History & Genealogy of Culver Town Park

Here is some interesting facts stated about the orginial property owners of the north side of the lake:

Zina and Emma Duddleson

.....

The grandfather of Zina was a Civil War veteran and a farmer. His later years were lived in the Argos vicinity.
The great-granfather originally owned the Thomas Houghton farm to the Maxinkuckee Lake on the west side of Burr Oak ROad. The land now occupied by the Vandalia Park, was part of this farm and was given to Dr. Durr in payment for medical services. The consideration was $50., as great-grandfather Duddleson considered it of little farming value. .....

History of Marshall County Indiana Sesquicentenial 1836 - 1986 -, Taylor Publishing Co., 1986, Publication # 357 of 1422, Marshall County Historical Society pg. 153 - Marcella White.

1876 - J. Castleman
I. Morris

1880 - E. Parker

1889 - Lakeside Vandalia Park was established

1898 - Depot - [T. H. I RR = Terre Haute & Indianapolis Railroad]
1889
1908 - Vandalia Railroad Property & Vandalia Park

1922 - Vandalia Railroad

1935 - In 1935 Culver purchased the town park for $6,500 this included 3.2 acres and buildings excluding the depot and adjacent land; it also included Bunker Hill and the old water tower of 2.2 acres.

The Boat and Bath house burned on 17 Feb. 1935. The decision to build being made on 11 December 1935.

1886 - The Boat and Bath house was built in 1886 1894 - The Boat and Bath house was built in 1886 and was purchased in 1894 by the Vandalia Railroad when it took over the park. Monton H. Foss operated the Boat and Bath house.It sat probably a little further east than the present structure by the old postcards and by the plat map of 1922, which pin points the locations.

1937 - March 24 – Oliver Shilling given five-year lease to operate town bath house; May 26 – Bath house open to public for first time. June 23 – Mr. and Mrs. G. Cultice open restaurant in Culver Beach Lodge; August 4 – Mrs. Hugh Harper takes over management of Culver Beach Lodge

1937 The boathouse was replaced by the Culver Public Beach Lodge, a WPA project. It opened in May of 1937.

1942 - August 19 Victory flower garden planted by Charles McLane beautifies town park.

1947 - June 25 – Lions Club members build playground court in the park.

1948 - William "Bill" and Margaret Washburn start their management of the Beach Lodge.

1952 - April 23 – Repair of Town Park swimming pier and erection of a high dive approved by Lions Directors…

1958 - In March of 1958, 14 coal cars derailed in the park area and it took most of the spring and early summer to clean up.

From sometime in the 1950's till the late 1960's Bill and Margaret Washburn ran the beach lodge and park every year. And an Italian born gentleman know as "Angelo" maintained the park grounds and collected the table fees during the weekends.

Some time during the 1950's the Lions Club started their annual Corn Roast on Saturday night in July, in the area between the depot and the pavilion. Also at the time on Sunday they sponsored a boat race which was discontinued. The corn roast has survived - the corn is hand shucked; boiled in a large iron kettle over an open flame; beverage and hamburgers grilled out in the open and all the condiments to go on the hamburgers. Another tradition gone it the scrumptious hand spun cotton candy manned for years by Jesse Overmyer - for the kids, young and old alike!
Also another tradition in the spring of the year is the "Easter Egg Hunt" that they sponsor for the children using the park as the hunting ground

1963 -August 14 – The Culver Jaycees have just completed their first major community project, the building of a new beach area on the shoreline of the Culver Town Park, beginning at the west edge of the present beach…

1966 - The 1966 seen the park board established. A fence was put up around the beach area and charging began to take place in order to swim. Renovation of the park was done in 1975 through a grant. Some of the 1933 world's fair boulevard lamp posts the use to grace Main Street and Lakeshore drive were placed in the park.

1968 - William "Bill" and Margaret Washburn ends their tenure as managers of the Beach lodge.

1969 - In 1969 the local depot was closed Freight trains ran through intermentintly until 1979 when the Penn Central line was finally completely abandoned.

The local VFW post has maintained a fishing pier at the old Maxinkuckee boat launch site since the early 1970's

1991 - February 13 – Steel work was reported complete for a new C Pier at the Culver Town Park…

The outlay of the parcels that are a part of the town park:

1980 - Washington Street easement is under consideration as proposed by John Deery owner of that access.

The emergency access lane ran from Washington Street along the lake up into the Culver Town Park. But it also ran from Washington Street south along the lake in behind the railroad and down to the middle ways of the Farm co-op property most of south portion of the emergency access by the 1970's was covered by underbrush

The Culver Park portion of the access is pictured below. Just around the bend back in the hallow The Anderson boat house also known as the Anderson Boat and Bait Shop or the Anderson Dock, stated as being on S. State St.

The Lakefest - has become another tradition held in July in the town park. Held from Friday to Saturday night with many activities in the park area and in sections of tonw; capped off with fireworks.

1984 - In on 27 December 1984 the town made a resolution to purchase the depot and adjacent land for $42,500 and it was finalized on 10 April 1985. The Lions Club raised funds for it and to renovate it and members done much of the depot renovation themselves over the next several years. It is used for their meeting place and special events and other community

1920 - In January 1920 the depot built in 1884 was destroyed by fire and was not rebuilt until 1925 and opened in September 1925 - it was the third depot. This is the present brick structure. One of David Burn's yarns that he told around town was how he built the chimney on this depot - he would lay it up so far and his father [James E. Burns] would kick it down - this went on all day; according to David his father's point to be made was that if you laid only one brick a day you were to lay it right. He went on to tell that he was 16 at the time and was playing hookey from school quite a bit and he was told to either go to school or go to work.

1959 - In 1959 the first coin operated laundry may came to Culver; waiting room area of the depot was transformed into a Laundry mat until mid or late 1970's and then sat empty for a while.

Another early picture shows the originial location of the Vandalia Depot also - this is in relation to the old Mulberry tree that graces the park even today. For years its branches reached to the ground - making a good hide-n-seek game place besides the big luscious Mulberries it produced every summer. No one could dispute where where the kids both young and old alike had been when they appeared with the tell-tale signs of purple around their lips and on their hands! Sometime back in the 1970's it was pruned back when the park was first re-vitalized with a grant. This old mulberry tree is at least 100 years plus!

In the 1990's the Tri Kappa Sorority rebuilt an attractive gazebo, recalling one that existed in the park during the railroad days.

2005 - Early spring brought re-vitalization to the town park with tree, shrubbery flower and other general landscaping work done by many volunteers.

A version of the Lighthouse returns to the shores of Lake Maxinkuckee. Purchased by the Antiquarian and Historical Society - it is basically the Port Hatteruas design. It is fibergalss [polyester plastic]; it is grayish weathered textured, has a 360-degree beacon with electrical wiring that runs through the core and stands 20 feet high.

1913 - A Storm in 1913 destroyed the Lighthouse in the Vandalia Park. It was used as a signal for the arrival of the evening train arrivals. It was built some time in the 1900's or late 1890's it stood on a 4 to 5 foot base and was 8 to 10 feet in height. This was a very stormy year by accounts thus far found - it started on Easter Sunday and must of continued throughout the year:
The two storms mentioned in Lake Maxinkuckee: Physical and Biological Survey (1919) are:

A pretty severe wind storm occured early in the summer of 1908 and blew down the large ice houses on the west side of the lake. The appears to have been an unusually strong wid; none of the dwellin ghouses in the immediate vicinity, however, was injured and the destruction of the ice houses was due to their being empty at the time and offering much surface and litte resistance to the wind.

and then:
On July 8, 1913 there was a very severe storm soon after noon from the northwest, a small tornado, lasting 30 minutes. It began as a severe windstorm, the wind being full of cutting sand..

The first lighthouse was destroyed in the "Big Wind" that struck on July 8, 1913 finally destroying the Lighthouse in the Vandalia Park, which was slowly falling into disrepair over the years past. It was used as a signal for the arrival of the evening train arrivals for the fisherman and cottagers alike. So the boats could be dispatched to pick-up arriving passengers from the train. It was built some time in the early 1890's as this picture from an 1895/6 catalog of Culver Military Academy depicts the lighthouse and area surrounding it.

As the first storm that is mentioned and a detailed accounting of - is Easter Sunday which would of been in March or April; much flooding over all of the United States occured and found as follows:
Easter Sunday of 1913 Tragic Day in History of Calamities; Tornado Starts in Mexico; Ends in Record Breaking Floods in Middle States; Nation Great in Power to Help; Military and Naval Forces as Life Savers.

Spring came to the earth in 1913 and the northern half of the United States was in the grip of a snow storm. In some portions a blizzard wailed through the towns and cities and the hope of an early spring was blasted. But nature had still greater surprises for the people of the United States and a few days after spring officially was present the greatest tornado and rain and the greatest inland flood in the history of the country fell upon the people.

.....On Easter of 1913 the rains fell and weather wise persons looked at the skies.

All day the elements acted strangely. Late in the afternoon the tornado which gathered in the southwest, probably starting in Mexico, raced north and east. ...

A the full accounting the Storm of 1913 with many pictures can be found here: Tragic Story of America's Greatest Disaster [pictures are before and after the text] by Marshall Everret Illustrated throughout with photographs, maps, diagrams and drawings {J. S. ZIEGLER Ccompany Chicago, Illinois, copyrighted 1912 by Henry Neil All Rights Reserved)and found here is the account of the Culver Military Boys part in the great storm of 1913.

An another account is found as: Story of the Great Flood and Cyclone DISASTERS America's Greatest Calamity; edited by Thomas H. Russell, A. M., LL. D. Author and Journalist Special Message of Spiritual Consolation Illustrated Throughout with Striking Photographs Showing Rescuers at Work and Many Pathetic Scenes copyright, 1913 by Thomas H. Morrison.

Soon after erected it became a constant victim to vandals being constantly abused. Till on 23 January 2005 vandals succeeded in destroying it beyond repair.

Undaunted - it was again replaced.

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