Roberts Settlement remains fixture in Hamilton County

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Free Black people were some of the first to settle the wilderness of Hamilton County in 1835.

Escaping the growing risk of enslavement down South, three men set off on a journey to establish a new home. Some parts remain today.

Several of the founders are laid to rest on this land known as Roberts Settlement. When they came here in the 1830s, all of this area was the wilderness, but descendants say their bravery helped turn this place into a home that would eventually grow into a community of several hundred.

The Roberts Settlement church meeting house hasn’t changed much since the mid-1800s, so it gives you a literal look at some of the history developed here.

“We are blessed that the church, the chapel, and the cemetery are intact,” descendant LaVella Hyter said.

In the days following the Nat Turner slave rebellion in 1831, free mixed-race Black people faced broader dangers and higher risks of enslavement. In 1835, three men — Hansel Roberts, Elijah Roberts, and Micajah Walden — took off on a journey from North Carolina, hoping to buy land and find safety. They found it in the wilderness of Hamilton County.

“So some decisions had to be made. We wanted to maintain our freedom. So, in turn, some decisions were made to look at migrating to an area where we could continue to have our freedom,” she said.

Hyter is a direct descendant of Hansel Roberts. Hyter grew up on this land in the 1950s and sang in the very church.

“I do remember being in the youth choir, and we used to sing over here. A lot of people might find it hard to imagine that here, a little rural church we brought it,” she said.

The founders picked this land because it was closer to the Quakers, a group of people who would eventually denounce slavery. During the 1800s, Black people were able to buy land directly from the government for $1.25 per acre.

“Which was wilderness at that time. So, it’s really amazing to know that they had this vision of what this could be,” Hyter said. “They would be able to look at an area that would ultimately produce farmland where they could build their log houses, build their church, community center, and have a vital part of existence.”

About 12 families lived here during Hyters’s childhood. But at its height several hundred people free Black people called this home. Today she’s one of the holders of history alongside fellow descendant Bryan Glover.

“My third great-grandfather is one of the founders, Elijah Roberts,” she said.

Overseeing the Roberts Settlement preservation now, Glover didn’t live here but grew up visiting the land for its annual homecomings, only later realizing the gem was planted here.

“I think LaVella and I would agree that we wish we would’ve asked our grandparents more questions. Now we have to try to piece it together,” she said.

Glover has somewhat shifted into a historian of sorts, following the clues left behind in stories, pictures, and books to piece together what life was like for free Black people. 

“This is kind of what Roberts Settlement looked like in 1840,” he said while looking through a book.

With 1,800 acres of land, they went from growing just enough to eat and survive to a large farm that allowed them to build wealth and educate their children, creating generational wealth.

“Through all those obstacles, I think they sort of had these basic principles that we’re not going to let these obstacles get in our way,” he said.

“We’re going to prepare our children for success, and when you look at the descendants that came from that first generation born here second generation, they went on to do great things,” she said.

Both Hyter and Glovers share a history but will get some help. Roberts Settlement supporters recently unveiled plans for its Legacy Walk outdoor display. They’ve already raised $350,000 and are hoping to gather another $100,000.

“This is not just something for the family. It’s something for the community. It’s for those who have a great appreciation for history,” Hyter said.

Both say after nearly two centuries, the hope is to never let its legacy get lost to time.