more nuanced understanding of how to those of lesser means who have called the communities home, often for several work collaboratively with all members generations. of the community ... Focus on the People “History is our collective memory, a A key factor in an inclusive program source of wisdom and strength we can of historic preservation is to not only draw on when we need it. And, we need it focus on the preservation of places, but now more than ever, precisely because the also consider what the impact will be on challenges we face are so complicated and those that live in, and continue to live in, intractable,” said Stephanie Meeks, the the communities. Preservation must shift president of the National Trust. “We can’t from a “one-size-fits-all” approach, to a possibly navigate these challenges wisely more nuanced understanding of how to without some sense of perspective, and work collaboratively with all members of some help from the past. With so many the community to determine what needs forces dividing us, preservation is one of “protection,” and what needs to be “saved” the few things that brings us together – as for the benefit of the whole. An apt local a nation, as communities and as people.”* example is the rehabilitation of the Doug- People are the key to any movement’s lass School in Kokomo, saving a building at the heart of the city’s African American * National Trust for Historic Preservation, 2017 community. 9

115359_August_2020.indd 9 8/17/20 10:55 AM In the National Trust for Historic Pres- developing understanding that preserva- ervation report, “Preservation for People,” tionists need to shift from authority-based mentioned earlier in this article, these models to ones that work in cooperation three concepts emerged: with those that are most impacted by their • A people-centered preservation move- efforts. ment hears, understands, and honors the full diversity of the ever-evolving American story. or the preservationist to be effective, • A people-centered preservation move- Fwe must understand that the efforts ment creates and nurtures more eq- we make to save old buildings must uitable, healthy, resilient, vibrant, and sustainable communities. take into consideration a complex array • A people-centered preservation move- of other social needs ... ment collaborates with new and existing partners to address fundamental social For the preservationist to be effective, issues and make the world better. we must understand that the efforts we The goal of this concept is to make make to save old buildings must take into historic preservation more democratic, consideration a complex array of other inclusive, and equitable. The key to the social needs, including affordable hous- success of this movement is to create a ing, economic and social equity, economic more inclusive profession. Historically, development, the environment, etc. When the profession has been seen as an elitist we insist on having an uncompromising practice. While this is beginning to fade, approach, particularly if the building isn’t there are still significant barriers to entry. of a singularly historic value, we cast all It is critical that we prove to all groups historic preservation to be out of touch with of people that the preservation movement reason and need. That issue alone under- is relevant to their lives, and that they can mines the broader work to save our places feel connected to our mission. and alienates those that could share a common cause with the movement. Re-Thinking Preservation So where do we go from here? As those In an effort to re-evaluate the ideals of of us who care about the built environment historic preservation, the National Trust and the people in it, we must resolve to has developed a program called “Re have a multi-disciplinary dialogue about -Urbanism.” Fundamentally, this is the idea the future of older buildings that span that building reuse encourages economic racial, cultural or generational divides. It growth and stimulates vibrant commu- must extend to those in finance, afford- nities. It was determined that mixed use able housing, community development neighborhoods are more sustainable than and sustainability as well as the traditional those with a single building stock. preservationists. Let’s consider opportuni- Creating equity in community develop- ties, confront the difficult misconceptions, ment and planning derives from a broader and embrace the creative new tools for conversation about preservation planning preservation. in urban areas. Community engagement The future of historic preservation is a key part of Re-Urbanism. There is a depends on it.

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115359_August_2020.indd 10 8/17/20 10:55 AM A Special Day for Douglass School n a spectacular summer Saturday, residents gathered OAug. 8 for the unveiling of a historic marker commemorating the 100th anniversary of the opening of Douglass School in Kokomo. The School Survey: ceremony included a proclamation Visit www.surveymonkey. from Kokomo Mayor Tyler Moore, com/r/DouglassSchool to and inspirational words from event share your ideas about organizer Pastor William Smith. future uses for Douglass School. The link is also A balloon release, right, honored available on the Koko- the ancestors, and the oldest living mo-Howard County Public Douglass student – 93-year-old Library website. Ralph Greer – was recognized (middle photo). Photos by Gil Porter for the Howard County Historical Society

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115359_August_2020.indd 11 8/17/20 10:55 AM President’s Perspective

From the desk of Sharon A. Reed

aving arrived in Indiana 47 years Electronics to attend Leadership Kokomo ago through Grissom Air Force during the second class of the newly HBase, I marvel how time has passed formed organization. This spawned more so quickly. community involvement for me, leading up I was not a native of Kokomo, but it was to my present assignment as president of instilled in me early by my father to be a the Howard County Historical Society. part of the community where you live. He My passion is for the broadest history was a retired World War II Navy frogman of Howard County to be documented and and someone who served our commu- shared within the archives and collection nity in Mansfield, Ohio, with 69,000 hours of Howard County Historical Society. Our recorded at the local VFW. As an elder in mission statement was revised to be more our community, he collected family history inclusive and goals were developed to in scrapbooks that he proudly showed support the change. Today it reads “The anyone willing to listen. He planted the mission of the Howard County Historical seed of my interest in community history. Society is to collect, preserve and share the diverse history of all the peoples of Howard County.” y passion is for the This March the historical society high- Mbroadest history of lighted the history of African-American Howard County to be women through a re-visit of the Kokomo “Black Women in the Midwest” project documented and shared honoring several women who participated within the archives and in this project in 1985. collection of Howard County Historical In his historic research and writing, Society. Our mission statement was especially in this issue, I can see Gil Porter’s desire to tell the story of Howard revised to be more inclusive and goals County’s history from all of the peoples. were developed to support the change. I am humbly proud to be in this position in this moment, to realize and shine a light on the beginnings of the African-American Shortly after I arrived, I became involved community here, where I call home. In one in Howard County with Wayman A.M.E. respect, it feels like a reward for investing Church. My community involvement also in this community and in another respect, it included the NAACP, A. Phillip Randolph, is my “reasonable service,” from the book Community Women’s Guild, Carver of Romans, chapter 12, verse 1: It is our Center’s Booster Club, Kokomo Art Asso- “reasonable service” to present our bodies ciation, Howard Community Mental Health, as “living sacrifices” to the Lord, submitting and Boy Scouts of America Explorer fully to His will for us, for He deserves no program. less from us. In 1982, I was sponsored by Delco 12

115359_August_2020.indd 12 8/17/20 10:55 AM Highlighting HCHS Heroes Visit with Volunteers

Courtesy Howard County Historical Society Kathy Pfettscher and Rex Feltenberger at the museum. By Jill Snyder On his first day back, Rex felt a little Membership and Volunteer Coordinator unsure if visitors would be able to hear him with his mask on, but everything went well ours Thursdays at the Howard and no one has complained about comply- County Museum are hosted by ing with COVID-19 rules. volunteers Rex Feltenberger and In an effort to keep social distance, T hosts now orient visitors, but no longer Kathy Pfettscher. While Kathy is a 20-year veteran at the accompany them through the house. Historical Society, Rex is a comparative newcomer with just over a year. But they both agree the job gives them great satis- athy greets visitors at the door faction and a sense of Kokomo pride. Kand her first questions are always: Rex loves the history of the area and the “Where are you from?” and “How diversity of people who choose to visit the did you hear about the Seiberling historical home.They are interested to talk with people and learn what brought them mansion?” here and find out their interests. Kathy greets visitors at the door and her Rex and Kathy have both volunteered first questions are always: “Where are you for other events at the Historical Society from?” and “How did you hear about the beyond hosting. The staff and the general Seiberling mansion?” public appreciate the efforts made by all Reopening the mansion has brought the volunteers, acting as great representa- changes in welcoming guests. Masks and tives of Howard County. temperature readings are required They are the HCHS’s essential workers! 13

115359_August_2020.indd 13 8/17/20 10:55 AM The Rose of Howard County By Gil Porter HCHS Publications Committee Member

all foliage was just past peak in Piedmont North Carolina by early November. Warm days would be the rule for a few more weeks, albeit with increasingly crisp cool morning air. In Randolph County in the heart of the Piedmont region, government business was conducted at a small wood structure built in 1793 in Asheboro, the county seat. It was the third courthouse to serve Randolph residents since the county had been formed from part of its neighbor to the north, Guilford County, in 1779. The earliest settlers in the area were English Quakers. As one source puts it, the influence of the Society of Friends was great in Randolph County. On the first Monday in November 1801, a landowner named Edward Fentriss entered the small courthouse at Main and Salisbury streets with a petition of manumission in hand. Edward was actually representing his brother George, who didn’t live in Randolph. We haven’t yet found George’s location, but we do know he owned two human beings. Their freedom from enslavement was the subject of the petition. Edward himself owned four enslaved people, as well as 50 acres “near Carriway waters” (present-day Caraway Lake), according to his 1798 land grant. Anti-slavery sentiment was strong there, however. When the Manumission Society of North Carolina was formed in 1816, three of the society’s four branches were in Guilford County, and the fourth was in Randolph – at Caraway. The two enslaved people in question – a woman originally from Virginia, and her child – may or may not have been with Edward Fentriss that day at the Randolph County court- house in Asheboro. Irrespective of their presence, with the petition duly filed and recorded at the “worshipfull County Court of Randolph,” Aliff Henley and her child Case were free from the shackles of slavery. Mrs. Henley’s story from that day on as a newly free person of color was destined to reach well beyond its Upper South origins in the southeastern United States. Indeed, the blessing of her life now touches hearts and minds here as the newest chapter in a local history story at a place far removed from where her life began. That is because on another November morning 43 years and 500 miles from bondage, Mrs. Henley was first in line at a land office in Delphi, Indiana, where she paid $280 cash money “in full” for 80 acres in Monroe (later Ervin) Township. She was issued certificate number 1416, a point-of-sale designation in the Canal Lands sales register that helps us date when land was actually purchased, and not when the patent for property was issued, which came later. Thus, on Nov. 11, 1844, with someone helping her enter her name in the Miami Reserve tract book for Canal Lands, Mrs. Aliff Henley, a woman from North Carolina who endured slavery and could not read or write, became the first knownAfrican American to buy land in Howard County, Indiana. 14

115359_August_2020.indd 14 8/17/20 10:55 AM Section 3 of the Indiana Territory survey, township 5 north of the base line, No. 10 west of the 2nd meridian, surveyed by Daniel Sullivan in 1807.

Source: U.S., Indexed Early Land Ownership and Town- ship Plats, 1785-1898. Indiana 2nd Principal Meridian. N and W R10 T1 - S and E, S and W, Miscellaneous. rom its earliest days as part of Struggle for Equality” offers new insights the Northwest Territory, the even- into free Black migration into the region. Ftual state of Indiana had records Building on a study of Black migration of Black pioneers buying land. Surveyor published by Stephen Vincent in his 1999 Daniel Sullivan noted a settlement of “Free book “Southern Seed, Northern Soil: Afri- Negroes” in the Wabash River valley on can-American Farm Communities in the his 1807 Indiana Territory plat. Scholarship Midwest, 1765-1900,” in her book Cox on the subject of migration describes three identifies more than 300 settlements (92 groups of Black immigrants feeding into in Indiana). Their remarkable research the territory since at least the 1700s: long- reveals a whole new story about Afri- time free people, manumitted slaves, and can-American lives in the Northwest Terri- fugitive slaves. tory, especially in the years between 1830 Many came from North Carolina, which and 1850. Further reporting shows that by in the early 19th century had more free 1860 nearly one-eighth of the nation’s free Blacks than any of the Southern slave- Black population had come here. holding states. The Northwest Ordinance Mrs. Henley and her growing family of 1787 forbade slavery and offered equal would eventually join this journey west. voting rights for men only. “The Northwest U.S. federal census schedules for 1830 (territory) was the largest piece of land show her still in Randolph County, North set aside as free from slavery in the New Carolina. But it was the peak migration World,” said Anna-Lisa Cox, whose 2018 time and by mid-decade Mrs. Henley had book “The Bone and Sinew of the Land: reached Indiana. Her daughter Lucinda America’s Forgotten Black Pioneers & The married David Rush, another North Caro- 15

115359_August_2020.indd 15 8/17/20 10:55 AM lina native, on June 29, 1837, in Ripley ally resulted in a coarsening course correc- Township, Rush County. tion. The 1851 revised state constitution Their path into central Indiana fits the severely limited the status of resident known migration pattern. The National Blacks, and closed the door completely Road runs right along the northern bound- to anyone of color seeking to come here. ary of Rush County, and Carthage village Proposals for Black exclusion and volun- in Ripley Township was a Quaker settle- tary colonization to Africa were incorpo- ment with a large community of African rated as Article XIII, and voted on and Americans nearby. Ninety-one Blacks are ratified separately in August 1851. Voters enumerated in the 1830 census there and in four counties cast ballots against the by 1835 another source shows 400 Black proposals, including Randolph County, residents have arrived. Fourteen Black which incidentally had been formed by settlements are identified in Ripley Town- immigrants from its North Carolina name- ship per the 1830 census. Among them sake. (These egregious exclusion efforts was Beech Settlement, prominent enough were gradually repealed and repudiated by that the formal founding ceremony for the 1881.) African Methodist Episcopal Church’s Indi- ana Conference was held there. Statewide, these Black settlements tatewide, these Black settlements helped forge a sense of community for Shelped forge a sense of community newly arrived African Americans, and over for newly arrived African Americans, time led to autonomous institutions (some still exist) like churches, schools, fraternal and over time led to autonomous insti- associations, and other familial networks. tutions (some still exist) like churches, Land purchases provided cultural cohe- schools, fraternal associations, and sion for the communities. Vincent, in other familial networks. “Southern Seed, Northern Soil,” notes the Black migration from the east was of free men and women often of mixed ances- Indeed, rural isolation was no barrier to try (including Native Americans). They racism. A history of the Roberts Settlement chose areas with inexpensive land, usually in Hamilton County relates that a Black close to other free Blacks, Quakers or resident in the area was kidnapped in 1841 friendly people. Land ownership allowed and sold into slavery. Famed abolitionist “power and control,” as Vincent puts it, and Frederick Douglass was attacked by an depending on the geography could create angry mob after a speaking engagement a “buffer zone” between Black farmers and at Pendleton, Indiana, in 1843. And, of hostile neighbors. course, the national debate over slavery Furthermore, owning land was vital in an at the time raised tensions, roiled resent- effort to establish and maintain a delicate ments and later led to war. balance of equality among cultures at the Through it all, Indiana’s numerous rural time. Plus, it also provided Black men with Black settlements struggled, survived, and the right to vote. even prospered. Many individuals and Whereas the original Northwest Terri- families chose the more urban landscape tory’s charter had mandated that ideal, of Indianapolis. Almost 200 Blacks are statehood for Indiana unfortunately eventu- counted on the 1840 census schedules for 16

115359_August_2020.indd 16 8/17/20 10:55 AM Scan of Mrs. Henley’s patent dated Feb. 11, 1845, from the State Land Office Collection, Canal Land Patents, Accession #1957006. Courtesy of the Indiana State Archives.

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115359_August_2020.indd 17 8/17/20 10:55 AM Indianapolis and the adjacent, mostly rural ichardville County was created in Janu- Center Township. Rary 1844 (it was renamed Howard Mrs. Henley and her son-in-law and in 1846). The western third – including families left Rush County heading in that Honey Creek, Monroe, and Ervin town- direction, because the 1840 census has ships – had been part of the Seven Mile them living in Wayne Township on Indy’s Strip, land ceded by the Miami to help west side. Their destination apparently subsidize the Wabash & Erie Canal. This was the Bridgepoint Black settlement, later land was sold by the state of Indiana from known as Sunnyside or West Parkview. 1842-47. Tracts in the remaining two-thirds Two other Black men who eventually will of Howard County were sold by the U.S. make a home in Howard County are listed government from 1847-1860. in Wayne Township at the time: John Census counting of county citizens Hardiman from Virginia and North Caroli- didn’t start federally until 1850, but the na’s Lewis Clark, whose name on the line state census published in 1845 lists “444” below Mrs. Henley’s in the census records white males over the age of 21 in Rich- implies they were neighbors. ardville County in its first year. African Indiana just at that moment was about Americans were not yet enumerated, but to become geographically complete as research reveals at least four individuals the Miami Indians were relinquishing the with spouses or other family were here that remainder of their collective lands north year or shortly thereafter – Mrs. Henley, of Indianapolis in the Big Miami Reserve. David Rush, John Hardiman, and Lewis The residue of the reserve was slated to Clark. At least two (and probably all four) become the state’s last-named county likely came up the Michigan Road from and squatters were making claims and Marion County. improvements on its valuable and fertile Evidence suggests three African Ameri- farmland. can settlements developed in the west side Part of the reserve had already been of the county. By 1844 the Friends church surveyed, and in the fall of 1842 the state had at least three meetings here, one in began auctioning acres at Canal Land the east and two in the southwest and sales offices in Peru, Indiana, and later at northwest portions, respectively. Recent Delphi. Statewide newspapers published research relating to a settlement near details about the available land tracts, but New London in Monroe Township will be since none of the four Wayne Township explored in a future Footprints article. migrants could read or write, they must The other two settlements were in north- have learned about the sale by word of western Howard County, a location possi- mouth. They had access to convenient bly chosen due to a Poplar Grove Friends travel – the Michigan Road was close by, meeting in the area. The Bassett and Rush which would take them almost directly to settlements lasted approximately 75 years, their destination. They were pioneers in from 1845 to around 1920. The former, the true spirit of the word, among those centrally located in Ervin Township, is seeking a new life and land of their own. better known, thoroughly documented, and So sometime in 1843 or early ’44, they will also be the subject of another article. decided to move once again, gathered About four miles to the east of Bassett their belongings, and headed north to the was the Rush settlement, right on the Miami reserve. boundary line (600 County Road West) 18

115359_August_2020.indd 18 8/17/20 10:55 AM Source: Series: Field Notes for Public Land Survey Township Plats, 1789 - 1946. Record Group 49: Records of the Bureau of Land Management, 1685 - 2006

Gil Porter. Kokomo Early History Learning Center between Ervin and Clay townships. The Logansport researchers left a Kokomo, the county seat, lay another six detailed record of tombstone and marker miles to the southeast. A brief published data at the cemetery. Impressive work by history says the settlement was named for an Indiana University Kokomo student in the Rev. Rush, who founded the church 1995 added valuable new details to that there. He was a “devout and spiritual man, preservation record. (Both manuscripts well-versed in the Bible, though entirely are on file at the Kokomo-Howard County unable to read or write.” He was married to Public Library.) Mrs. Henley’s daughter. These are the names on the stones. Archival accounts say each settlement John Hardiman. William Hardiman. Jane A. had a school and they shared a Baptist Hardiman. Gordon Gammons. Mary Alice church. Rush also served over the Method- Harvey. Abel Anderson. John T. Hardimon. ist church and a cemetery. A frame build- Charity A. Hardimon. Gorden Gammon. ing serving as school and church survived And Alief Henley, whose striking grave- until at least the middle of the 20th century, stone contains the following inscription: long after the settlement evaporated and Wife of Samuel Henley. Died October 3, church members migrated to Kokomotown. 1861. Aged One Hundred and Ten years. Researchers with a Logansport historical Mysteries remain in Mrs. Henley’s story, society reported the building’s existence as chief among them an apparent marriage late as 1947. to Samuel, who is undocumented beyond 19

115359_August_2020.indd 19 8/17/20 10:55 AM her tombstone. Also, Alief spelled with of Worship,” which will be the first African an “e” has confused researchers for at Methodist Episcopal Church. The grantor least 150 years. Archivists attempting to of land was his mother-in-law, making the sync the name with other records appar- start of the AME church part of her legacy ently couldn’t decide if it was a man or a to Howard County. woman. Its earliest appearance outside of Mrs. Henley died 10 years on. Her 1861 government documents is the 1877 King- will provided the “farm on which I now live” man Bros. Combination Atlas of Howard for her son Case and daughter, Lucy Rush County. The name Alif Henly appears (Rev. Rush’s wife). The farm and the rest twice, though amazingly not with the of the 80 acres was eventually sold. The descriptions of “Colored” people, churches frame building where families worshipped or schools. First reference is among a list and schoolchildren studied is long gone. of early settlers, all white men, and Alif Only the headstones in the graveyard Henly. A subsequent reference repeats remain, with stories long waiting to be told the tombstone age (110) but uses a male such as this. pronoun and an inaccurate age for “a son” She was a woman unfettered from slav- still living. ery in North Carolina, who couldn’t read or County history combination atlases of write, who bought and paid for 80 acres of the day were popular (still are) commercial land with cash money, in full, on Nov. 11, products that relied on both official tran- 1844 – the earliest date we’ve found of an scripts and unverifiable testimonies from African American in Howard County, Indi- aged residents. It’s remarkable that the ana. But how old was she then? Notwith- name was remembered and recorded (with standing her tombstone inscription, a more the white guys, no less!), even if details of plausible interpretation of census sched- the actual person were cloudy. That some- ules presumes her birth to be around one at least remembered her, suggests 1765, so she would have been nearly she was notable in meaningful ways. 80 when she bought that land, which is Indeed, the records we’ve uncovered and remarkable to think. She was born before the story we share offer a legacy beyond a a revolution and died the year the Civil War mere county history atlas. started. Her life is a tribute to the enduring Like other Indiana pioneers, they came human spirit and perseverance spanning to buy land and help build a community. an epoch of American history. Through archive documents we can posi- Mrs. Aliff Henley deserves to be remem- tively state that the start of the Rush settle- bered as a matriarch of our community. ment is at least 1845. We know he’s here What better symbol to her memory than farming soon after, because Rev. Rush is the decoration on her tombstone – a rose mentioned by name in the U.S. govern- in full bloom. ment’s 1846 public land survey, with a claim and improvement on some 50 acres in what will be Clay Township. As the small settlement grew, he is one of three named individuals on an 1851 deed entrusted to ensure three-quarters of an acre of land in Ervin Township will be used to “Erect or cause to be Built thereon a house or place 20

115359_August_2020.indd 20 8/17/20 10:55 AM Sources: Aliff Hendley. Certificate #1416, Nov. 11, 1844. Wabash Canal Lands, Register of the Sale of. Oct. 1, 1842 to June 30, 1847. No. 26. Winamac District, Tract Book, Miami Reserve. Patent dated Feb. 11, 1845: “The east half of the south east quarter of section number twelve (12) in Township number twenty four (24) north of Range number two (2) east containing eighty acres.” State Land Office Collection, Indiana StateArchives. Aliff Henley’s Will, Sept. 2, 1861. Indiana Wills and Probate Records, 1798-1999. Howard – Will Records. Vols. A and 2.1845-1862. Pages 165-168. Ancestry.com. North Carolina, Land Grant Files, 1693-1960 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Oper- ations, Inc., 2016. Original data: North Carolina Land Grants. Microfilm publication, 770 rolls. North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh, North Carolina. Anna-Lisa Cox. The Bone and Sinew of the Land: America’s Forgotten Black Pioneers & The Struggle for Equality. New York: PublicAffairs. 2018. Brad Bayliff. Rediscovering Rush Cemetery in Ervin Township Howard County Indiana. August 3, 1995. (Manuscript at the Kokomo-Howard County Public Library. Kokomo, Indiana) Combination Atlas Map of Howard County, Indiana: Compiled, drawn and published from personal examinations and surveys, 1877. Knightstown, IN: Bookmark, 1976. Coy Robbins. Indiana Negro Registers, 1852-1865. Bowie, Maryland: Heritage Books, Inc., 1994. Dawne Slater-Putt. The People of Bassett-Ellis and Rush African-American Settlements Ervin and Clay Townships Howard County, Indiana, 1840-1920. Manuscript at the Kokomo-Howard County Public Library, Kokomo, Indiana Documents of the General Assembly of the State of Indiana at the Twenty-Ninth Session, Commencing December 1, 1845. PART II. Indianapolis. 1846. Early Black Settlements by County. Indiana Historical Society website. indianahistory.org. Eighth Census of the United States, 1860. Records of the Bureau of the Census. Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C. Emma Lou Thornbrough. The Negro in Indiana before 1900. Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Bureau, 1957. Fifth Census of the United States, 1830. (NARA microfilm publication M19, 201 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C. Hendley to Rush & other trustees, Jan. 14, 1851. Deed Book C. Howard County, Indiana. May 1846-Jan. 1856. Pages 374-376. Indiana Marriages, 1811-2007, David Rush and Lucinda Henley, 29 Jun 1837; citing Rush, Indiana, United States, Marriage Registration, Indiana Commission on Public Records. Morris Gall. The Negro in Howard County. Kokomo, IN: Kokomo Chamber of Commerce, 1970. Petition of George Fentris. In Full Force and Virtue. North Carolina Emancipation Records. 1713-1860. William L. Byrd III. Heritage Books, Inc. Randolph County 1779-1979. Randolph County Historical Society and the Randolph Arts Guild Commemorating the Bicentennial Year of the County. Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Hunter Publishing Company. 1980. Roberts Settlement History. Robertssettlement.org/history.html Accessed July 2020. Ron Tetrick. Artis, Bassett, Colbert, Hall and Rush Pioneer African American Families of Howard County, Indiana, 2008. Manuscript at the Kokomo-Howard County Public Library, Kokomo, Indiana Rush County History. Sesquicentennial Edition. 1822-1972. Rush County Interim Report. Indianapolis: Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana. 1993. Rush or Upper Colored Settlement Cemetery Record. L’Anguille Valley Historical & Memorial Association. Logansport, Indiana. Aug. 18, 1947. Seventh Census of the United States, 1850. Records of the Bureau of the Census. Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C. Sixth Census of the United States, 1840. (NARA microfilm publication M704, 580 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C. Stephen Vincent. Southern Seed. Northern Soil: African-American Farm Communities in the Midwest, 1765-1900. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. 1999. U.S. Bureau of the Census. “Aggregate Amount of Each Description of Persons within District of Indiana,” 1: 352. Sixth Census of the United States, 1840. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Census Office, 1841. U.S. Bureau of the Census. “Population of Civil Divisions Less Than Counties; Table III—State of Indiana,” 1: 124. Ninth Census of the United States, 1870. Washington, D.C.: U.S.Government Printing Office, 1872. U.S. Bureau of the Census. Population of Civil Divisions Less Than Counties; Table III State of Indiana,” 1:124 Seventh Census of the United States, 1850 Washington, D.C.: U.S. Census Office, 1852. U.S. Bureau of the Census. Population of Civil Divisions Less Than Counties; Table III State of Indiana,” 1:124 Eighth Census of the United States, 1860. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Census Office, 1862. Wayne E. Keifer. Rush County Indiana: A Study in Rural Settlement Geography. Geographic Monograph Series, Volume 2. Indiana University. 1969.

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