Fairland, Indiana History

  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...

  July 14, 6 p.m., Grave Cleaning, Pleasant View Cemetery , 10066 N 850 W, Fairland Volunteers Wanted : Learn how to clean gravestones, and then help us to clean some at the historic Pleasant View Cemetery.  Join us for this community service project! We'll work from 6 - 7:30 p.m. Cleaning supplies will be provided. Wear your yard work clothes, and bring gloves, if you have them. Bring water for yourself to stay hydrated. Fairland Historical Society events are supported by  City & County Progress Grants administered by Blue River Community Foundation .

Joseph and Luvina Plymate moved to Fairland in 1873. In addition to owning a store that sold harnesses, stoves, hardware, and hats and operating a boarding house, they each also served as the postmaster in Fairland. These are the post office boxes that were in their store at the southwest corner of Washington and Mulberry Streets. You can see the new display when you attend an event or meeting at the Fairland Town Hall, 105 S Walnut St. The boxes were carefully restored and donated to the Fairland Historical Society by Tom Plymate. Pictured are Anne Hardwick, President, and Tom Plymate. Thanks, Tom!