DELPHI — One hundred and fifty-nine years ago, the founders of Carroll County gathered together to catch up and connect, as it was one of the only ways to do so back in 1885.
Referred to as the Carroll County Old Settlers’ Meeting, it still lives on today but with far fewer people, according to Teresa Maxwell, president of the Carroll County Old Settlers.
“If we can get 30 to 50 people there, I’m thrilled,” Maxwell said.
Back in its heyday, thousands of people came to reunite. But as technology and forms of communication advanced, Maxwell said fewer and fewer people showed up. Now, nine members of the Old Settlers board of directors meet each year to give away awards and present some history of the county.
It’s the longest running Old Settlers meeting in the state, and quite possibly the nation, according to Maxwell. This year’s meeting will be in the county courthouse rotunda.
Maxwell said it’s for people who love the county and are also Carroll County descendants. Each year the board chooses a Heritage Award for a person or a group that has continues to show county heritage and has done well in the county. Last year, the award was given to the Fouts family, the first people to grow soybeans in the area.
This year, Maxwell said, there are two awards, and they won’t be announced until the 1:30 p.m. meeting Saturday Aug. 9. The meeting lasts about an hour, Maxwell said, so people don’t have to sit around for too long.
Maxwell also said Carroll County historian Mark Smith will talk about Indiana’s bicentennial coming up in 2016, as well as the centennial of the county courthouse that same year.
In the days leading up to the meeting, the Delphi Chamber of Commerce hosts a carnival beginning Aug. 6 and running through Aug. 9. Randy Myers, a member of the Carroll County Historical Society and the Delphi Chamber of Commerce, said this year will be like every other year.
“It’s primarily just a social hour,” Myers said. “It allows people to come out.”