Roberts Settlement
Posted by: 
JimHoney
N 40° 11.423 W 086° 06.829
16T E 575434 N 4449264
Site of the Roberts Settlement. A settlement of free people of color who came here in 1835.
Waymark Code: WMTCAG
Location: Indiana, United States
Date Posted: 10/31/2016
Views: 1
Free people of color left the South starting in the 1820s as threats to freedom and property escalated with slavery expansion. In 1835, Hansel and Elijah Roberts and Micajah Walden of North Carolina bought land in Hamilton County near anti-slavery Quakers. By 1838, Roberts Settlement farmers owned over 900 acres. In 1847, residents built school and church meetinghouse.
Association with Wesleyan Methodism by late 1840s fostered ties with neighbors. Agricultural fortunes improved after the railroad’s arrival in 1850s. By 1870, Roberts included over 200 residents and 1700 acres. Emphasis on education prepared new generations for college and careers such as medicine, law, and clergy. Descendants celebrate annually since 1924.
County: Hamilton
Year Placed: 2016
Name: Roberts Settlement
ID#: 26.2016.1
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