Lyles Station, Indiana
Encyclopedia
Lyles or Lyles Station is an unincorporated community
in Patoka Township
, Gibson County
, Indiana
. Founded by freed Tennessee
slave Joshua Lyles in 1849, the community was Indiana's first black settlement and the only one still remaining today. The community's schoolhouse was also the target of a major restoration and renovation effort around the turn of the 21st century, and currently serves as a museum to the history of the community.
, Patoka
, and Wabash
rivers with the assistance of the Religious Society of Friends. They farmed for several years, over time expanding their holdings to well over 1200 acres (4.9 km²). The Agricultural Schedule for the 1850 census indicates that merely a decade following his family’s arrival in Indiana, Joshua Lyles owned 60 acres of improved land, 260 acres of unimproved land, a farm valued at $500, and farm implements valued at $10. The value of his livestock was estimated at $247, while the value of the animals slaughtered was assessed at $99. The Schedule indicates that the previous year, in 1849, Joshua Lyles had 4 horses, 10 cows, and 50 swine. The Lyles farm produced 150 lbs of butter, 10 lbs of maple sugar, 60 lbs of honey, and 500 bushels of Indian corn.
Shortly after the Civil War
, Joshua Lyles returned to Tennessee to encourage newly-emancipated slaves to settle in Indiana. As the settlement grew, Lyles donated 60 acres (242,811.6 m²) of land to the Airline Railroad; in exchange, the railroad built a train station, providing passenger and mail service to the settlement. The introduction of rail service speeded up growth, so that by 1913 in addition to 55 homes the settlement, with a population of over 800, was home to a school, two churches, and two general stores.
In 1913 unusually heavy rains caused the White, Wabash, and Patoka rivers to overflow their banks. Lyles Station's proximity to all three meant that it was exceptionally susceptible to this disaster. The floodwaters not only destroyed homes, but also drowned cattle—essential for Lyles Station's agrarian population—and rendered the railroad useless; Wayman Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church
was spared, however.
The community never fully recovered from this disaster, as most of the residents sought a less risky existence in the larger cities to the north and south, such as Evansville
and Terre Haute
. However, a school was built in 1919, and educated the remaining children of the community until it was closed in 1958 as part of a trend towards school consolidation.
As of mid-2007, only about six families remain in Lyles Station, nearly all descended from the original settlers. Wayman Chapel A.M.E. Church still holds regular Sunday services. The schoolhouse, Lyles Consolidated School, has been fully restored from its decrepit state and now serves as a living history museum.
Lyles Consolidated School
, the third school to be located in Lyles Station, was opened in 1919, and used until 1958. After decades of deterioration, it was restored beginning in 1997. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1999.
and Mount Carmel, Illinois
. A Norfolk Southern railway line runs along the north of the site.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in Patoka Township
Patoka Township, Gibson County, Indiana
Patoka Township is one of ten townships in Gibson County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2000 census, its population was 11,502. Patoka Township is the center of the North Gibson School Corporation. Patoka Township is the location of the county seat of Princeton and the center of Gibson...
, Gibson County
Gibson County, Indiana
Gibson County is a county located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Indiana and is included in the Evansville, Indiana–Kentucky Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010, the population was 33,503. The county seat is Princeton.-Geography:...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
. Founded by freed Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
slave Joshua Lyles in 1849, the community was Indiana's first black settlement and the only one still remaining today. The community's schoolhouse was also the target of a major restoration and renovation effort around the turn of the 21st century, and currently serves as a museum to the history of the community.
History
Joshua Lyles, an African American, who is attributed with founding one of the earliest of Indiana’s black settlements, was born around 1800, in Henry County, Virginia, according to the Negro Registry of Gibson County, Indiana. Numerous articles written about Joshua Lyles assert, without any evidentiary verification, that he was born a slave and freed when he reached 28 years of age. Tennessee archival records reveal that Joshua and Sanford Lyles and their family were born free persons and were never enslaved, according to the attestation of Col. Joseph Hopson, recorded in the Montgomery County, Tennessee Court Minutes, Vol. 2, 1823-1824. After wandering for several years, in 1849 they bought land near the confluence of the WhiteWhite River (Indiana)
The White River is a two-forked river that flows through central and southern Indiana and is the main tributary to the Wabash River. Via the west fork, considered to be the main stem of the river by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names, the White River is long.-West Fork:The West Fork, long, is...
, Patoka
Patoka River
The Patoka River is a tributary of the Wabash River in southwestern Indiana in the United States. It drains a largely rural area of forested bottomland and agricultural lands among the hills north of Evansville.-Description:...
, and Wabash
Wabash River
The Wabash River is a river in the Midwestern United States that flows southwest from northwest Ohio near Fort Recovery across northern Indiana to southern Illinois, where it forms the Illinois-Indiana border before draining into the Ohio River, of which it is the largest northern tributary...
rivers with the assistance of the Religious Society of Friends. They farmed for several years, over time expanding their holdings to well over 1200 acres (4.9 km²). The Agricultural Schedule for the 1850 census indicates that merely a decade following his family’s arrival in Indiana, Joshua Lyles owned 60 acres of improved land, 260 acres of unimproved land, a farm valued at $500, and farm implements valued at $10. The value of his livestock was estimated at $247, while the value of the animals slaughtered was assessed at $99. The Schedule indicates that the previous year, in 1849, Joshua Lyles had 4 horses, 10 cows, and 50 swine. The Lyles farm produced 150 lbs of butter, 10 lbs of maple sugar, 60 lbs of honey, and 500 bushels of Indian corn.
Shortly after the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, Joshua Lyles returned to Tennessee to encourage newly-emancipated slaves to settle in Indiana. As the settlement grew, Lyles donated 60 acres (242,811.6 m²) of land to the Airline Railroad; in exchange, the railroad built a train station, providing passenger and mail service to the settlement. The introduction of rail service speeded up growth, so that by 1913 in addition to 55 homes the settlement, with a population of over 800, was home to a school, two churches, and two general stores.
In 1913 unusually heavy rains caused the White, Wabash, and Patoka rivers to overflow their banks. Lyles Station's proximity to all three meant that it was exceptionally susceptible to this disaster. The floodwaters not only destroyed homes, but also drowned cattle—essential for Lyles Station's agrarian population—and rendered the railroad useless; Wayman Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church
African Methodist Episcopal Church
The African Methodist Episcopal Church, usually called the A.M.E. Church, is a predominantly African American Methodist denomination based in the United States. It was founded by the Rev. Richard Allen in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1816 from several black Methodist congregations in the...
was spared, however.
The community never fully recovered from this disaster, as most of the residents sought a less risky existence in the larger cities to the north and south, such as Evansville
Evansville, Indiana
Evansville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Indiana and the largest city in Southern Indiana. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 117,429. It is the county seat of Vanderburgh County and the regional hub for both Southwestern Indiana and the...
and Terre Haute
Terre Haute, Indiana
Terre Haute is a city and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, near the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a population of 170,943. The city is the county seat of Vigo County and...
. However, a school was built in 1919, and educated the remaining children of the community until it was closed in 1958 as part of a trend towards school consolidation.
As of mid-2007, only about six families remain in Lyles Station, nearly all descended from the original settlers. Wayman Chapel A.M.E. Church still holds regular Sunday services. The schoolhouse, Lyles Consolidated School, has been fully restored from its decrepit state and now serves as a living history museum.
School
Lyles Consolidated School
Lyles Consolidated School is a historic school in Lyles Station, Indiana, United States. The third school to be located in Lyles Station, it was opened in 1919 and used until 1958. For nearly forty years it remained abandoned, and by 1997 it had deteriorated almost to the point of total collapse...
, the third school to be located in Lyles Station, was opened in 1919, and used until 1958. After decades of deterioration, it was restored beginning in 1997. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1999.
Geography
Lyles is located at 38°22′13"N 87°39′33"W, approximately half way between Princeton, IndianaPrinceton, Indiana
The median income for a household in the city was $26,689, and the median income for a family was $37,308. Males had a median income of $28,076 versus $19,825 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,049...
and Mount Carmel, Illinois
Mount Carmel, Illinois
Mount Carmel is a city in and the county seat of Wabash County, Illinois, United States. At the time of the 2000 census, the population was 7,982, while the next largest town in Wabash County is Allendale, population 528. Located at the confluence of the Wabash, Patoka, and White Rivers, Mount...
. A Norfolk Southern railway line runs along the north of the site.