Thorntown Public Library Local History Librarian and Museum Co-ordinator Kirsten Walmsley used a Monday appearance on WILO and Boone 102.7 FM’s “Partyline” talk show to detail an ongoing effort to restore and memorialize a historic African American cemetery tied to the Underground Railroad, while also previewing the museum’s biggest annual fundraiser this weekend.
Cemetery project seeks final funds
The most significant news from the interview centered on the Thorntown Colored Cemetery, established in 1869 after the local Quaker community sold land to some of the first African American settlers in the area, known as the Sugar Creek Community. Walmsley said the Thorntown Heritage Museum and the Sugar Creek Historical Society have partnered with descendants of Civil War veteran Eliza Derrickson, whose family is buried at the site, to build a monument listing the names of roughly 30 confirmed burials.
“There are almost 40 individuals that we’ve are known to be buried there, but we only have about four headstones that are visible,” Walmsley said, adding that most stones uncovered in a prior search effort were illegible.
The planned monument will include a QR code linking to research on the cemetery and the broader history of Black settlement in Thorntown. Walmsley said the project, being built with A&K Monuments of Lebanon, requires about $6,500.
“We need about $6,500 to make this happen. We have about $1,600 right now, so we still need a few thousand to get the project going,” Walmsley said. The museum has also applied for a grant through the Indiana Landmarks Black Heritage Preservation Program.
“If there’s anyone listening who is so passionate about preserving history, here is your opportunity to preserve history and make a difference in the Boone County Thorntown community,” Walmsley said.
Walmsley noted that Boone County had more than 200 African American residents listed in the 1870s, with Thorntown serving as a stop on routes used by formerly enslaved people moving north through Colfax, Michigantown and into Howard County.
Annual ice cream social returns Saturday
Walmsley also promoted the museum’s 16th annual ice cream social, its only fundraiser of the year, set for Saturday, Aug. 1, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at the Thorntown Heritage Museum. A live bluegrass band is scheduled to begin playing at 6:30 p.m., alongside lawn games and homemade desserts from museum volunteers and community members.
“This year we are getting rid of those little ice cream cups. We are actually scooping the ice cream, but we will have homemade ice cream this year, which I think this is the first time we’ve had that,” Walmsley said. She said the event will also feature homemade root beer floats after their debut last year proved popular.
Admission is free, though donations are encouraged to help maintain the museum’s 1860s-era historic building and fund community programs.
Library programs and local history digs
Walmsley outlined other library activities, including a fall puzzle showdown scheduled for Aug. 15 and a daily CICOA-affiliated senior lunch program that also distributes fresh produce. She said residents interested in the senior meal program should call the library to register.
She also described recent historical discoveries made while researching old newspapers, including a long-forgotten Thorntown rest stop that operated from roughly 1947 into the 1950s near the intersection of state roads 47 and 52 across the road north of Dairy Queen, and new details on the theft of pieces from a historic mill fountain that once stood downtown before being melted down for World War II scrap efforts.
Party Line Hosts Cindy Loveless and Melissa Miller also had some laughs with Walmsley about the true and legendary story of the men who came up with the idea of protecting their favorite fishing hole on sugar creek by making (with the help of wives) a bear costume, which actually “looked more like a gorilla.” Word spread around about the ‘wandering gorilla’ and it all stopped when a hunting party was organized to eradicate the bear/gorilla. Years later, one of the participants ‘came clean’ and shared the details.