Fairland, Indiana History

  Anne Hardwick Presents: Stories of Women in Local History On Sept. 24 , 2026 at 6:30 p.m., Anne Hardwick will highlight Stories of Local Women in History as well as discuss tips for researching women. This Fairland Historical Society event is free and open to the public; donations accepted.  Location: Fairland Town Hall, 105 S Walnut St, Fairland, Indiana.  Thanks to the Blue River Community Foundation and the Fairland Town Council for supporting our events.    Event details:  https://sites.google.com/view/fairland-historical-society/home/events  

  Sep. 2, 2026 - Unveiling: Pleasant View & London Historical Markers  First stop: Join us at 6 p.m. outside of the Pleasant View Baptist Church for the town of Pleasant View marker unveiling (12442 Southeastern Ave with parking lot in back past intersection of Oak & Mulberry St). Second stop: Drive to the London Cemetery (7412 N London Rd). The drive is 5 to 7.5 miles depending on your route; the Pleasant View bridge over the Interstate is closed. We will gather in the London cemetery about 6:30 p.m. for the town of London marker unveiling.  Thanks to Beaty Construction/C-Tech, the Blue River Community Foundation, the Pleasant View Baptist Church, and the Moral Township Trustee for supporting the work of the Fairland Historical Society in sharing local history. Even if you can't join us on Sep. 2, you may visit the historical markers at your convenience to enjoy local history in the community. Event information: https://sites.google.com/view/fairland-historic...

  THANK YOU to the Blue River Community Foundation and the Northwestern advisory committee for awarding the Fairland Historical Society a 2026-2027 Hometown Community grant!! We are VERY appreciative of your support as we work to share local history with the community. Be sure to visit our Website to see resources and upcoming events. YOUR individual support matters, too! Donations are accepted online to help us share local history. Gratefully, The Fairland Historical Society

  Tamara Hemmerlein Presents: Indiana Through the Mapmaker's Eye .  Join us on Aug. 17, 2026 at 6 p.m . to learn about how maps have been used through the years as documentation, tools, political images, and art. We'll take a look at some of the images from the past 300 years in the Indiana Historical Society's online collections.  Location: Moral Township Government Center, 8333 N Frontage Rd , Fairland, Indiana. This event is free and open to the public. Donation accepted. Thanks to the Blue River Community Foundation, Moral Township Trustee, and Indiana Historical Society for supporting local history! Learn more about local history from the Fairland Historical Society .

  The Fairland Historical Society 's Oral History Project is LIVE! Our volunteers are busy conducting interviews to document the local history of Fairland, Indiana, including Moral and Brandywine Townships in Shelby County. Thanks to our initial guests for sharing their stories with us!  LISTEN HERE . And, watch for more to be added. Like History? Visit our Website .

  Anne Hardwick with the Fairland Historical Society will lead free Fairland Walking Tours   at 6:30 and 7:30 p.m. on July 13, 2026.  Meet under the shelter at the Fairland Community Park, 209 Commercial St, Fairland to visit, enjoy some refreshments, and join one of the tours. Wear your walking shoes!  (This is an outdoor event; watch for updates in case of stormy weather.) Thanks to the Blue River Community Foundation and the Fairland Community Park  for supporting our events. Like History? Visit our Website . Listen to our Oral History Project .

  The Fairland Historical Society will have a tent at the Fairland Volunteer Fire Dept. Fish Fry on June 19 & 20. Our tent hours will be 5-6 p.m. on Friday & 11 a.m.-6 p.m. on Saturday. Stop by to discuss local history with us. For all of the Fish Fry events and hours, please click on the event link. Fish Fry details: https://www.facebook.com/share/1NdNBB7tKS/ Support the Fairland Volunteer Fire Department and enjoy great food, live music, a Car & Tractor Show, a Parade, a Blood Drive, & Raffle Drawings. FRIDAY, JUNE 19 5:00 PM — Food service begins (5-6 p.m. Fairland Historical Society Tent. Visit us!) 6:00 PM — Pressed in Black Live on Stage 9:00 PM — Food service ends SATURDAY, JUNE 20 8:00 AM — Joe Stucker Jr Memorial Car & Tractor Show opens. Entry $15. 11:00 AM — Food service begins (11 a.m.-6 p.m. Fairland Historical Society Tent. Visit us!) 11:00 AM — Blood drive opens (until 3:30 PM) 12:00 PM — Car & tractor show awards 2:00 PM — Community parade 6:...

To celebrate the 2nd anniversary of the Fairland Historical Society, we created a Website to continue to share local history with you. Visit  https://sites.google.com/view/fairland-historical-society for upcoming events, historic photos, and to access resources. (Bookmark the site to view updates.) The Fairland Historical Society shares the history of Fairland, Indiana, including Moral & Brandywine Townships. The Fairland Historical Society is a non-profit, public charity, 501(c)(3), 509(a)(2).  

  The Fairland Historical Society and the Shelby County Public Library, Genealogy & History Department invite you to attend on May 21, 2026 at 6:30 p.m. as Donna Dennison Presents: Research Tips for Using Library Resources (highlighting Fairland & Moral Township) . Learn more about resources available to help with your own research, then stay until the library closes to explore. This program will highlight examples from Fairland, but can benefit all those interested in researching. The event is free and open to the public. Location: Shelby County Public Library, Carnegie East Wing, Genealogy & History Dept., 33 W Broadway St, Shelbyville, Indiana Follow the Fairland Historical Society on Facebook or Instagram .

This photo postcard was another mystery to research. The birth announcement was mailed in 1905 to Katherine Cordes in Seymour, Indiana. It says "Fairland, Dec. 11, 1905, Lelia." Boy is crossed out, and Girl is written in pencil; though that has faded with time. The photo says The American Photography Company, Chicago, 1905. With just a few clues, could we discover who this was? We discovered that Miriam Mayes was born on that date in Fairland to Robert Oscar and Lelia Vest Mayes. But, Robert and Lelia had lived in Seymour, what brought them to Fairland? We tried to research Robert's occupation (he is listed as Robert, Oscar, and R. O.) and learned that in 1905 he worked for the Shelby Coffee Company. But, that was not the reason for their move to Fairland. Lelia's father was Reverend E. R. Vest, and in Sep. 1904, they all moved from Indianapolis to Fairland when he was appointed to the M. E. Church in Fairland. But, that was not the whole story. Rev. Vest requested Fa...

I first became interested in family history and genealogy as a child while visiting my grandmother. She worked many hours to document our family history and had hand-written family tree pages spread across her kitchen table as she discussed the details and stories with me.  Decades later, it is so much easier to search records online and to view scans of documents to help fill in the stories of individuals and families. As I search online, sometimes I find other interesting details. I have added information to the Ancestry and Find a Grave websites to help others who may be researching. And, when I found family letters and photo albums for sale on Ebay, I posted or sent messages to individuals who might be interested in obtaining them. In antique stores, I have purchased photos with names written on them and posted them online to "save" their history. I have made connections by reaching out to an individual about photos he posted on FamilySearch, and a woman contacted me to d...

GET READY for Giving Tuesday! Dec. 2 is the day to support your favorite non-profit organizations, including the Fairland Historical Society. (You don't have to wait; you may give now.) Your support makes it possible for us to share more local history with the community! Donations accepted: https://checkout.square.site/merchant/MLF78WKW4NEPW/checkout/QBET6B5TRKU23BEZCAEHPFNG Thank you!!

Thanks to this support from the Beaty/C-Tech Fund administered by the Blue River Community Foundation we will be working to place more historical markers in the area. We are grateful and excited to share more history with the community. Thank you! We will be working on this project during the winter. Watch for more details in the spring of 2026!

Oct. 20, 5:30 p.m. Grave Cleaning, Pleasant View Cemetery, 10066 N 850 W, Fairland, Indiana. Volunteers Wanted: Join us for this community service project! Learn how to clean gravestones, and then help us to clean some at the historic Pleasant View Cemetery. We'll work from 5:30 - 7 p.m. This will be our second time working at this cemetery, so our efforts will make a real impact. Wear your yard work clothes, and bring gloves, if you have them. If you have a jug of clean water, bring it to use to rinse the stones. Also, bring water for yourself to stay hydrated. Cleaning supplies (cleaner, brushes, sprayers) will be provided.  Fairland Historical Society events are supported by City & County Progress Grants administered by Blue River Community Foundation. 

July 29, 2025 The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced today that U.S. Navy Reserve Ensign Delbert L. Martin, 23, killed during World War II, was accounted for on June 18, 2025. During World War II, Martin was assigned to Fighting Squadron 12, USS Randolph (CV-15). On March 21, 1945, he was reported missing in action after his F6F-5 "Hellcat" failed to pull up from a dive and crashed in Galig-Tomil, Yap Islands, Federated States of Micronesia. Martin's remains were not accounted for after the war and on March 22, 1946, the Navy issued a presumptive finding of death. Ens Martin was Missing in Action (MIA). His name is permanently inscribed on the Manila American Cemetery and Monument. 2025 burial: Delbert LaRue Martin, 23, was killed in action while flying over Yap Island in Micronesia on March 21, 1945. His remains have been recovered, and he will be buried next to his parents at Fairland Cemetery. Survivors include his nieces, Kathryn Brown...

  Celebrate with the Fairland Historical Society on Sep. 29, 6:30 - 8 p.m. ! We have been collecting historic photos, and we want to celebrate by sharing them with you. We invite you to join us for light dinner at this informal event. Donations accepted.  If you have historic photos of the Fairland area that you want to share, bring them with you, and we will scan more photos to add to our collection. Location: Fairland Town Hall, 105 S Walnut St, Fairland, Indiana. Fairland Historical Society 2025 events are supported by City & County Progress Grants administered by Blue River Community Foundation. Can't attend? You can view our photo collection online .

On Tuesday, September 16, 2025, the Fairland Historical Society hosted a Fairland Cemetery Historical Walking Tour at the Fairland Cemetery, 4430 N 400 W, Fairland, Indiana.  Thanks to Donna Dennison, Genealogy Dept. Head, Shelby County Public Library, for leading us on an interesting tour with lots of details about some fascinating former Fairland residents. The event was free with donations accepted.  Events are supported by City & County Progress Grants administered by Blue River Community Foundation.     Here are some of the individuals buried in the cemetery who were highlighted. (Click on the names for information shared via Find a Grave.) Ola & Ora Powers Sylvester Skillman Nancy Green Tomlinson Brown Hiram Ross Martha Bridgland Culbertson Joseph & Luvina Clark Plymate Joseph Carson Jeremiah , Dicy , & Isaac Odell Carrie Dake Fields Strong & Addison Fields W. C. E. Wanee

We’re happy to share that the Blue River Community Foundation awarded the Fairland Historical Society a Northwestern Hometown Community Fund grant! With this support, we’ll continue to share local history. We are very grateful!

  Join us for Hoosier Basketball History on August 20 at 7 p.m.! After a brief business meeting of the Joseph Boggs Society, the Fairland Historical Society & Joseph Boggs Society will co-host a program celebrating Hoosier Basketball History. Noah Dahlquist from the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame will share Indiana basketball history & discuss the Hall of Fame museum. Then, we want YOU to participate by sharing YOUR Boggstown, Fairland, Moral, & Triton basketball memories. We’ll have photos of some of the teams on display, plus refreshments! Location: Joseph Boggs Society for Historical Preservation, 2616 N Sand Creek Rd, Boggstown, Indiana.  This event is free & open to the public; donations accepted.  Fairland Historical Society 2025 events are supported by City & County Progress Grants administered by Blue River Community Foundation.

The Pleasant View Cemetery in Moral Township, Shelby County, Indiana has burials from the 1830s to the present. Recently, the Fairland Historical Society, with Anne Hardwick and Bill Gulde, led a group of great volunteers for an evening of gravestone cleaning at the Pleasant View Cemetery. Thanks to all the volunteers who worked on this community service project as we continue to preserve history. This was an evening of wonderful teamwork!     Perhaps you would like to clean some gravestones in your area. There are some different opinions on how to do this, but this is what we recommend to safely clean the stones and do no harm. 1. In Shelby County, seek the permission of the Township Trustee for the cemetery if cleaning stones other than your own family. 2. Order D/2 Biological Solution: https://www.d2bio.com/ . 3. Gather water in clean containers, a clean garden sprayer, gloves, wooden craft sticks, and soft bristle brushes. 4. Do not work on stones that are loose, broken or...