Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
In this deceptively simple dish, top-quality ingredients are paramount.
Kor Panich
Customize your bowl with sliced pork, pork balls, fish cake, and offal.
Rung Rueang
Pasties are an Upper Michigan tradition dating back to mining days.
Lehto’s Pasties
Stock up on picnic supplies with a side of history.
Horton Bay General Store
Take some of Michigan’s produce home with you.
American Spoon
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Podcast: Finding ‘The Great Gatsby’ in Louisville
Here’s which treats you can safely lug home without risking a fine.
Dear Atlas: What International Food Can I Legally Bring Into the U.S.?
Cely’s map is not only accurate, but captures the unique characteristics of Congaree’s trees and waterways.
How One Biologist Drew a Hyper-Accurate, Ranger-Approved Map of Congaree National Park
Though they’re protected inside the park, wolves can be killed when they cross its borders.
Wolves Have a Bad Reputation. One Yellowstone Naturalist Is Trying to Fix It.

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
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

Added By
Dan Overes
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
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
  Partridge / Atlas Obscura User
  Partridge / Atlas Obscura User
  Maps Memories Motherhood / Atlas Obscura User
promenade of Rose Island   Maps Memories Motherhood / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

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. 

Related Tags

Abandoned Amusement Parks Abandoned Amusement Parks

Know Before You Go

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

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
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
Get Directions

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

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

Related Stories and Lists

A World Tour of Abandoned Amusement Parks

List

By Jonathan Carey

The Abandoned Amusement Park Great American Road Trip

List

By Meg Neal

Related Places

  • Nikko, Japan

    Abandoned Western Village

    This western-themed amusement park is host to a large number of decaying animatronic cowboys.

  • Ōsaki, Japan

    Kejonuma Leisure Land

    A quaint amusement park now sits, rusting and forgotten among the foliage.

  • The park was built in 1980, and has a few of the decade’s icons still on hand.

    Seoul, South Korea

    Yongma Land Abandoned Theme Park

    Plenty of old carney magic still haunts this photogenic amusement park.

  • The ramp up to the Space Needle observation deck on Boblo Island.

    Amherstburg, Ontario

    Boblo Island Abandoned Amusement Park

    An abandoned Victorian-era amusement park is rusting away amidst luxury houses.

  • The “Green Gables” at Canadian World.

    Ashibetsu, Japan

    Canadian World

    A semi-abandoned replica of Prince Edward Island's Avonlea—in Japan.

  • Hobbiton, USA

    Phillipsville, California

    Hobbiton, USA

    A crumbling wizard is one of the final reminders of a roadside Middle Earth.

  • Hamburg, New Jersey

    The Gingerbread Castle

    Once in a state of dilapidation, this candy-inspired fortress is now being revived.

  • A tiger in Jungle Habitat.

    West Milford, New Jersey

    Jungle Habitat

    This disastrous New Jersey safari park saw animal attacks, escapes, and disease before being abandoned.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.