Lusk Home and Mill Site
Encyclopedia
The Lusk Home and Mill Site was the first European-American development in present Turkey Run State Park
, Indiana
's second oldest state park
.
Vermonter
Salmon Lusk was awarded this land for serving in the Battle of Tippecanoe
under William Henry Harrison
. The Lusks werely largely self-sufficient. Captain Lusk built a log cabin
in 1822 and lived there with his spouse and eight children until 1841. Then he and his sons made bricks, carved walnut
woodwork, and built the brick house. He dug a coal mine to heat his house. Lusk built a gristmill
in 1826 with a foundation of stone-cut stone. A horizontal waterwheel was powered by water diverted by a dam down a race. A settlement grew around Lusk's house and mill, until a Sugar Creek flood on New Year's Day
, 1847, washed away every building except Lusk's brick house. Salmon Lusk's wife lived there until 1880, when John Lusk inherited the property. He was inactive managing the site except for preventing woodcutting.
After John Lusk died in 1915, the property was put up for sale. A logging company, Hoosier Veneer, paid US$30,000.00 for the site. Richard Lieber
and the State Parks Commission raised $40,000.00 to buy the land from the lumber company after last minute support from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
on November 11, 1916. The Lusk parcel was the first land obtained for Turkey Run State Park.
The Lusk Home is open for tours during the summer. There is a fee for parking vehicles within the state park, but visitors may avoid the fee by parking on a nearby public road, and walking to the Lusk Home. The coal mine is a bat habitat today. This is farther inside the park, so visitors must negotiate Turkey Run's rugged hiking trails to gain access to avoid fees.
Turkey Run State Park
Turkey Run State Park is located in Parke County, Indiana, in the west-central part of the state on State Road 47 two miles east of U.S. 41. It was Indiana's second state park, with the first parcel of land being purchased in 1916 at the cost of $40,200 when the State Park system was first...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
's second oldest state park
State park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the federated state level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational...
.
Vermonter
Amtrak's Vermonter is a 611-mile passenger train service between St. Albans , New York City and Washington, D.C. One trip runs in each direction per day....
Salmon Lusk was awarded this land for serving in the Battle of Tippecanoe
Battle of Tippecanoe
The Battle of Tippecanoe was fought on November 7, 1811, between United States forces led by Governor William Henry Harrison of the Indiana Territory and Native American warriors associated with the Shawnee leader Tecumseh. Tecumseh and his brother Tenskwatawa were leaders of a confederacy of...
under William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison was the ninth President of the United States , an American military officer and politician, and the first president to die in office. He was 68 years, 23 days old when elected, the oldest president elected until Ronald Reagan in 1980, and last President to be born before the...
. The Lusks werely largely self-sufficient. Captain Lusk built a log cabin
Log cabin
A log cabin is a house built from logs. It is a fairly simple type of log house. A distinction should be drawn between the traditional meanings of "log cabin" and "log house." Historically most "Log cabins" were a simple one- or 1½-story structures, somewhat impermanent, and less finished or less...
in 1822 and lived there with his spouse and eight children until 1841. Then he and his sons made bricks, carved walnut
Walnut
Juglans is a plant genus of the family Juglandaceae, the seeds of which are known as walnuts. They are deciduous trees, 10–40 meters tall , with pinnate leaves 200–900 millimetres long , with 5–25 leaflets; the shoots have chambered pith, a character shared with the wingnuts , but not the hickories...
woodwork, and built the brick house. He dug a coal mine to heat his house. Lusk built a gristmill
Gristmill
The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...
in 1826 with a foundation of stone-cut stone. A horizontal waterwheel was powered by water diverted by a dam down a race. A settlement grew around Lusk's house and mill, until a Sugar Creek flood on New Year's Day
New Year's Day
New Year's Day is observed on January 1, the first day of the year on the modern Gregorian calendar as well as the Julian calendar used in ancient Rome...
, 1847, washed away every building except Lusk's brick house. Salmon Lusk's wife lived there until 1880, when John Lusk inherited the property. He was inactive managing the site except for preventing woodcutting.
After John Lusk died in 1915, the property was put up for sale. A logging company, Hoosier Veneer, paid US$30,000.00 for the site. Richard Lieber
Richard Lieber
Richard Lieber was a German-American businessman who became the father of the Indiana state parks system. At his death, he could be considered the most powerful spokesman in the United States for the conservation of natural resources.-Early life:He was born into privilege in Düsseldorf, Germany,...
and the State Parks Commission raised $40,000.00 to buy the land from the lumber company after last minute support from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, located in Speedway, Indiana in the United States, is the home of the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race and the Brickyard 400....
on November 11, 1916. The Lusk parcel was the first land obtained for Turkey Run State Park.
See also
- Arch in the Town of MarshallArch in the Town of MarshallThe Arch in the Town of Marshall, also known as Marshall Arch, was built in 1921 by Carroll Beeson.-See also:* Lusk Home and Mill Site, within Turkey Run State Park* Richard Lieber Log Cabin, within Turkey Run State Park* Beeson Covered Bridge...
- Richard Lieber Log Cabin, within Turkey Run State Park
- Beeson Covered BridgeBeeson Covered BridgeThe Beeson Covered Bridge is a Burr Arch covered bridge structure that was built by the Frankfurt Construction Company in 1906. It is 55 Feet long, 16 feet wide, and 13 feet high....
- Parke County Covered BridgesParke County Covered BridgesThe covered bridges of Parke County are well-known tourist attractions in Parke County, Indiana, United States, which touts itself as the "Covered Bridge Capital of the World". The county has more covered bridges than any other county in the United States...
- List of Registered Historic Places in Indiana
- Parke County Covered Bridge FestivalParke County Covered Bridge FestivalThe Parke County Covered Bridge Festival is a fall festival which takes place in nine communities in Parke County, Indiana. It celebrates the county's 31 covered bridges, and is attended by more than 2 million people each year...