ZIONSVILLE — A plaque nestled in some bushes at Lincoln Park commemorates when Abraham Lincoln stopped there on his way to his inauguration to give a speech to the people. The park sits where the old train depot used to be, and Zionsville officials and residents are working to ensure the site is remembered and commemorated for years to come.
While there is no record of what Lincoln talked about during his stop, it’s a piece of history that has stuck with the community. The park is a place of respite in the core of a community with a history much different than its present.
“He didn't get out of the train, and he wasn't here much, but he was here,” David Ruffer, a Zionsville historian and longtime resident, said. “Then, after his death, the casket, the train bearing the casket, came through here as well. ”
Ruffer wrote a book called Becoming Zionsville, which tells the history of the once-small farm town. Lincoln Park is a piece of history he wanted to make sure was remembered, along with the other historical pieces of information that helped make Zionsville what it is today.
"It's a piece of our past that is worth preserving,” Ruffer said.
The parks department has launched the Love for Lincoln campaign to modernize the park while maintaining its historic qualities.
"It really is a part of our identity, and we want to respect that as we update it for the future,” Jarod Logsdon, superintendent of parks and recreation in Zionsville, said.
The redesign includes a larger and accessible gazebo, refreshed walkways and lighting and expanded seating — all aimed at taking a piece of the past and making it a gift for the future.
"We have one of the largest footprints of park acreage per capita, so we definitely believe it's in the DNA of Zionsville, and we want to keep that for future generations to come,” Logsdon said.
For $150, donors can have an engraved brick laid as part of the renovation. There is also a volunteer event on September 13. The construction timeline is still being finalized, but the parks department expects work to begin next year and hopes to be finished by next fall.
For more details about the Love for Lincoln campaign, click here.
