Historic Eleutherian College will host its annual Fall Gathering on October 19 from 10 AM to 4 PM. Join us for tours, historic programming, art and music!

Pack a picnic lunch and spend the day with us! We’ll be offering tours throughout the day, so there’s plenty to explore.

Special Events:

11:00 AM: Join author Deb McIntyre for an engaging talk about her latest book, A Wishful Eye, which will be available for purchase.

A Wishful Eye tells about the backwoods of southern Indiana in 1849 when members of the Cowper family are faced with a difficult decision. “Do they and the handful of other families who make up their antislavery congregation practice what they’ve been preaching and joining other believers – white and black – to aid and provide shelter for runaways? The fugitives are sought, not only by their frustrated owners and lawmen, but by others who hope to cash in on rich reward money. If caught, punishment for the Cowper family and the congregation could mean devastating fines, loss of their property, or even prison. Could they risk everything they and their pioneering parents worked so hard to attain? Can the Cowper’s teenage children put aside their own aspirations to join their parents in this dangerous enterprise?”

1:00 PM: Don’t miss Phyllis McLaughlin as she presents The Waltons of Graham Township: A family that risked everything to end American slavery, and check out the stunning Walton paintings on display—available for donation.

Abraham Walton, born in 1777 in New Hampshire, and his wife, Mary “Polly” Hutchinson, born a year later, also in New Hampshire, moved west from their early home in Maine, eventually settling in 1815 on180 acres of land in Graham Township, Jefferson County, Indiana. The couple and several of their children, including Abraham, Isaiah and Dudley, became active in the anti-slavery movement in that part of the county. Abraham Sr. was a charter member both of the Neil’s Creek Anti-Slavery Society (and later the Neil’s Creek Anti-Slavery Baptist Church), but also was a charter member of the board of trustees for Eleutherian College, founded in 1848 in Lancaster Township with the mission of educating anyone who wanted to learn, regardless of race or gender. McLaughlin’s talk will focus on this family and its contributions to the anti-slavery movement here in Jefferson County, as well as some of their descendants and the interesting lives they have led out west, where Abraham’s son, Isaiah, moved his family in the late 1850s. Much of this information remains in the family with descendant Vicky Garner, who allowed us to scan images of all the records and stories the family has kept in the past 200-plus years.

3:00 PM: Enjoy live music with Lindsey Bloos and Kelley Hoagland, wrapping up the day on a high note.

Connect the past with the present and celebrate the rich history of Eleutherian College through a mix of 19th century folk songs and sacred hymns. A cappella music selections will be performed by Lindsay Bloos joined by Kelley Hoagland to create rich harmonies. The vocalists have been singing together more than 20 years. Through this performance, the pair hopes to warm the hearts of listeners with traditional songs including “Simple Gifts,” “I Need Thee Every Hour,” and “It is Well with My Soul.”

Lindsay Bloos (top) and Kelley Hoagland