Larry Long takes a picture of Beech Church after the annual Beech Settlement Homecoming service took place Sunday on a nearby farm.
CARTHAGE — The annual Beech Homecoming is set for 3 p.m. Aug. 25 at Hannon Farm, 6780 W. Rush County Road 1000 North, Carthage.
Beech Cemetery is located on the farm. The 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. For decades, Beech Settlement descendants and others have gathered in the area for an annual church service.
Usually, the service has taken place in the church building. It was once on Indiana Landmarks’ Most Endangered Landmarks list but was later restored. In recent years, however, Beech descendants and the African Methodist Episcopal Church have been at odds over ownership of the property. The next hearing in the case is set for 9 a.m. Aug. 28 in Wayne Superior Court 2 in Richmond. As that case unfolds, recent homecomings have taken place at other sites, such as nearby Walnut Ridge Friends Church in 2022 or Hannon Farm in 2023.
Everyone is welcome to the Aug. 25 homecoming. Those who go are advised to bring lawn chairs.
