Gilbert Cabin Site

Goldsmith C. Gilbert, a New York trader and miller who came to Delaware County in the early 1820s and operated a trading post on the Mississinewa River, acquired the Hackley Reserve and erected a cabin on this square in which his daughter Mary Jane was the first white person born within the limits of Muncie in 1825. In 1827, Gilbert, Lemuel Jackson, and William Brown donated the site of the county seat of Delaware County. In Muncie’s early days, Gilbert also kept a tavern in a two story building at the southeast corner of High and Gilbert streets, ran a mill, general store, and distillery, engaged in banking, and served in the Indiana Legislature. He died in 1844. The present building on this site was constructed later in the 19th century by the Wysors, a pioneer milling family whose mill, begun by Gilbert, was located northwest of here. The tract was acquired by E. Arthur Ball and dedicated to use by the American Legion in 1925.

Muncie, Indiana · United States