Thirty miles north of Indianapolis just to the east of U.S. 31 on 276th Street in western Jackson Township, Hamilton County stand the remains of an African-American pioneer farm settlement founded in 1835 by free blacks of mixed racial heritage that migrated mostly from North Carolina and Virginia to escape deteriorating racial conditions in the south. The majority of pioneers had the Roberts surname, but many other families such as the Waldens, Winburns, Rices and Gilliams also made this migration over a period of 20-30 years in the mid-1800s. Their goal, the pursuit of economic, educational and religious aspirations with greater freedom and fewer racial barriers, was achieved with considerable hard work, and the assistance of friendly and racially tolerant white neighbors of the Quaker and Wesleyan faiths living in the surrounding area. Today, set on a gently rolling landscape with many woods and small streams, such as Little Cicero Creek, is a Chapel and cemetery representing the physical symbols of this once thriving community that continued to grow through the middle1800’s reaching its zenith in the late 1800’s when more than 250 residents, spread over an area of four square miles called Roberts Settlement home. As the 1900’s approached access to inexpensive, high quality farm land was no longer possible for small farmers and their coming of age children. At the same time, good paying factory jobs in places like Noblesville, Kokomo and Indianapolis fueled an out migration that continued through the mid-1900’s. Despite the fact that the number of families living in the Settlement was in decline, the relevance and the importance of the Roberts Settlement legacy continued to guide the lives of future generations of Roberts Settlement descendants. In 1924, the first Roberts Settlement Homecoming was organized and held on the Roberts Chapel grounds. Since then, the homecoming has occurred every year on the July 4th weekend. Descendants come from all corners of the U.S. and beyond to renew family bonds and friendships, and to celebrate the rich cultural heritage of the place we call Roberts Settlement.
