From its early years as a Quaker settlement to a secret destination for the Underground Railroad to a robbery by a notorious outlaw gang, the little community of Azalia in southern Bartholomew County has some big stories to tell.
“Azalia has a rich history and an extraordinary community,” said Larry Perkinson, who will present “Arise, Azalia, Arise” at 6 p.m. on April 25 at Sandcreek-Azalia Friends Church, 13275 S. County Road 350E.
Perkinson
Perkinson, 70, said his lecture will discuss more than 200 years of “remarkable individuals and defining moments” in the community. “It grows on you,” he said of Azalia.
Growing up near Azalia, Perkinson likened it to a Norman Rockwell painting. Perkinson and his wife, Julie (Darling) Perkinson, now live in Columbus but still attend the Friends church where Julie’s father, Fred Darling, 92, remains active in ministry at the church where he served as a pastor beginning in the 1970s.
The Bartholomew County Historical Society asked Perkinson to do a presentation about Azalia earlier this year, and he said the result was a packed house at Helen Haddad Hall in Columbus. So he decided to present another historical talk about the area at the Friends church that has stood for nearly 150 years.
“You start looking, and it’s amazing what comes out,” Perkinson said of local history. This includes everything from evidence of prehistoric native American civilizations that once called the area home to in more modern times being home to the basketball shoe designer and namesake Chuck Taylor.
Perkinson retired as director of student aid for Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. in 2019 after a 45 year career in education. He said he hopes when he presents historical talks that it inspires others to explore the history of their hometowns, “and I think the other thing is, I’d like them to get to know the people who made Azalia what it is.”
The talk will be free and open to the public.
