swamp white oak sample collected at Bacon Swamp Butler University Friesner Herbarium
Swamp white oak sample collected at Bacon Swamp. Photo courtesy of Butler University Friesner Herbarium.
Swamps and the Underground Railroad
Written By: Shawndra Miller
Date Published: February 20, 2024
Shawndra Miller
Two former wetlands (also known as swamps, bogs, or sloughs) had a significant part in Indianapolis history—serving as key stops on the Underground Railroad.
According to the Untold Indiana history blog, “For several decades, many Hoosier opponents of slavery, primarily Quakers, guided hundreds if not thousands of African American freedom seekers toward Westfield in neighboring Hamilton County. (Westfield was a major Quaker settlement before the Civil War, and other ‘stations’ around Indianapolis focused on getting freedom seekers there.)”
Marion County’s wetlands were nearly impenetrable, so they gave many escaping enslaved people a place to hide. The bounty hunters’ bloodhounds lost the scent in these watery places.
Bacon’s Swamp was a peat bog covering part of the northside Indy neighborhood of Broad Ripple. It is named for an abolitionist couple, Hiram and Mary Bacon. They were Presbyterians who became acquainted with Henry Ward Beecher, brother of the novelist Harriet Beecher Stowe. Beecher served as minister of Second Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis.
Beecher himself often visited Bacon’s Swamp in the 1840s, when it was a remote part of Marion County.
Testifying to Hiram and Mary Bacon’s work on the Underground Railroad, the Indianapolis Star noted in 1931: “The Bacon house stands on the east side of the road [now Keystone Avenue], and the large barn was on the west side. In it was a wheat bin, which could be entered only from outside by a ladder. It was usually concealed by piles of hay. Here and in the bin in the cider house, the fugitives were hidden and conveyed after dark to the next depot.”
The peat bog across from the Bacon dairy farm served as a nighttime hiding place for arriving freedom seekers.
Another wetland, Fletcher’s Swamp, took up about two hundred acres just east of the Old North Side (where our office is located). In the 1830s, abolitionist Calvin Fletcher, Sr., owned a 1,600-acre farm in the area.
Fletcher and his family helped many freedom seekers travel north to safety. In 1889, the newspaper ran an eyewitness account of Fletcher riding on horseback into the swamp to provide food for an African American man.
After Emancipation, Fletcher employed many of the formerly enslaved men who came to Indianapolis with their families. The work included clearing the swamp, a task completed by Calvin Fletcher, Jr., in the 1870s. As the Untold History blog puts it: “Thus it shared the fate of thousands of acres of Hoosier wetlands sacrificed to agriculture and turned into conventional cropland.”
Ben Valentine
Guest Blogger
Ben Valentine is a founding member of the Friends of Marott Woods Nature Preserve and is active in several other conservation organizations. He leads a series of NUVO interviews with Indiana's environmental leaders, and he cherishes showing his son all the wonders of nature he grew up loving.
DJ Connors
Guest Blogger
DJ Connors, a Central Indiana native and late-to-life hunter, combines a lifelong appreciation for wildlife and the outdoors with a deep passion for exploring the natural beauty of the area he has called home for most of his life. As a husband and father of three, he is committed to ensuring his children have the same opportunities to connect with nature and appreciate the outdoors in their community. DJ’s unique journey into hunting emphasizes sustainability, responsible stewardship, and the importance of preserving these experiences for future generations.
Bridget Walls
Guest Blogger
Bridget is our first ever Communications and Outreach Intern. She is a graduate of Marian University, where she combined English, studio art, and environmental sciences in her degree studies. As treasurer for Just Earth, the university's environmental club, she helped plan events encouraging a responsible relationship between people, nature, and animals.
Jordan England
Guest Blogger
Jordan England is a lifelong Shelby County resident who graduated from Waldron Jr. Sr. High School (just a few miles from Meltzer Woods!). After earning her B.S. degree in Retail Management from Purdue University, she returned to Waldron to start a family with her husband, Brian. Together they have 3 young children and enjoy sharing with them their love of the community. Jordan is the Grants and Nonprofit Relations Director at Blue River Community Foundation, managing BRCF’s grant program, providing support to local nonprofits, and promoting catalytic philanthropy in Shelby County.
Cliff Chapman
President and CEO
As CILTI’s President and CEO, Cliff keeps CILTI’s focus on good science and stewardship. He’s mindful that the natural places you love took thousands of years to evolve and could be destroyed in a single day, and that knowledge drives his dedication to their protection.
Stacy Cachules
Chief Operating Officer
Among her many key duties as Assistant Director, Stacy has the critical task of tracking our budget, making sure we channel donations for maximum efficiency. When her workday’s done, Stacy loves to spend time with her two young boys—and when not traveling, she’s likely planning the next travel adventure.
Ryan Fuhrmann
Board Chair
Ryan C. Fuhrmann, CFA, is President and founder of Fuhrmann Capital LLC, an Indiana-based investment management firm focused on portfolio management. Ryan’s interest in land conservation centers around a desire to help preserve natural habitats for wildlife and the subsequent benefits it brings to people and the environment.
Joanna Nixon
Board Member
Joanna Nixon is the owner of Nixon Consulting, an Indianapolis-based strategy and project management firm focused on the nonprofit sector. She currently serves as the Philanthropic Advisor for the Efroymson Family Fund. Prior to opening her consulting practice in 2000, Joanna was vice-president for grantmaking at Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF). Joanna has more than 25 years of experience in the nonprofit and arts and culture sector. She is passionate about the environment and loves bringing big ideas to life and creating high-quality arts and culture programs and experiences. Joanna enjoys outdoor adventures, including competing in fitness obstacle course races and hiking with her high energy Australian Cattle Dog, Jackson.
Karen Wade
Board Member
Before retiring, CILTI board member Karen Wade worked for Eli Lilly & Co. In retirement she volunteers for a number of organizations, including the Indiana Master Naturalist program, Johnson County Native Plant Partnership CISMA, Meadowstone Therapeutic Riding Center, and Leadership Johnson County.
David Barickman
Development Systems Manager
Born and raised in Central Illinois, David spent many days as a child wandering around the river, forest and lakes there. He works behind the scenes as a key member of our fundraising team. When not working, David loves to be outdoors hiking, fly fishing, kayaking or woodworking.
Jamison Hutchins
Stewardship Director
Jamison leads our stewardship team in caring for the land that is so important to you. He comes to our team after eight years as Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator for the city of Indianapolis, where his work had a positive impact from both health and environmental perspectives.
Jen Schmits Thomas
Media Relations
An award-winning communicator and recognized leader in Central Indiana’s public relations community, Jen helps us tell our story in the media. She is the founder of JTPR, which she and her husband John Thomas own together. She is accredited in public relations (APR) from the Public Relations Society of America, and loves to camp and hike in perfect weather conditions.
Shawndra Miller
Communications Director
Shawndra’s earliest writing projects centered around the natural world, starting when a bird inspired her to write her first “book” in elementary school. Now she is in charge of sharing our story and connecting you to our work. Through our print and online materials, she hopes to inspire your participation in protecting special places for future generations.
Phillip Weldy
Stewardship Manager
Phillip enjoys nature’s wonders from an up-close-and-personal perspective as he works to restore the natural places you love. As an AmeriCorps member in Asheville, NC, he had his first full immersion in relatively undisturbed land while reconstructing wilderness trails in National Parks and National Forests.
December 24, 2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Banker Potter donates Bedford Falls properties for perpetual preservation Banking tycoon Henry “Old Man” Potter has donated a swath of land previously set aside for a housing development to the Central Indiana Land Trust, Inc, (CILTI) for perpetual protection.
Newsroom
December 22, 2025
As nature-lovers ourselves, we appreciated the chance to reflect on our top nature moments. Enjoy these “postcards” from our staff, which first appeared in the fall 2025 newsmagazine.
Betley Woods,Meltzer Woods,Newsroom
December 16, 2025
In Montgomery County, we recently assisted the DNR Division of Nature Preserves expand Spring Creek Seeps Nature Preserve. A 30-acre tract adjoining the preserve is now protected in perpetuity.
Newsroom,Properties
