Legacy Walk opens at Roberts Settlement

By AMY ADAMS
news@readthereporter.com

The Legacy Walk at Roberts Settlement held its dedication and grand opening on Thursday, Oct. 3. At the ceremony, Indiana Chief Equity, Opportunity, and Inclusion Officer Kerrah Herring read a proclamation, signed by Gov. Eric Holcomb, declaring Oct. 3 to be Black Pioneer Day in Indiana.

Roberts Settlement is a community in northern Hamilton County founded in the 1830s by free Black settlers of mixed-race heritage when southern slavery threatened their freedoms and way of life.

“This history is an important part of the rich and diverse Hamilton County, Indiana – history that belongs to all of us,” said Roberts Settlement Board of Trustees Vice President Bryan Glover.

Invitees to the 3 p.m. dedication were encouraged to take time before and after a presentation and ribbon cutting to explore the newly unveiled installations of the Legacy Walk.

An entry structure titled “Morning Light” features a man of weathering steel holding a lantern. Along that path, four themed stations depict “Roots & Migration,” “Process & Perseverance,” “Faith & Education,” and “Legacy & Footprints.” Each station includes a bench and an interpretive panel with photos, maps, and other graphics. The design is the work of Display Dynamics, an exhibit company located in Dayton, Ohio.

“Nowhere has a community been able to accomplish what we see here today,” said Eunice Trotter, director of the Indiana Landmarks’ Black Heritage Preservation Program.

Communities like Roberts Settlement established across Indiana in the 19th Century by free or freed African Americans number from the dozens to the hundreds, depending on who you ask.

“Though America may be rich in diverse history, our society has often been poor in representing the history and in funding its protection, conservation, and recognition,” said Tiffany Tolbert, senior director for preservation with the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

However, in the early half of the 20th Century, descendants of the original Roberts Settlement established bylaws. In addition to stating that the church and cemetery would be preserved, the bylaws called for an annual homecoming on the Saturday closest to July 4. This past July, the Roberts Settlement celebrated its 100th homecoming, so it is only fitting that 2024 also mark the installation of the Legacy Walk.

Another goal the bylaws set in place is to record and promote the history of Roberts Settlement.

“We are blessed that we have been able to make this our story, put in our own words,” Board President LaVella Hyter said. “We know it is factual. It is real. It comes from a preponderance of all of the data we have collected, all of the historical documents that we have collected, all of the content that we have fortunately been able to gather and preserve for many, many decades, and even centuries.”

Roberts Settlement raised more than $400,000 in grants and private donations to make the dream of presenting its history through the Legacy Walk a reality.

In honor of some of those contributions, Glover presented an original Rebecca Robinson canvas titled “Northern Pioneers” to Beck’s Hybrids and another titled “Future Pioneers” to the Crosser Family Foundation. Official Legacy Walk artist Rebecca Robinson is an award-winning mixed-media artist and an active leader in the Indianapolis art community.

Following the afternoon ceremony, the Legacy Walk opened to the public at 6 p.m.

“The work done here at Roberts Settlement is stellar,” Trotter said. “I believe it will become a model of what can be done.”

For Hyter, Glover, and other Roberts descendants, that work continues. Plans for Phase 2 of the Legacy Walk include adding QR codes throughout the exhibit that will be linked to a web-based story app to provide more in-depth information and education.

“Our pioneers provided for us road maps to get here, so what we hope is that this Legacy Walk will be a road map not just for our family but for everybody who takes this journey, takes this route, to learn about this history,” Hyter said.

The Legacy Walk at Roberts Settlement is located at 3102 E. 276th St., just east of U.S. 31. The self-guided exhibit is lit at night and open anytime. To learn more, visit RobertsSettlement.org.