Whitewater Memorial State Park
Encyclopedia
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Whitewater Memorial
Designation
State Park
Location
Indiana
USA
Nearest City
Liberty, Indiana
Coordinates
39°36′50"N 84°57′55"W
Area
1710 acres (7 km²)
Date of Establishment
1949
Governing Body
Indiana DNR
Whitewater Memorial is the sixteenth state park
in Indiana
. It is located 47 miles (75.6 km) west-southwest of Dayton, Ohio
. At 23000 acres (93.1 km²), it is the third-largest state park in Indiana; its seventeen miles (27 km) stretching between Brookville, Indiana
, and Liberty, Indiana
, paralleled by Indiana State Road 101
.
The park was established as a memorial to those American soldiers who lost their lives in World War II
. Four counties gave up part of their land so that the state of Indiana could create such a memorial state park: Fayette
, Franklin
, Union
, and Wayne
.
Part of the facilities available to visitors to Whitewater Memorial State Park include Brookville Reservoir. Brookville Reservoir was created as an artificial lake by the United States Army Corps of Engineers
in 1974, spanning 5260 acres (21 km²). The dam which enables the lake is 181 feet (55.2 m) high and 2800 feet (853.4 m) long. Whitewater Lake itself is 200 acre (0.809372 km²).
Popular recreation options in the state park include houseboats, five hiking trails, a nine-mile (14 km) horse trail, and lake swimming. Bass
, bluegill
, and other small fish are the attractions for fishermen. An archery range is available by the reservoir. Hayrides are also occasionally offered.
Hunters are attracted to the deer
, rabbit
s, and raccoon
s. Non-hunted wildlife are woodpecker
s and owl
s.
Within the state park is the Hornbeam Nature Preserve, which features the rare hornbeam
trees. It is 37 acres (149,733.8 m²) in area, and was established in 1974.
Whitewater Memorial State Park hosted the Vietnam Memorial Moving Wall
from September 4-8, 2008. It was placed at the beach's southern edge where it's grassy. Surviving veterans of the four counties were specifically honored.
Whitewater Memorial
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...
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...
USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
Liberty, Indiana
Liberty is a town in Center Township, Union County, Indiana, United States. The population was 2,061 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Union County.-Geography:Liberty is located at ....
Area
Area is a quantity that expresses the extent of a two-dimensional surface or shape in the plane. Area can be understood as the amount of material with a given thickness that would be necessary to fashion a model of the shape, or the amount of paint necessary to cover the surface with a single coat...
Whitewater Memorial is the sixteenth 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...
in 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...
. It is located 47 miles (75.6 km) west-southwest of Dayton, Ohio
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
. At 23000 acres (93.1 km²), it is the third-largest state park in Indiana; its seventeen miles (27 km) stretching between Brookville, Indiana
Brookville, Indiana
Brookville is a town in Brookville Township, Franklin County, Indiana, United States. The population was 2,625 at the 2000 census. The town is the county seat of Franklin County.-Geography:...
, and Liberty, Indiana
Liberty, Indiana
Liberty is a town in Center Township, Union County, Indiana, United States. The population was 2,061 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Union County.-Geography:Liberty is located at ....
, paralleled by Indiana State Road 101
Indiana State Road 101
State Road 101 in the U.S. state of Indiana is a north–south state highway in the eastern portion of Indiana that exists in four sections with a combined length of .-First section:...
.
The park was established as a memorial to those American soldiers who lost their lives in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Four counties gave up part of their land so that the state of Indiana could create such a memorial state park: Fayette
Fayette County, Indiana
-2010 Census Data:As of the census of 2010, there were 24,277 people and 9,719 households residing in the county. The population density was 113 people per square mile . There were 10,898 housing units at an average density of 51 per square mile...
, Franklin
Franklin County, Indiana
As of the census of 2000, there were 22,151 people, 7,868 households, and 6,129 families residing in the county. The population density was 57 people per square mile . There were 8,596 housing units at an average density of 22 per square mile...
, Union
Union County, Indiana
As of the census of 2000, there were 7,349 people, 2,793 households, and 2,072 families residing in the county. The population density was 46 people per square mile . There were 3,077 housing units at an average density of 19 per square mile...
, and Wayne
Wayne County, Indiana
Wayne County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2010 census, the population was 68,917. The county seat is Richmond.-History:...
.
Part of the facilities available to visitors to Whitewater Memorial State Park include Brookville Reservoir. Brookville Reservoir was created as an artificial lake by the United States Army Corps of Engineers
United States Army Corps of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
in 1974, spanning 5260 acres (21 km²). The dam which enables the lake is 181 feet (55.2 m) high and 2800 feet (853.4 m) long. Whitewater Lake itself is 200 acre (0.809372 km²).
Popular recreation options in the state park include houseboats, five hiking trails, a nine-mile (14 km) horse trail, and lake swimming. Bass
Bass (fish)
Bass is a name shared by many different species of popular gamefish. The term encompasses both freshwater and marine species. All belong to the large order Perciformes, or perch-like fishes, and in fact the word bass comes from Middle English bars, meaning "perch."-Types of basses:*The temperate...
, bluegill
Bluegill
The Bluegill is a species of freshwater fish sometimes referred to as bream, brim, or copper nose. It is a member of the sunfish family Centrarchidae of the order Perciformes.-Range and distribution:...
, and other small fish are the attractions for fishermen. An archery range is available by the reservoir. Hayrides are also occasionally offered.
Hunters are attracted to the deer
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
, rabbit
Rabbit
Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world...
s, and raccoon
Raccoon
Procyon is a genus of nocturnal mammals, comprising three species commonly known as raccoons, in the family Procyonidae. The most familiar species, the common raccoon , is often known simply as "the" raccoon, as the two other raccoon species in the genus are native only to the tropics and are...
s. Non-hunted wildlife are woodpecker
Woodpecker
Woodpeckers are near passerine birds of the order Piciformes. They are one subfamily in the family Picidae, which also includes the piculets and wrynecks. They are found worldwide and include about 180 species....
s and owl
Owl
Owls are a group of birds that belong to the order Strigiformes, constituting 200 bird of prey species. Most are solitary and nocturnal, with some exceptions . Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish...
s.
Within the state park is the Hornbeam Nature Preserve, which features the rare hornbeam
Hornbeam
Hornbeams are relatively small hardwood trees in the genus Carpinus . Though some botanists grouped them with the hazels and hop-hornbeams in a segregate family, Corylaceae, modern botanists place the hornbeams in the birch subfamily Coryloideae...
trees. It is 37 acres (149,733.8 m²) in area, and was established in 1974.
Whitewater Memorial State Park hosted the Vietnam Memorial Moving Wall
The Moving Wall
The Moving Wall is a half-size replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. It was devised by John Devitt after he attended the annual commemoration celebrated in Washington for Vietnam veterans. He felt that he needed to share his experience with those who did not have the...
from September 4-8, 2008. It was placed at the beach's southern edge where it's grassy. Surviving veterans of the four counties were specifically honored.