Vincennes Historic Sites Explore Slavery During Black History Month

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In Vincennes, Indiana, the Vincennes State Historic Sites are offering guided tours during Black History Month that focus on the city's early history with slavery. The tours will allow visitors to explore historic buildings and learn how slavery and freedom were addressed in Indiana's territorial period, including through the examination of an original 1804 legal document involving an enslaved woman named Pheby.

Why it matters

The Vincennes State Historic Sites' Black History Month programming sheds light on the complex and often overlooked history of slavery in early Indiana, a state that formally prohibited the practice but still grappled with its existence through legal loopholes and contracts. Exploring primary source documents like the one involving Pheby provides a window into this difficult chapter of the state's past.

The details

The historic sites are open Wednesday through Sunday, with tours offered from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The sites recently shared an image of an original 1804 legal document from Knox County, Indiana Territory, which shows that 16-year-old enslaved woman Pheby was bound to serve Elisha Stout under a 60-year indenture agreement, despite laws restricting slavery in the territory. The document illustrates how slavery continued in Indiana through such contracts, even as it was formally prohibited.

• The Vincennes State Historic Sites are offering the Black History Month tours from February 1 to February 29, 2026.
• The 1804 legal document involving Pheby was filed in Knox County during the Indiana Territory period.