Charlestown State Park
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| Charlestown | |
| Designation | State Park |
| Location | Indiana USA |
| Nearest Cities | Charlestown, Indiana |
| Coordinates | |
| Area | 5,100 acres |
| Date of Establishment | 1996 |
| Governing Body | Indiana DNR |
Charlestown State Park is a state park in Indiana. It is located one mile east of Charlestown, Indiana and adjacent to the Ohio River. It was once part of the Indiana Army Ammunition Plant (INAAP), and was donated in separate parcels to the Indiana state government. In 1993, the state of Indiana was given 859 acres, and in 1994 was given an additional 1,125. When opened, the park encompassed 2,400 acres. With an additional 2,600 acres given by the INAAP in 2004, the park currently has 5,100 acres, making it the third largest state park in Indiana.[1]
The main feature of the park is various scenic trails overlooking Fourteen Mile Creek, noted for being one of the oldest unglaciated stream valleys in the state. On the peninsula the creek forms where it meets the Ohio River stands an isolated bedrock ridge called the Devil's Backbone, which features remains of an ancient stone fortress. The park does not provide any access to this peninsula from its trails. At one time there was a footbridge across the creek used for accessing the Rose Island amusement park, but only concrete pilings remain on each side of the creek.
Devonian fossils and karst sinkholes can be found in the park, in addition to 72 species of birds, including bluebirds, black vultures and bald eagles.
The park is scheduled for $3 million in improvements. It was delayed in January 2006 when workers building a new boat ramp found an Indian cooking area dating back to 2,000 B.C. The remains of firepits and stone slabs that would be used to crack nuts were found, as well as Laurel chert, from which stone tools were made. Once the archaelogical surveys are done, work can continue. A five-lane boat ramp, and a riverfront walking trail are the more important of the improvements.[2]
In September 2006 it was announced that the new boat ramps were once again under construction. [3]
[edit] External links
| Indiana State Parks |  |
|---|---|
| Brown County - Chain O' Lakes - Charlestown - Clifty Falls - Falls of the Ohio - Fort Harrison - Harmonie - Indiana Dunes - Lincoln - McCormick's Creek - Mounds - O'Bannon Woods - Ouabache - Pokagon - Potato Creek - Prophetstown - Shades - Shakamak - Spring Mill - Summit Lake - Tippecanoe River - Turkey Run - Versailles - Whitewater Memorial - White River |
