Brown County State Park is located in the United States in the center of the southern half of the state of Indiana. The park is by far the largest of 24 state parks in Indiana, and occupies —making it one of the larger state parks in the United States. It is among Indiana's most visited state parks with about 1.2 million visitors annually. Although Bloomington, Indiana, is the closest city, the park is closer to the small town of Nashville in Brown County. Brown County is named for General Jacob Brown, who fought in the War of 1812 and became Commanding General of the United States Army.
The park opened in 1929, and was dedicated in 1932 as a memorial to Indiana humorist Frank McKinney "Kin" Hubbard. Although Hubbard lived and worked in Indianapolis, he was a frequent visitor to Nashville and the surrounding woods. The park's Abe Martin Lodge is named after Hubbard's fictional backwoodsmen character used to convey Hubbard's humor and witticisms.
Brown County and its park are known for their scenic views of the hills of southern Indiana. Both are the home of a wide variety of trees that attract visitors each year when the vegetation transforms to its autumn colors. The park also contains many trees that flower in the springtime. Visitors will find a rustic atmosphere, enhanced by an infrastructure that was mostly constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the 1930s. In addition to the park's lodge, cabins can be rented and campsites are available. The park has trails for hiking, biking and horseback riding. It has two lakes for fishing that complement the surrounding forests and provide a water source for the local wildlife. The area's beauty attracts artists and photographers worldwide.
History Brown County Brown County was created in 1836 from portions of Monroe, Jackson, and Bartholomew counties, and is named after General Jacob Brown, a hero of the War of 1812. Early settlers tried farming in Brown County's hilly woodlands, leading them to clear the forests. Beginning in the 1840s and continuing for the rest of the century, most of Brown County's forests were cleared. At first, the largest trees were cut for lumber used in the construction industry. In later years, smaller trees were cleared for furniture wood, barrels, railroad ties, and firewood. The rugged land eventually became difficult to farm because of poor quality soil. A combination of poor farming practices and erosion caused by deforestation depleted the soil's nutrients. Many farmers abandoned the area.
Beginning At least two people played major roles in the creation of Brown County State Park. Richard Lieber, an Indianapolis businessman who became the first director of the Indiana Department of Conservation, visited Brown County in 1910. Lieber was so impressed with the beauty of the land that he built a cabin near Nashville and suggested that a portion of the county should be set aside for a state park. Lieber eventually became known as "the father of Indiana's state parks", and the state opened 10 state parks (including Brown County) during his tenure as director of the Indiana Department of Conservation. Lieber was not the only one from Indianapolis that was impressed with Brown County. In 1923, the Order of Elks expressed interest in establishing a state park in Brown County.
Lee Bright lived in the small Indiana town of Nashville in Brown County. Bright believed that creation of a state park would restore the economic health of the region through tourism. His idea proved difficult to accomplish, since Indiana law did not allow purchasing land for a state park using state funds. The law did allow funds to be used for a game preserve. By 1926, Bright, working as the state's agent, purchased enough land to start a game reserve in Brown County.
Game preserve Brown County's game preserve was created in late 1924. During November, 1924, the Indiana Department of Conservation appointed a game warden to manage the preserve. The new manager was a resident of Nashville, and familiar with the area. It was also announced that much of the land would be reforested. A total of of Brown County land was designated for the propagation of wildlife. Plans were made to surround the reserve with wire fencing, and game wardens patrolled the area. Deer and small game were brought in to propagate. Additional acreage was added in 1927, increasing the reserve to over . During the same year, an observation tower was constructed on Weed Patch Hill, the highest point in the area. A dam was constructed in 1928 to create an artificial lake that was expected to cover . It was planned to stock the lake with game fish then allow fishing after two or three years. The lake was completed by the spring of 1929, and plans were announced to build a second (and larger) lake. By January 1929, the preserve covered about . Funds from the sale of hunting and fishing licenses were used to acquire the additional land.
State Park In 1927, the Indiana state legislature passed a law allowing county commissioners to acquire land for the purpose of establishing a state park, and donate the land to the state conservation department. Brown County State Park was the fourth such park established after this legislation. In 1929, Brown County commissioners gave the state conservation department of land adjacent to the Brown County Game Preserve for the creation of a state park. Four parks had been donated using other means before the legislation, making Brown County State Park Indiana's eighth state park.
In 1933, eleven Civilian Conservation Corps groups were established for Indiana's state forests, game preserves, and state parks. Each group had 200 workers involved in the construction of buildings, bridges, trails, roads, and water supplies. One project was a large shelter in the Brown County game preserve. After training, workers from the Corps arrived in Brown County in 1934. The Corps began constructing much of the park's extant infrastructure. They worked to prevent erosion by reforesting with walnut, pine, and spruce trees. A second camp for the Civilian Conservation Corps opened in the park in 1938. The CCC Trail—the park's Trail 2—is one built by the Corps. The park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2020 for its CCC elements.
Beginning in 1941, the Brown County Game Preserve and Brown County State Park were unified as a single state park. Since that time, two portions of the park have been designated as nature preserves—giving them additional protection from development. Ogle Hollow Nature Preserve was established in 1970 and consists of in Ogle Hollow containing the rare yellowwood tree. The second preserve is the Ten O'Clock Line Nature Preserve. This preserve was designated in 2010, and is Indiana's largest. It also contains yellowwood trees, and is the home of some of Indiana's deep forest species, including the red bat, timber rattlesnake, and broad-winged hawk. The term "Ten O'Clock Line" refers to a treaty with the Miami Indians from the early 1800s.
The 1987 Pan American Games, hosted in Indianapolis (roughly north), utilized Brown County State Park as the venue for the road race cycling competition.
Kin Hubbard Frank McKinney "Kin" Hubbard (1868 – 1930) was an American humorist-cartoonist whose humor and witticisms were expressed through fictional backwoods characters living in Brown County. His work (usually a cartoon and a sentence or two) appeared every day on the back page of the Indianapolis News, and was syndicated in about 200 newspapers throughout the country. Hubbard was named to the Ohio Journalism Hall of Fame in 1939, and the Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame in 1967.
In 1932, Brown County State Park was dedicated in honor of Kin Hubbard. Abe Martin was Hubbard's main character, and Brown County State Park's Abe Martin Lodge is named in his honor. A picture of Hubbard hangs in the lounge of the lodge, and a collection of Hubbard memorabilia is in a room nearby.
Description Brown County State Park is the largest of the 24 state parks managed by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. It is in the center of Indiana's southern half, "just minutes" from the town of Nashville, Indiana. The park occupies in Brown County. It has three entrances, adjacent to state roads 46 and 135. The northern entrance is close to the Abe Martin Lodge, Saddle Barn, tennis courts and a swimming pool. Large trucks and recreational vehicles must use the western entrance, due to a historic covered bridge that has a 3-ton weight limit and a 9' overhead clearance at the northern entrance. Campers bringing horses must use the southeast entrance, which leads to a specialized campground with hitching posts known as the Horsemen's Camp. Interstate 65's Columbus exit is about east of the park. Indiana University and the city of Bloomington, Indiana, are less than away.
Brown County is nationally known for its outdoor scenery and dramatic views from southern Indiana hilltops. Brown County State Park affords a number of vistas that overlook wide swaths of deciduous forest that display a large array of colors in the fall. Peak visitation is in the fall during the leaf-changing season. In spring the dogwood, redbud, and serviceberry trees are in bloom. About 1.2 million people come to the park each year, including overseas visitors.
Brown County State Park is sometimes called "the Little Smokies" because of similarities with the Great Smoky Mountains. Activities available in the park include camping, fishing, biking, hiking, and seasonal horseback riding. Many of these activities are available all year. Overnight visitors may stay in the campgrounds, rental cabins, or the Abe Martin Lodge. The park has a nature center and a nature preserve. Within the park boundaries are two manmade lakes: the Ogle Lake, and Strahl Lake. The park contains nine mountain bike trails totaling . Four of the trails are rated as beginner trails, two are considered intermediate, and two advanced. The last trail is rated for experts and is long. A total of slightly over of hiking trails range from easy to rugged terrain. The park has over of roads and of bridle trails. The third highest point in Indiana is located on Trail 10 near a high fire tower. This point, known as Weed Patch Hill, has an elevation of . When settlers first arrived at this hill, they found only a patch of weeds—a tornado had destroyed the trees—leading to the name. Hesitation Point is another vantage point for scenic views.
Natural resources Flora
The most important tree in the park is the American yellowwood (Cladrastis kentukea, formerly known as Cladrastis lutea). This tree typically does not grow further north than central Kentucky, and has been designated as a state threatened species in Indiana. Other trees found in the park include at least four types of oak (black, chestnut, red, and white) and three types of hickory (bitternut, pignut, and shagbark). The park also contains at least two types of maple trees: black, sugar, red and silver. Patches of paw paw trees can be found throughout the park, and these trees produce an edible fruit. In areas with good moist soil, the black walnut tree grows. Among other trees growing in the park are the American beech, basswood, black cherry, black gum, and red elm. Also the sassafras, sycamore, white ash. The park also contains at least eight kinds of ferns and 20 types of wildflowers, including bloodroot and wild geranium.
Fauna