Our History
A certificate of membership was an essential document that Quakers carried as they traveled about in the 1800s to new territories. This recommendation afforded the new arrivals an introduction and provided them opportunities to become an established part of a community. One particular Quaker, Harmon Davis, four days before presenting his credentials to the Milford Meeting in Milton, Indiana, had purchased for $500.00 the land on which the town of Dublin would be platted (p.4, Dublin, 1830-1980).
A dozen families were living in Dublin within the first year, and by 1832 there were several merchants located in the town including three cabinet makers, a blacksmith, a tavern, a tannery, a carding mill, a physician and an undertaker. Dublin’s first postmaster was Samuel Schoolfield who according to Samuel Huddleston “had a habit of complaining to the mail carrier who carried the mail on horseback that the mail was too light. One day the mail carrier captured a large mud turtle and put it into the bag. When Mr. Schoolfield picked up the bag, he remarked that that kind of mail was worth carrying for it felt like there was something in it. When Mr. Schoolfield poured out the contents of the bag upon the counter, he said things that would not look well in print” (p.9, Dublin, 1830-1980). Davis along with his wife, Hannah and their two youngest children did not see the growth of the town as they moved in the Fall of 1832. It has been speculated that Davis' decision to leave was due to embarrassing circumstances regarding various members of his family and that he used part of his land holdings to cover a relative's debt. An ad placed in the Richmond, Indiana Palladium in 1838 establishes that Davis died in Jefferson Township, Indiana in September of 1838.
There are several theories as to how the town of Dublin acquired its name. The first was that there was a tavern or an inn that had double entrances, therefore “double-inn” was shortened to Dublin. It was even speculated that it might have been John Huddleston’s large brick home located in Mt. Auburn which had dual entrances. However, at the time that Dublin received its name the Huddleston home had not been built nor was there a tavern in town.
There is also a theory regarding the story of a second team of horses that were required to pull some of the heavier vehicles up muddy National Road. The term of “doubling-up or “doubling-in” might have been shortened to Dublin. In 1830, during the early days of Dublin, the National Road would not have been cleared yet for this to be plausible. However, there is a possibility that old State Road east from Whitacre’s corner could have been the source of Dublin’s name. “Ray Custer, a great grandson of Paul Custer, gives a story handed down to him that Paul Custer kept a team of horses handy to help others out of a muddy spot in the road” (p.19, Dublin, 1830-1980).
In 1906, Samuel Huddleston suggested that Harmon Davis was from the town of Dublin, Maryland and that he merely named the town after his hometown. At present, there is no verification that Davis is from Maryland and so we are each left to ponder our own theory with regards to the naming of Dublin.
The information provided was taken from the book entitled: Dublin 1830-1980, Sesquicentennial Celebration, August 15, 16, 17 1980 Pictorial and Descriptive History of Dublin, Indiana which is available for purchase at the Dublin Town Hall.