State Flag Candy Toss at 2016 Old Settlers Parade

At this year's Old Settlers Parade on August 7, 2016, Miss Beth and Miss Sharon have created a tasty giveaway that we will be tossing to the crowd from our float.

Indiana State Flag Candy Stick

The "flag pole" is a candy stick.  The attached card features the Indiana State Flag, designed by long-time Mooresville resident Paul Hadley (1880-1971), with a description on the verso.

It's a sweet way to learn about the history of our state flag during the Hoosier bicentennial celebration.

2016 Old Settlers Festival & Parade

The 2016 Old Settlers festival in Mooresville, Indiana will be held on August 7-8-9 at Pioneer Park on Indianapolis Road.

Come see the library's float in the Old Settlers parade (Sunday, August 7 at 2 pm through downtown Mooresville), then join the fun afterwards at Pioneer Park when the Old Settlers festival gets underway (August 7-8-9). Visit the library's table there and get lots of free interesting materials.

Here are a few photos from our previous Old Settlers parade floats.  Click the photos below to enlarge.  The floats (from top to bottom) appeared in the 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, and 2010 Old Settlers parades.

Samuel Moore Program

On Saturday, February 20, 2016, at 1 pm in the MPL community room, we will be having a program about Samuel Moore, founder of Mooresville, Indiana.   In the video (below), we re-create a “narrative” of Moore at the Old Settlers Picnic (August, 1885). This “narration” has been assembled from various historical records available in the MPL Indiana Room collections. Although Samuel Moore did not actually give this speech, it is based upon accurate, authentic historical records.

"Narration" of Samuel Moore at the

Old Settlers Picnic (1885)

by Mooresville Public Library

2015 Old Settlers Festival & Parade

The 2015 Mooresville (Indiana) Old Settlers Festival will be held at Pioneer Park from Sunday, August 9, 2015 through Tuesday, August 11, 2015.

The festival begins with the Old Settlers Parade on Sunday, August 9, 2015, at 2 p.m., which runs along South Indiana Street into downtown Mooresville, then along East Main Street to Indianapolis Road to Pioneer Park.

Watch our video to learn more about the history of this annual event, which began as a town picnic on August 9, 1870.  Our online handout about the picnic's history is also available.

MPL Treasure Trove Video #6

"History of Old Settlers Picnic (1870-Present),"

by Mooresville Public Library

"Old" Town Park

We happened across some photographs of "old" Town Park, which we thought you might enjoy. Click the images to enlarge them.

"Old" Town Park (looking west) (circa 1909) (photo by J. P. Calvert)

 "Old" Town Park (looking southwest) (circa 1885) (photo by J. P. Calvert)

Old Settlers Picnic (August 1885) at "Old" Town Park

(looking south) (photo by J. P. Calvert)

In 1877 town founder Samuel Moore donated land along the east end of South Street (adjacent to the east fork of White Lick Creek) to the citizens of Mooresville, Indiana to be used as a town park.  The annual Old Settlers picnic was held there until 1995.

In the top photo (ca. 1909, above), you can see the east end of South Street.  The road going to the right intersected East High Street.  Heading toward the right (in the photo), you would enter Mooresville; going to the left, you would encounter the Waverly Road. Today you may see the boy scout pioneer cabin (constructed ca. 1932) atop the hill among the trees (see photo below).

The middle photo (ca. 1885, above) was looking southwest across "old" Town Park from the hill approximately where the scout cabin stands today.  The Waverly Road appears to the left.

The bottom photo (August 1885) shows local citizens attending the annual Old Settlers picnic at "old" Town Park.

To learn more about the history of the Old Settlers picnic, click here.

Boy Scout Cabin (single-pin log construction) (ca. 1932)

Shelter House Built by Jake Mann in 1937

Jake Mann's Concrete "Signature"

"Old" Town Park Shelter House
(2009 photos by the blog author)

2020 UPDATE:  On April 8, 2020, a tornado flattened the shelter house in "old" Town Park.  It was replaced in early 2021.

Jake Mann's Shelter House Destroyed by Tornado

"Old" Town Park, April 8, 2020

(File Photo by Mooresville-Decatur Times)

New Shelter House Under Construction

"Old" Town Park (January, 2021)

(Photo by Lance Gideon, Mooresville-Decatur Times, January 26, 2021)