Every year for the past decade, Linda Wann and her family have visited the Parke County Covered Bridge Festival in Mansfield, Ind. The popular event, an hour west of Indianapolis, has been a community tradition for 60 years.

On Saturday, Wann, her husband, 22-year-old son and her son's girlfriend were browsing the merchant booths. That's when Wann said she saw a cookie jar depicting the "Mammy" character, a common representation of black women during the slavery and Jim Crow eras. The price tag was $90.

"I looked at it, and I said, 'I thought they could no longer sell things like this,' " Wann said. "I put the lid back on it, and I looked over it and to the table next to it,"

There, she said, she noticed a pair of rusty-looking chains and cuffs and knew instantly what they were: A pair of slave shackles. One said "NEGRO WOMAN OR CHILD ONLY" and the other "PROPERTY OF GEORGE TOWN COUNTY PLANTATION POLICE."

The price on one read $250.

"I'm like, 'Surely these aren't slave shackles,' " she said. "I went over and I picked them up. That's when I was like, 'Oh my gosh, these are slave chains.' "

The shackles could be authentic, or replicas. The chains and the cookie jar were sold by the same vendor. Wann said she became angry and asked the two salesmen why these items were for sale. They said they didn't own the booth. The booth didn't have a name.

She snapped a photo of the shackles, and walked away. She later posted the photo to Instagram and Facebook. Her post was shared more than 250 times, and received nearly 200 comments.

"They think there's a market for them, that people want them," she said. "No. That's not history that you sell."

Wann's experience marks one of several controversial incidents that have occurred with vendors at Indiana events this year.

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In late September, a vendor was banned from the annual Ducktail Run Rod and Custom Car Show in Gas City for selling signs that said, "Colored seated In rear" and "Public swimming pool whites only." Other signs hawked products that featured offensive depictions of African-Americans holding watermelons and selling syrup.

In August, the Indiana State Fair contacted fair vendors to ask them to stop selling Confederate flag merchandise after a fair guest registered a complaint about one vendor selling items with the flag.

Wann said she contacted organizers with the Parke County Tourist Information Center to request action be taken against the vendor, but she was told they couldn't locate the vendor.

More than 20 Parke County property owners host hundreds of vendors at the countywide festival. The vendors must purchase a license from the Parke County auditor's office, and that application requires a detailed description of inventory, said Kinsey Norman, of Parke County's Tourist Information Center.

"They're supposed to list what they're going to sell, but they don't always list it," Norman said. "We try to keep track of it as much as possible. Sometimes, some of the vendors fall through the cracks."

The property owners decide which merchants they will allow on what is mostly private land.

"Sadly, some of these vendors that come in, the owners don't always know what they sell, so that gives the festival a bad name," Norman said. "Obviously, we don't want that to represent the festival at all, because that's not the image that we want to portray. So, we have to straighten it out as best we can."

Bill Osmon has about 175 vendors on his Mansfield property. Osmon has participated in the festival for 12 years, and said each of his vendors apply and are evaluated before selected.

He was saddened to learn about the shackles.

"I could guarantee you that was not on my land," he said. "That's too bad. I'm shocked that that was here."

County Commission President Jim Meece said he is aware of Wann's complaint and understands why she would be offended, but doesn't "see any action that we would take."

"It's a free country, he can sell what he wants," he said. "Perhaps in bad taste, but the market will have to decide that.

"If there was something beyond the historic-relic-kind-of-a thing, I would be concerned, but I'm not," Meece said. "I don't think anyone's pushing any kind of racist attitude.This appears to be a historic replica, and there certainly were a lot of them during those difficult times."

Meece, who sells sassafras candy, tea, jelly and maple syrup at the festival, emphasized that vendors do not represent Parke County or the event, which ends Sunday. They are allowed to choose their own merchandise, within reason. The festival would not allow, for example, Nazi memorabilia, or items depicting swastikas or anti-facist symbols.

"I'm sure there are people offended by all kinds of symbols out here," he said. "That was an uncomfortable time, but Parke County was so fervent in their Underground Railroad activity that that vendor in no way represents Parke County."

Since posting the photos of the shackles, Wann said she's been accused of fabricating her story.

"Why would I want to make up something that I said we enjoyed going to?" she said. "When I made the post, it wasn't to blackball the festival. It's to bring awareness to what's happening in this country, that this is now what people think they can do — sell chains at this festival."

Call IndyStar reporter Amy Bartner at (317) 444-6752. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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