Neavill's
Grove Old Settler's Meetings
Information
gathered from articles by Frank Baker in the Madison Courier,
Newspaper
written in 1984
Neavill's Grove "Old Settlers Meetings" began as a church picnic.
Neavill's Grove is located near what was the town of Volga in Smyrna Township.
It is located on what was part of the farm of George Neavill Senior. While still
living in Kentucky he first came to the area in 1808. He returned in 1810 and
built a cabin on the hill northeast of the present grove. He returned to
Kentucky due to the activities of the Wyandotte Indians under Chief White Eyes
after living on the land for two years. He returned again to
Indiana on Oct. 26 of 1814 and entered 160 acres of land on which the grove
is now located.
On June 1, 1916, Edward Neavill
grandson of the pioneer George donated 12 acres of land to the Neavill's Grove
Association to used as a community picnic and recreational area. Eight years
later he gave an additional eight acres.
The first
meeting of the Neavill's Grove Association took place on July 22, 1886 and it
was mentioned in the Madison Courier of July 28th as a grand success, with fully
250 people at the picnic.
The second meeting on
August 13, 1887 featured a young boy who recited a speech by Patrick Henry and
instrumental music by the Hanover Coronet Band. Vocal music was by a chorus with
Sophia Dean as organist: Alex Garden, tenor; Grace Tibbits, alto; Carrie
Tibbits, Minnie Wallace, Lizzie Garden, sopranos; and Will Amsden, base.
The officers of the fifth association in 1890
listed in the Madison Courier were: James Officer Sr., president; J.R. Ritchie,
vice-president; Archie Dean, secretary; John Hughes, treasurer. Directors -
George Neavill, William Officer, James Marshall and George McKeand. At the 1890
picnic the Pleasant Valley Band of Hanover Township plus a vocal choir provided
the music. Members of the choir were Earle Allen, Harry Dean, Charlotte Devol,
Oscar Fewell, John Hughes, Alex McKeand, Nellie Marshall, Bertha and Walter
Ritchie, Maggie Stites, Kate Van Deusen, Minnie and Nellie Wallace and Grace
Winstantly. The choir leader was D.A. Gasden and the organish, M.W.
Richie.
A feature of the early meetings was the
reading of the names of those who had died since the last
meeting.
In 1891 the grove had both refreshment
stands and photo galleries. The crowd that year was estimated at 2,500. The
reading of the list of those who had died since the meetings began in 1886 was
again read and it included 93 names 47 of which had been over 80 years old when
they died.
In 1893 James Officer was still
president of the association and the Paris Band and the Hopewell and Kent choirs
provided the music. John Heuse led the Hopewell group and David Wheat
directed the Kent musicians.
It was reported that
for the Aug. 25, 1894 gathering "many venerable and worthy old settlers who have
been a credit to this community and examples of integrity, industry and success
in life" attended and were named as: S.E. Barr, Daniel Blocher, J.H. Cline, John
Cox, Joseph Cox, Richard Cox, James Elliott, Thomas Hudson, T.H.
Kinnear, John McElroy, John McMurray, George Millican, George
Neavill, Jesse Sage, Benjamin Stribling, John Taylor, John Tewell and
George Trinkle. George McKeand who was the new association president
identified three people who were no longer living but who had played leading
roles in the organization's early history as: Archibald Dean, James Officer and
Robert Ritchie. Michael C. Garber who was the editor of the Madison Courier
related a story that year about the Donner family who had left Monroe Township
in the 1840's and perished from cold and starvation in the Sierra Nevada
mountains.
One of the features of the Neavill's
Grove Association's annual meetings was speeches by the old timers and
political leaders. Among those speaking during the early years were: Perry E.
Bear, Dan Blocher, A.S. Chapman, Samuel Chasteen, Richard Cox, Joseph Cravens,
Daniel Fisher, Judge W.T. Friedley, M.C. Garber, Francis Griffith, Thomas
Hudson, J.W. Hughes, Joseph Lawler, J.D. Little, John McGregor, D.W. Moffat,
Thomas Mofatt, Charles Morris, David Stites, Robert Thompson, C.W. Tinsley, John
Underwood, Hayden Upton, A.D. Vanosdol, Preston Wiley, and L.C.
Wolfe.
Between 3,000 and 5,000 people cane to
the meeting on Saturday, Aug. 18, 1897. They came in jolt wagons, spring
wagons, surreys and buggies and also on bikes. Some on them walked to the
meeting.
In 1898 the Smyrna choir, the
Hanover chorus, and the Paris Silver Band played music for the event. A
special feature was the Hanover Mandolin Club. Refreshment stands were run
by J.S. Hill, Charles Judkins, and Jesse Sullivan.
On Aug. 26, 1899 U.S. Senator Charles Fairbanks (who later became vice-president
of the United States) was the feature speaker, he gave a typical patriotic
speach where he said that the pioneers had "carried with them into the
wilderness love of home, love of country, and love of
God."
George McKeand was still president of the
association in 1900 with M.C. Marshall as secretary and J.W. Hughes as
treasurer. The committee who handled refreshments hired Fred Moore to supply a
barrel of ice water for the thirsty. The Madison Courier reporter who covered
the event that year congratulated the committee for "having kept out
everything of a viscious and immoral character, the absence of intoxicants being
especially noticable."
Those who reported on
the first fifteen years of the association meetings usually listed those present
who were 80 years or older. Among them were:
D.D. Amsden, T.L. Hudson, Mary
Lory, John McClure, Johnny McMillam, William Mathews, George Millican, George
Neavill, Elizabeth Nicoll, Moses Porter, Ben Stribling, and
John Walker.
What was called the "modern"
Neavill's Grove Association was organized April 12, 1916 with the following
directors: Edwin Corrie, Joseph Cravens, George Daly, Hiram Foster, Charles
Irwin, George McMurray, Joseph Officer (who was secretary of the association
from 1916 - 1960), Victor Officer, James Sullivan, James Taff, Harry Underwood,
and Forbes Wiley.
The August 16, 1916 meeting
closed with the children of Mrs. John Hamilton of Volga singing and
she accompanying them on her guitar.
Of course
there were other old settlers gatherings in Jefferson County, one of the
best known was at the Liberty church in Monroe
Township.
The Neavill's Grove "Old Settler's
Meetings" are still being held, the last one was August 27-29 of 2010 in
the same place as it has always been held on Deputy Pike, Smyrna
Township with - Antique farm machinery, arts and crafts, flea market, entertainment,
food, games and contests.
Sponsored by Neavill's Grove Association.
812-273-3807. Admission is Free.
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