CARTHAGE — A reunion for Beech Settlement descendants and others in the community is set for 3 p.m. Aug. 27 at Hannon Farm, 6780 W. Rush County Road 1000 North, Carthage.
Beech Cemetery is located on the farm.
This year’s reunion site is less than a mile from the restored 1800s Beech Church. The church building and the cemetery are visible reminders of the Beech Settlement, a group of free Black people who settled in the Carthage area in the 1820s. It’s believed that such groups often settled near Quaker communities — Walnut Ridge Friends Church is in the area — because Quaker settlers were known to be welcoming.
For decades, Beech Settlement descendants and others have gathered in the area for an annual church service.
Everyone is welcome. Those who go are advised to bring lawn chairs.
