Atlas Obscura - Latest • Jan. 23, 2026, 5:04 p.m.

In 1816, the State of Indiana was formed and initially took a progressive, enlightened stance by abolishing slavery in 1820. By 1830, however, times had changed, and Indiana required Black settlers to pay a $500 fee to live in the state.

In 1843, Indiana banned interracial marriages. Then, in 1851, the Indiana state constitution prohibited any Negro or Mulatto from settling in Indiana, with fines of up to $500 imposed on settlers or any white person who supported them.

Yet, despite these inequalities and hardships, the small free Black settlement of Weaver was formed and flourished from the 1840s into the 1880s. A drive along a flat farmland road reveals that all that remains of the Weaver community are Hill’s African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Chapel—built in 1842 and rebuilt after being destroyed by a fire in 1957, a cemetery, and the Masonic Order of the Eastern Star (OES) Home.

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