Caesar Creek State Park
Encyclopedia
Caesar Creek State Park is located in southwestern Ohio
, five miles (8 km) east of Waynesville
, in Warren
, Clinton
, and Greene
Counties. The park is leased by the State from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, who in the 1970s erected a dam
on Caesars Creek to impound a 2830 acres (1,145.3 ha) lake. The total park area, including the lake, is 7941 acres (3,213.6 ha). The park has 43 miles (69.2 km) of hiking trails and 31 miles (49.9 km) of bridle trails.
The Army Corps site states:
The dam is an earth and rock fill dam 165 feet (50.3 m) high and 2750 feet (838.2 m) long. The Army Corps site is an area of 10550 acres (4,269.4 ha). The watershed
above the dam has an area of 237 square miles (61,382.7 ha). Construction started in 1971 and was finished in 1978.
The village of New Burlington
was flooded by the lake. The site is in the Warren County
townships of Massie
and Wayne
.
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, five miles (8 km) east of Waynesville
Waynesville, Ohio
Waynesville is a village in Wayne Township, Warren County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 2,558, up from 1,949 in 1990. It is named for General "Mad" Anthony Wayne. The village, located at the crossroads of U.S. Route 42 and State Route 73, is known for its...
, in Warren
Warren County, Ohio
Warren County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. The population was 212,693 at the 2010 census. Its county seat is Lebanon. Warren County was erected May 1, 1803, from Hamilton County, and named for Dr...
, Clinton
Clinton County, Ohio
Clinton County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 42,040. The 2008 Census Population Estimate places the figure at 43,200. It is named for former U.S. Vice-President George Clinton...
, and Greene
Greene County, Ohio
Greene County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. The population was 161,573 in the 2010 Census. Its county seat is Xenia, and it was named for General Nathanael Greene, an officer in the Revolutionary War. Greene County was established on March 24, 1803.Greene County is part...
Counties. The park is leased by the State from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, who in the 1970s erected a dam
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
on Caesars Creek to impound a 2830 acres (1,145.3 ha) lake. The total park area, including the lake, is 7941 acres (3,213.6 ha). The park has 43 miles (69.2 km) of hiking trails and 31 miles (49.9 km) of bridle trails.
The Army Corps site states:
- Congress authorized Caesar Creek Lake under the Flood Control Act of 1938Flood Control Act of 1938The Flood Control Act of 1938 was an Act of the United States Congress signed into law by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt that authorized civil engineering projects such as dams, levees, dikes, and other flood control measures through the United States Army Corps of Engineers and other Federal...
. The LouisvilleLouisville, KentuckyLouisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers designed, built, and operates Caesar Creek Lake. - During the fall and winter months, the lake level is lowered to prepare for the storage of heavy spring rainfall. If heavy rains occur, surface water runoff is stored in the lake until the swollen streams and rivers below the dam have receded. Once they can handle the discharge of the stored water without damage to lives or property, the extra water is released.
The dam is an earth and rock fill dam 165 feet (50.3 m) high and 2750 feet (838.2 m) long. The Army Corps site is an area of 10550 acres (4,269.4 ha). The watershed
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
above the dam has an area of 237 square miles (61,382.7 ha). Construction started in 1971 and was finished in 1978.
The village of New Burlington
New Burlington, Ohio
New Burlington is a former village located in Chester Township in the northwestern corner of Clinton County, Ohio off of state route 380. It was acquired by the United States federal government when Caesar Creek was dammed and a reservoir created in the 1970s....
was flooded by the lake. The site is in the Warren County
Warren County, Ohio
Warren County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. The population was 212,693 at the 2010 census. Its county seat is Lebanon. Warren County was erected May 1, 1803, from Hamilton County, and named for Dr...
townships of Massie
Massie Township, Warren County, Ohio
Massie Township, one of the eleven townships of Warren County, Ohio, Ohio, United States, is located in the northeast part of the county and the least populous of Warren County's townships. In 2000, the population was 1,061 up from 885 in 1990; of this total, 498 lived in the unincorporated...
and Wayne
Wayne Township, Warren County, Ohio
Wayne Township is one of the eleven townships of Warren County, Ohio, United States. It is located in the northeast part of the county and includes the village of Waynesville, Ohio. Its population in 2000 was 7,250, up from 5,744 in 1990; 4,436 of this total lived in the unincorporated portions...
.
Amenities
- Caesar's Creek Pioneer VillageCaesar's Creek Pioneer VillageCaesar's Creek Pioneer Village is an open air collection of over 15 log cabins and other buildings from the 18th century and early 19th century. The village is part of Caesar Creek State Park, located in Waynesville, Ohio. The log buildings are open during special events, but can be viewed from...
- a collection of over 15 log cabins and other structures that are open during special events. The village is maintained and operated by a private non-profit organization. The buildings include a Quaker meetinghouseFriends meeting houseA Friends meeting house is a meeting house of the Religious Society of Friends , where meeting for worship may be held.-History:Quakers do not believe that meeting for worship should take place in any special place. They believe that "where two or three meet together in my name, I am there among...
, a broom shed, a pioneer school house, blacksmithBlacksmithA blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...
shop, carpenter shop, toll houseToll houseA tollhouse or toll house is a building with accommodation for a toll collector, beside a tollgate on a toll road or canal. Many tollhouses were built by turnpike trusts in England, Wales and Scotland during the 18th and early 19th centuries...
and many family houses.
- Caesar Creek Nature Center - Adjacent to the Pioneer Village, the nature centerNature centerA nature center is an organization with a visitor center or interpretive center designed to educate people about nature and the environment. Usually located within a protected open space, nature centers often have trails through their property. Some are located within a state or city park, and...
features exhibits on the area's cultural and natural historyNatural historyNatural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
. Nature education programs are offered year round, including campouts, hikes and a mapleMapleAcer is a genus of trees or shrubs commonly known as maple.Maples are variously classified in a family of their own, the Aceraceae, or together with the Hippocastanaceae included in the family Sapindaceae. Modern classifications, including the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group system, favour inclusion in...
syrup program.
External links
- Official State Park Website - includes information about the nature center programs
- Official ODNR Website (with links for reservations)
- Park map
- Caesar Creek Lake fishing map
- Caesars Creek Gorge
- Another site on the park
- Friends of Caesars Creek
- Army Corps page on the lake
- Ohio's State fossil