Popular understanding of Indiana black history focuses on post-Civil War African-American migration to cities in the north, such as Evansville, Fort Wayne, Gary, Indianapolis and South Bend. This generalized thinking situates Indiana’s African-Americans as part of a national story, but fails to reveal the stories of free blacks and formerly enslaved people who settled the state much earlier. These untold stories have the potential to evoke pride and add a level of complexity to our understanding of black heritage and Hoosier history. With a mounting interest in history related to Indiana’s Bicentennial, now is an opportune time to uncover and share untold parts of Indiana’s history.
Despite a rich history, little is known about the African-American experience from the state’s founding to the Civil War era. With the exception of a handful of monographs, graduate papers and journal articles, few publications have been written that focus on this history. Over the past 30 years, various research projects related to early black settlements have been completed by independent researchers, college professors and students, IHS, Indiana Humanities, Ball State University, Conner Prairie and Indiana Landmarks.
A planning grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. allowed IHS to convene interested organizations to guide a team of researchers to gather available research on early black settlements. These organizations include Southern Indiana Minority Enterprise Initiative, Indiana Landmarks, Indiana Historical Bureau, Indiana Tourism, Indiana Humanities, Indiana State Library, Indiana State Archives and the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites.
African American Settlements IN Vanderburgh County And Surrounding Areas
Vanderburgh County was founded in 1818.  From the first federal decennial census for the county in 1820 to 1870, the recorded African American population increased from 3 to 2,151 people.  By 1840, there were over 100 black residents in the county, but like so many other Indiana counties, the black population census numbers fell between 1850 (227) and 1860 (127) and zoomed upward in 1870 (2151).  These numbers very much reflected the political mood of the state during the 1850s, and the outcome of the Civil War and the state’s close proximity to Kentucky in 1870.  Although there were comparatively large population numbers of African Americans in several townships, the majority (1427) were drawn to the city of Evansville in Centre Township after the war.
Daniel Lyles owned land near present day Burdette Park in Union Township. Â The land was surveyed in 1856. Â He had large property holdings. An African Methodist Episcopal church was established in 1850. Â Trustees included William Bug, Ezekiel Gillespie and Henry Jackson. Â The church no longer exists. Alfred Lilies also owned land. Â This unnamed settlement appears to be connected to Lyles Station and other black rural communities in Gibson County. Â Families in these settlements used variant spellings of the Lyles/Liles surname.
By 1870, there were also large masses of African Americans settled in Knight, Perry, Pigeon, and Scott Townships in Vanderburgh County.
Popular understanding of Indiana black history focuses on post-Civil War African-American migration to cities in the north, such as Evansville, Fort Wayne, Gary, Indianapolis and South Bend. This generalized thinking situates Indiana’s African-Americans as part of a national story, but fails to reveal the stories of free blacks and formerly enslaved people who settled the state much earlier. These untold stories have the potential to evoke pride and add a level of complexity to our understanding of black heritage and Hoosier history. With a mounting interest in history related to Indiana’s Bicentennial, now is an opportune time to uncover and share untold parts of Indiana’s history.
Despite a rich history, little is known about the African-American experience from the state’s founding to the Civil War era. With the exception of a handful of monographs, graduate papers and journal articles, few publications have been written that focus on this history. Over the past 30 years, various research projects related to early black settlements have been completed by independent researchers, college professors and students, IHS, Indiana Humanities, Ball State University, Conner Prairie and Indiana Landmarks.
A planning grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. allowed IHS to convene interested organizations to guide a team of researchers to gather available research on early black settlements. These organizations include Southern Indiana Minority Enterprise Initiative, Indiana Landmarks, Indiana Historical Bureau, Indiana Tourism, Indiana Humanities, Indiana State Library, Indiana State Archives and the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites
Popular understanding of Indiana black history focuses on post-Civil War African-American migration to cities in the north, such as Evansville, Fort Wayne, Gary, Indianapolis and South Bend. This generalized thinking situates Indiana’s African-Americans as part of a national story, but fails to reveal the stories of free blacks and formerly enslaved people who settled the state much earlier. These untold stories have the potential to evoke pride and add a level of complexity to our understanding of black heritage and Hoosier history. With a mounting interest in history related to Indiana’s Bicentennial, now is an opportune time to uncover and share untold parts of Indiana’s history.
Despite a rich history, little is known about the African-American experience from the state’s founding to the Civil War era. With the exception of a handful of monographs, graduate papers and journal articles, few publications have been written that focus on this history. Over the past 30 years, various research projects related to early black settlements have been completed by independent researchers, college professors and students, IHS, Indiana Humanities, Ball State University, Conner Prairie and Indiana Landmarks.
A planning grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. allowed IHS to convene interested organizations to guide a team of researchers to gather available research on early black settlements. These organizations include Southern Indiana Minority Enterprise Initiative, Indiana Landmarks, Indiana Historical Bureau, Indiana Tourism, Indiana Humanities, Indiana State Library, Indiana State Archives and the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites.
African American rural settlements documented: 1
Vanderburgh County was founded in 1818.  From the first federal decennial census for the county in 1820 to 1870, the recorded African American population increased from 3 to 2,151 people.  By 1840, there were over 100 black residents in the county, but like so many other Indiana counties, the black population census numbers fell between 1850 (227) and 1860 (127) and zoomed upward in 1870 (2151).  These numbers very much reflected the political mood of the state during the 1850s, and the outcome of the Civil War and the state’s close proximity to Kentucky in 1870.  Although there were comparatively large population numbers of African Americans in several townships, the majority (1427) were drawn to the city of Evansville in Centre Township after the war.
Daniel Lyles owned land near present day Burdette Park in Union Township. Â The land was surveyed in 1856. Â He had large property holdings. An African Methodist Episcopal church was established in 1850. Â Trustees included William Bug, Ezekiel Gillespie and Henry Jackson. Â The church no longer exists. Alfred Lilies also owned land. Â This unnamed settlement appears to be connected to Lyles Station and other black rural communities in Gibson County. Â Families in these settlements used variant spellings of the Lyles/Liles surname.
By 1870, there were also large masses of African Americans settled in Knight, Perry, Pigeon, and Scott Townships in Vanderburgh County.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Atlas of Vanderburgh Co.; Plat Book of Vanderburgh and Warrick Counties, Indiana. Evansville: n.p., 1975.
Bigham, Darrel E. We Ask Only a Fair Trail: A History of the Black Community of Evansville, Indiana; Indiana University Press, 1987.
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 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.
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.
Audrey C. Werle “Research Notes on Indiana African American History,†M 792.  William Henry Smith Memorial Library, Indiana Historical Society, Indianapolis, Indiana.
