Old Settlers

From "Lexington" by Mary Wilson and Sharon Y. Asher, published sometime after 1975.

THE OLD SETTLERS CELEBRATION

Each year the Lexington community looks forward to the annual Old Settlers Celebration. The celebration is known to be at least 94 years old for a newspaper account of an Old Settlers Meeting which was held on August 3, 1882, has been found.

According to this account the meeting began with the singing of "All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name," followed by a prayer offered by the Reverend Isaac Coker. Short addresses by Reverend Coker, Elder Wesley Hartley, William Trulock and L. Dow Thitson, and the singing of several more songs preceded the dinner. Free dinners were given to all those over the age of eighty.

Those dining at the Old Folks' Table included William Trulock, 81; Samuel Williams, 83; Rachel Roy, 77; Elizabeth Clark, 80; Elisha W. Conde, 82; Nathaniel Dismore, 80; Hezekiah Thomas, 73; Thomas L. Ewing, 76; and William Friedly, 77. Members of the Chrothersville Band, it was added, "donned their wigs and ate with the oldsters." Following dinner, Indiana Attorney General Daniel P. Baldwin addressed the gathering on "Home and Home Influences." After the Attorney General's speech, Mrs. Sallie C. Jackson, a great Southern Indiana temperance leader of the time, spoke "...on the evils of strong drink."

It had been intended at the time to organize a Pioneers Association, but the weather was threatening, ".. .and the crowd made haste to get to their homes," with one of the primary objects of the meeting consequently being neglected.

"Good order" generally prevailed at the meeting, the report stated, but late in the afternoon two drunks apparently caused a disturbance, ".. for which their names will be handed to the Grand Jury," and a twelve-year-old boy fell from a moving swing, suffering a broken leg. "Taking everything into consideration, this was a grand affair, and for order, good feeling, and numbers, has never been equaled in the county," the newspaper reported.

The fact that early celebrations were held on the English Estate indicates that William H. English and his son may have been the original sponsors of the affair. Following the English family's move to Indianapolis in the late 1800's, S. A. Lowry and George Middleton sponsored the celebration which was held for several years in the S. A. Lowry grove on Charlestown Road.

Around 1926 the celebration was moved to the Public Square and was sponsored by the American Legion. For several years now the affair, which is still held on the Square, has been sponsored by the Lexington Volunteer Fire Department with proceeds used for the Department's continuation. The first Saturday in August has become the traditional date for Old Settlers.

The celebration during pioneer times was an all-day affair to which whole families came by horse and carriage from miles around. Public speeches, horse shoes, and visits with old friends provided the entertainment. The early celebraters packed lunches but by 1920 a food stand was added and a merry-go-round and swings for the children.

With the move from the out-of-town groves to the Public Square where electricity was available, the meeting completely changed from a picnic atmosphere to one of a carnival where various rides and stands were used. The Speaker's Stand disappeared and parades, contests, games and dancing became integral parts of the annual Old Settlers Celebration.

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