Penn Township near New Vienna in Highland County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Gist Settlement
Photographed by Rev. Ronald Irick, August 14, 2018
1. Gist Settlement Marker
side A
Through the terms of his will, British absentee landowner Samuel Gist (c.1723-1815) freed his 350 Virginia slaves and provided funds for their relocation, the purchase of land and homes, and the establishment of schools and churches. Gist's executors acquired over 2,000 acres of land in Ohio, including two large tracts in Scott and Eagle townships in Brown County in 1819. In 1831 and 1835, an agent of the Gist estate purchased 207 acres in Fairfield Township (now Penn Township), Highland County, and divided the acreage into thirty-one lots. The Gist Settlement in Highland County was the last to be purchased and settled. In 1857, the Ohio Legislature granted the Highland County Court of Common Pleas control over the freedmen's trust monies. In 2003 descendants of the freed Gist slaves still inhabited part of the original settlement.
Original lot owners in the Fairfield Township settlement:
Lot 1- Rosanna Good 2- Mary J. Good 3- T.T. Lawson 4- Elizabeth Carey 5- Ann Rollins 6- Bartley Lawrence (Rollins) 7- Alexander Hailstock 8- John Carey 9- Ann Eliza Lawson 10- Parmelia Buford 11- Henry Turner 12- Joel Mitchell 13- Nancy Carey 14- John Carey 15- Hannibal Turner 16- Henrietta Essex 17- Lucy Brooks 18- Henry Turner 29- C.C. Lawson 19- Ann Rollins 20- Rebecca Rollins 21 & 22
this page online
Erected 2003 by Ohio Bicentennial Commission, The P & G Fund, and The Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 5-36.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Ohio Historical Society / The Ohio History Connection series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1819.
Location. 39° 18.801′ N, 83° 38.919′ W. Marker is near New Vienna, Ohio, in Highland County. It is in Penn Township. It is at the intersection of Gist Settlement Road (County Route 291) and Rollins Lane (County Route 430), on the left when traveling south on Gist Settlement Road. marker is in Gist Cemetery at Carthagenia Church. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 11041 Gist Settlement Rd, New Vienna OH 45159, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Southern Ohio Hill Country. It is also in the American Midwest, in the Corn Belt, in Appalachia, and specifically in Northern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: The History of Fallsville (approx. 1.9 miles away); Lest We Forget (approx. 2.4 miles away); In Memoriam (approx. 2½ miles away); Highland World War II Veterans Memorial (approx.
Photographed by Rev. Ronald Irick, August 14, 2018
2. Gist Settlement Marker
side B
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker.
Photographed by Rev. Ronald Irick, August 14, 2018
3. Gist Settlement Marker
full view of marker
Photographed by Rev. Ronald Irick, August 14, 2018
4. Gist Settlement Marker
marker at a distance, in cemetery
Photographed by Rev. Ronald Irick, August 14, 2018
5. The Carthagenia Church
Photographed by Rev. Ronald Irick, August 14, 2018
6. Gist Settlement Marker
road sign, north of the cemetery
Credits. This page was last revised on July 17, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 26, 2018, by Rev. Ronald Irick of West Liberty, Ohio. This page has been viewed 3,974 times since then and 211 times this year. Last updated on May 17, 2025, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on August 26, 2018, by Rev. Ronald Irick of West Liberty, Ohio. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
