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All the United States Indiana Charlestown Rose Island
AO Edited

Rose Island

Ruined pieces of stone and a swimming pool are all that remain of an amusement park swept away by a flood.

Charlestown, Indiana

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Dan Overes
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Rose Island   Bedford on Wikipedia
Rose Island   Bedford on Wikipedia
Rose Island   Gmiller123456 on Wikipedia
Rose Island   Gmiller123456 on Wikipedia
Rose Island swimming pool   Maps Memories Motherhood / Atlas Obscura User
Rose Island, Charlestown, Indiana   Maps Memories Motherhood / Atlas Obscura User
former Portersville, In Bridge now used at Rose Island, Charlestown, Indiana   Maps Memories Motherhood / Atlas Obscura User
5th March 2019   Partridge / Atlas Obscura User
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promenade of Rose Island   Maps Memories Motherhood / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Opened in 1923, Indiana's rustic theme park Rose Island was a popular attraction for summer vacationers chasing after all manner of early 20th century fun, but the good times only lasted for a little over a decade when the park was destroyed by a flood, leaving today's haunting ruins.

The area once known as "Fern Grove" was already a popular recreation spot when entrepreneur David Rose purchased the land and added some real attractions. Although the land is a peninsula, Rose renamed the area Rose Island to give it an air of exclusivity. Rose built a hotel, a swimming pool, and a wooden roller coaster in addition to a number of decorative flourishes. He also installed a tiny little zoo that held a wolf, some monkeys, and a bear named "Teddy Roosevelt." People swarmed to the island in droves, arriving to the suspended foot bridge in their motor cars, or riding a steamboat to the "island's" shore.

Not even the economic downturn of The Great Depression hurt the booming Rose Island business. It was not until the Ohio River Flood of 1937 that the amusement park was finally abandoned. The flood drowned the facilities in 10 feet of water, and by the time they receded, the damage was too great to salvage and the site was abandoned.

Today all that remains of Rose Island are the stone struts of its former footbridge, the swimming pool (which has held up remarkably well over the decades), and the crumbling remains of a stone fountain. After the original foot bridge collapsed, access to the grounds was restricted, but a new bridge was recently transplanted that allows access to the ruins. 

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Abandoned Amusement Parks Abandoned Amusement Parks

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The site is located within the Charleston State Park and is approximately a 20-minute walk from the nearest parking lot, down a steep incline.

Community Contributors

Added By

DanOCan

Edited By

Osage, Partridge, rkells, EricGrundhauser...

  • Osage
  • Partridge
  • rkells
  • EricGrundhauser
  • Maps Memories Motherhood

Published

November 21, 2014

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Sources
  • http://eerie-indiana.blogspot.ca/2013/05/abandoned-rose-island-amusement-park.html
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rose_Island_(amusement_park)
  • http://www.wdrb.com/story/26707361/rose-island-to-reopen-in-southern-indiana
  • http://eerie-indiana.blogspot.com/2013/05/abandoned-rose-island-amusement-park.html
  • http://www.insideindianabusiness.com/newsitem.asp?ID=49956
  • https://www.in.gov/dnr/parklake/2986.htm
Rose Island
12500 Indiana 62
Charlestown, Indiana, 47111
United States
38.449753, -85.645563
Visit Website
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Nearby Places

Schimpff's Confectionery

Jeffersonville, Indiana

miles away

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miles away

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miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Indiana

Indiana

United States

Places 147
Stories 18

Nearby Places

Schimpff's Confectionery

Jeffersonville, Indiana

miles away

Colgate Clock

Clarksville, Indiana

miles away

Heigold House

Louisville, Kentucky

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Indiana

Indiana

United States

Places 147
Stories 18

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