The Weaver Community in Marion, Indiana
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. Not much remains of a community that once encompassed 3,600 acres and had 736 residents in 1870. At its peak, Weaver had a grocery store, a blacksmith, a post office, a school, two churches, a racetrack and a Masonic home for the elderly or poor. The residents were primarily free Blacks, though runaway slaves also found their way to Weaver and beyond via the Underground Railroad. Weaver became an important link in the Underground Railroad due to several factors, including the AME Church circuit, Black social organizations such as the Masons and OES, and the support of nearby abolitionists.
In the 1880s, a natural gas boom struck Grant County, and many of Weaver’s residents moved to nearby towns, including Marion and Gas City, in search of better-paying jobs. As a result, Weaver went into decline with about 100 black families remaining in the 1920s. However, the strength of the Weaver community is still felt in Marion today, where there are two AME churches and a Prince Hall Masonic Lodge named after a formerly enslaved man who escaped to freedom.
The Weaver Cemetery contains the graves of more than a dozen Black Civil War veterans among its 224 interments. The cemetery was a gift from Weaver resident Lewis Wallace in 1866.
Please note that there is no parking at the chapel, as it is posted as private property with no trespassing. The Weaver Cemetery does have space to pull off the road while visiting. The Masonic grounds also have a small driveway off the road, but the gate is locked and should not be entered.
