Lick Creek

In 1811, Jonathan Lindley led a group of anti-slavery Quakers and free or formerly enslaved Black families from North Carolina to Southern Indiana. The caravan Lindley led totaled around 200 people. The group included 63 Blacks, mainly children, fleeing harassment and violence with their families. As of the 1820 census, there were 96 Blacks living in Orange County, Indiana altogether.

One of the first individuals to purchase land in the Lick Creek area was Matthew Thomas. Matthew was indentured to Jonathan Lindley, meaning he was under a contract that required he work without pay for a period of time in order to repay a debt. After completing his internship, Thomas received his certificate of freedom and relocated to Lick Creek. Others soon followed after Thomas, including the families of David Dugged, Benjamin Roberts, and Peter Lindley. By 1855, Lick Creek had grown to over 1,500 acres. The 1860 U.S. Census reported 260 Black people in Orange County. Almost a third of that population lived in Lick Creek.

Much of what we know about life in Lick Creek comes from freedom papers. Black people in Indiana were required to file freedom papers at their County Courthouse to prove their status as free individuals. These papers required statements from white witnesses that would vouch for the individual’s freedom and character. In 1851, Indiana lawmakers and voters passed Article XIII (declared invalid in 1866) to the state constitution, which stated that “No Negro or mulatto shall come into or settle in the State, after the adoption of this Constitution.” Later, the County Register of 1853 was required by law to record and document physical descriptions of Black hoosiers. This history of racist policies reflects the hostile nature that many White Hoosiers greeted their new neighbors with.

Following its peak in population in 1860, Lick Creek saw a drastic decline in population over the next few years. By September of 1862, seven families sold all of their land—a third of the total land owned in the settlement, and moved elsewhere. By the early 1900s, there were no African Americans remaining in Lick Creek. A few different factors that likely contributed to the population loss, including increasing racial tensions, rising anti-Black sentiment, and economic opportunities in urban environments.