Paoli, IN Public Court Records

Finding public court records in the city of Paoli, Orange County is easy.
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Paoli, Indiana Court Records

About Paoli
The town of Paoli, Indiana was purchased as part of the land for the county seat of Orange County from Jonathon Lindley for $800 and a part from Thomas Harper for $500. It was said that Mrs. Rebecca Hopper was opposed to the selling of the property until she was paid $5.

The original settlers of Paoli were Quaker settlers looking to flee the slavery in Orange County, North Carolina. Under Lindley’s leadership the Quakers were the first to build on the land, they built the Lick Creek Meeting House and gave Orange County its name.
When the Quakers came to Paoli they brought with them a great number of freed slaves. The free slaves were granted 200 acres of land in the middle of a dense forest, word of mouth soon spread and this area became part of the Underground Railroad.

For many years the freed slaves traded, farmed and sold their labor to others, thus becoming a major part of the community. A church and a cemetery were eventually built for their loved ones. All that remains is the cemetery and most of the stones have been broken or vandalized over the years. Several years ago local boy scouts came in and replaced the broken stones with wooden crosses. The cemetery was often called “Little Africa” by the locals and “Paddy’s Garden” by the black residents.