“So what are you going to tdo with it??”
Image: Field behind the hospital with the water tower and smokestack
We are getting a lot of questions from the wonderful people of Parke County about exactly what we are doing at the old Indiana State Sanatorium. The short answer is we are going to be undertaking a full historical renovation of the site and making it a venue open to the public.
Large and small scale events, both private and public.
The site that will be available during the Covered Bridge Festival for camping and merchants.We also picture it as a destination wedding venue, outdoor sporting events such as mountain biking and endurance racing, and also a facility for canine and equine competitions.
We will be hiring many local people to help with the project. Initially, most of these will be construction and renovation related, but as the project moves forward our needs will diversify. We are also looking for local partners who have an idea that may work well at the site. We are friendly and don’t bite (much), so feel free to contact us.
Please don’t. We have a working relationship with the Parke County sheriff and will not hesitate to ask for their assistance. The site also has a full-time caretaker and new cameras, so there is a high probability of getting caught. If you have a burning desire to see the site, let us know. We will be having a open house later this spring and would love to have you come out.
We are working on the nomination of the entire property as a Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places. Of particular interest is information regarding the architecture and early operation of the Indiana State Sanatorium. We have the annual reports or the site from 1906 until it’s closing, but are looking for original photographs, land deeds and drawings of the site. We will also be collecting anecdotal stories to better document the sites history. If you are interested in helping with the nomination of the site, please contact us.