Mysterious Rose Island / Charlestown State Park (Charlestown, Indiana)
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ส.ค. 2024
- FILMED IN HIGH DEFINITION
Rose Island, located along the Ohio River, In Charlestown, Indiana, has a very mysterious past that had me wanting to visit for many years. On one hand, it’s a ghost town of large artifacts, from a theme park that was abandoned in 1937. The great flood of 1937 submerged it, and most of neighboring Louisville, Kentucky: the theme park never recovered.
But before that, pioneers mentioned castle ruins above the ridge known as “Devils Backbone.” Later geologists actually created a map, detailing man made-mounds and what they called, “artificial walls”, that were built well before European settlement in the 1800’s. It’s claimed that 6 armored, ancient soldiers’ skeletons were excavated in 1799, and their breastplates bore a Welsh coat of arms. This has led to speculation, that ties to the legend of Prince Madoc, whom supposedly sailed to North America in 1170: a full 322 years before Christopher Columbus!
Whether the folklore has any basis in truth or not, Rose Island is definitely an interesting place to explore! This film shows the trail to 14 Mile Creek, the suspension bridge, large theme park artifacts that were left behind, as well as Devils Backbone, where the ancient castle allegedly stood. I actually climbed up several stories to get a good look at the stone, and what some people call the work of human hands.
Note that the trail to Rose Island is over one mile and drops 70 feet in elevation. It’s a mostly 30 degree climb, all the way back up that mile, so only try this trail if you’re physically fit! You can’t say i didn’t warn you!
Just went to Rose Island today and enjoyed the guided tour. Thanks for the warning about the train. We ended up hiking back up Trail 3. 2.1 miles of RUGGED! Still 700 feet, but not as continuous as the paved trail. Parke provided van transportation is provided down and back for participants in the guided tour.
That trail is my meter of how bad other Indiana trails are. “That trail is at least .5 of a Rose Island.” 😀
Amazing story. Don't quit telling these historical stories.
About 25 years ago or so I was doing some work for the US Army Corps of Engineers on the Jefferson Proving Grounds. We walked the grounds and I remember coming across the ruins of Rose Island, more specifically, the swimming pool and a huge cistern. These were not marked and could have swallowed an unsuspecting person out walking and no one would know where there person disappeared. It was pretty eerie. Like the cistern was just a hole in the ground and if you fell in there would be no way out. Same with the pool. It was filled mostly with debris and dead animals and would have been really nasty to fall in. That's how I remembered it. It was quite an experience to hike these ruins and just found out a few years ago that the proving grounds had closed and it's now a park. I'd love to visit it sometime.
People like to say Rose Island is haunted. I didn’t get any creepy vibes, but know that trail going up is a killer. I’ve been told the longer trail isn’t as bad, but that one straight to the parking lot, is a full-on cardio workout. It’s too bad they don’t fix the dock and allow people to easily walk the grounds.
I lived on Rose Island Rd in Prospect, Ky. We lived on the Wallis Farm directly across from Rose Island. Bringing back all kinds of memories.
We moved to Jeffersonville 5 yrs ago and enjoy finding local history. The Ohio River is 1 mile south of our home and about 11 miles south of Rose Island. Going to take a hike in the fall to visit Rose Island. Now I have to research more about the castle.
It’s a very interesting piece of folklore. I’ve seen pictures of other Charlestown State Park trails with “natural walls” over 5 feet tall, but have not seen them myself.
What’s really interesting about this and the area down by the Falls of the Ohio, are the giant / white Indian stories. Supposedly translated from Native American oral traditions, it makes a case for early European exploration of the area. Some say these stories were made up, to assert ancient claim of the area, against other countries, trying to do the same.
I lived in Charlestown for 26 years. I moved back to my home county, which is Washington Co., in 2013. When they first opened the park, my son was 15, and needed an Eagle project. He chose to do River Sweep down at the park on the creek bank across from Rose Island. The bridge wasn't there at that time. After it was built, that trail became my favorite hiking trail. I would go at least once a week. The secret to going back up....when you come back across the bridge from Rose Island, look to your right. You will see a trail head leading up through the woods. Yes, it's still steep. But, not near as bad as going up the paved road. I still try to go back and hike at least 2 times in the spring and fall.
I’ve heard that, but have not tried the alternate path. I just know the main one left a lasting impression! 😀
@Adventures with Roger oh yes, it does! LOL! I did that until I discovered the one through the woods.
I was there yesterday (5/19/2024), beautiful park especially with full foliage. Trails are fairly easy to navigate. The ruins of the park are intriguing and thought provoking. Unfortunately there is a lot of trash at the rivers edge. Devil's Backbone is interesting. It's definitely a must visit Park. The steep path is quite the hike back up. Great campground and picnic areas in the main park.
There’s a fall tour where they hike up
Devils backbone, and tell more about the legends. I keep wondering if they’ll do one about the munitions factory. Supposedly, there’s still some underground bunkers.
Omg ty for linkling me to this. I never heard of the castle or the bridge stones! Fascinating!!
You are quite welcome! This is a passion of mine. MUCH more to come
That was really good. Never heard of Rose island. So sad the river took all that stuff away. Great old photos. Thanks. Loved the castle part even better
It’s a very interesting area, but if I can’t land on Rose Island by boat, I’m not going again! 😀 That trail up is among the worst I’ve ever done.
I've lived and worked just a couple miles away for over 3 years. Thanks for kicking me in the butt to go explore out my front door. I frequently criticize people for traveling thousands of miles to go visit a place and never going to see the places in their own backyard. I must now go eat my own words. Thank you.
Don’t feel bad, Mark. I’ve had people who’ve lived places, over 75 years, send me notes, saying: they were unaware what was just down the street, until my video.
I just visited this park today. Thank you for providing all of this historical background. I can't wait to return!
I appreciate your other videos as well!
My pleasure to show Southern Indiana’s treasures! Since I produced this video, I’ve had fellow explorers identify more unusual structures within the park boundaries; and one nearby cave, that some say ties into the Prince Madoc folklore. It’s even known as “Madoc’s Cave”. Just when I think I’ve found it all, there’s more!
Just today, I was back at Shoals, where a man showed me a “gold mine” tunnel, someone had cut into the thick White River outcrop stone. Very cool history!
Stay tuned! Lots of interesting things to come, following my Along the Ohio River series.
@@AdventureswithRoger Sounds fascinating! I will keep following your videos
I used to live in Jeffersonville. I've read the Prince Madoc story. So interesting! When they built the Kennedy Bridge at Louisville, they found a cache of Roman coins in the banks of the Ohio, and they were on display at the Falls of the Ohio museum for a long time.
One guy offered to show me a rune stone, found near the Ohio. I haven’t made it over to take a look.
@@AdventureswithRoger You may already know this, but you can go to the Sellersburg Library and read a good book about the Madoc story and the Welsh Indians. It's in their history section, and can't be checked out, but it only took me an hour or two to read it.
Interesting. I hiked a place called the devils backbone in IN at shades state park. I used to hunt right up the road from there. There are stone structures there as well.
There’s several places in Indiana called “the devils backbone”: Shades State Park, Fort Ritner (Lawrence County), and here at Rose Island. Pretty fascinating folklore around each.
This is a very educational video. It shows history and geography that has just been word of mouth to most people in the area. Thanks again Roger
I'm sure metal detecting is prohibited but think of all the coins that have to be all over that area that those visitors would've dropped. My dad was raised in southern Indiana and there are stories of caches of European coins found around this area in the 1930's. Also fascinating is the amazing fossils found down river. Fantastic area.
For a fact, they’ve found Roman coins both by the Big 4 Bridge river bank, and over at the Jefferson Proving Ground area, “like they fell off a traveling wagon”, as someone said. Neither prove ancient European settlement, by themselves. But my own family always kept silver coins as backup currency, for hard times: likely that 19th century pioneers, from Europe, did too.
My one friend thought like you did: tourists to Rose Island probably dropped all kinds of coins over the years. She took her metal detector to an old resort, in the woods of Floyd county, and found real silver dinner ware, but no coins. I was there when she found it, after many many false positives. From that experience, and helping sift through dirt and foliage: don’t do it in snake weather. The one area we were kicking around in, definitely had something hiss at us, but we never saw it. We calmly walked backward and it stopped. Copperheads and rattlesnakes are champion camouflage experts, and love old places you’d look for coins! 😀
That was a awesome adventure and history lesson. Thanks for taking us along.
Thanks, Pat! This trail, Spring Mills’ Donaldson Cave trail, and Clifty Falls’ trail 4 are monsters. Truly among the toughest ones in southern Indiana.
@@AdventureswithRoger @ 8:51 note W.M. BORDEN as assistant.
Thanks for this history lessons. Wish you could come up to N.W. Indiana, Lake county and explore here. I went to a high school named after GEORGE ROGERS CLARK. (go you pioneers............our theme song).
@@daschundloverable I’m wrapping up this summers Southern Indiana footage, over the winter. If there’s stories up north, it might be another road trip!
I would like to see you make a video of Beck's mill, south west of Salem ind. Including the stories of the Indian village near there, and the cave that once had guided tours. I enjoy your video's keep up the good work!
Thanks Jim!
I briefly touched upon Becks Mill, and the show cave, in the Salem video. Someone told me about some civil war history there too, possibly some rebel sympathizers! I hadn’t heard about the Indian village though.
HIDDEN WORLDS: Exploring Salem, Indiana
th-cam.com/video/oZw9e4L-5zA/w-d-xo.html
I just watched the video of Salem, quite interesting. As to beck's mill the mill pond dam has been there from the time the mill was built, as far as I know.there is a entrance to the cave approximately 300 yards south west in the woods at the bottom of a depression, on private property and is now locked, that was the tour entrance ! In the 60's many neighborhood kid's would venture into the cave and spend hour's underground, checking out the tri level cave, with model A
Or T frames that were used for crossing the mid level of cave during tours!
@@jimbruner9800 I had heard that about the model T parts! One of my friends said she attended some kind of get together, held behind the mill, on the hill. I’ve always managed to drop by when the mill was closed, though.
The story I’d heard, was that completely damming up the side next to the mill, caused the water level in the cave to rise significantly. This made navigating the cave, and seeing a huge rim stone dam (perhaps the largest in the nation) impossible. I don’t remember where I heard that, though.
@@AdventureswithRoger yeah, I don't know the schedule, through the summer months it opens on most weekends. And the locals seem to want to keep the entrance secret. It used to be fun on a hot day to go through the cave and dive into the cold water and follow the sun light and pop up in the mill pond, LoL
@@jimbruner9800 Sounds like an awesome memory! At Stanton, Missouri, Meramec Cave has a stream just like that, that goes up to a sink hole. Jesse James and the gang used it as a way to escape! There are rumors that Jesse spent time in Southern Indiana, but that might be folklore.
This is by far the best video on this topic, absolutely fantastic work'
Many many thanks for your kind words! I’m a big fan of both history and legends, and this place has loads of both!
I say again this video is top notch, I'm going take a ride to the trail and attempt it, I'm getting old and not in the best of shape but I figure if I take enough time I should be ok. This spot has been of great interest to me for a long long time. Thanks again for this fine video.
People tell me that the much longer trail back is easier. I can vouch that trying the paved trail up, in mild weather, had me sweating profusely and panting like a dying dog. 😀
If I went again, I’d take the paved trail 3 down, but after visiting Rose Island, and crossing the bridge back to trail 3, I’d go right instead. It’s a long loop back to where you started, but I hear that there’s much more to see, and the grade isn’t so bad. Ticks and snakes are bad until the temps drop, so that’s why I chose a rare warm day in February.
Here’s a good map:
www.in.gov/dnr/parklake/files/charlestown_trail.pdf
@@AdventureswithRoger I can't get the map to come up in the link
Give this a try: Go to google, type in “Charlestown State Park Map”, click on that link. Hope that one works! 🙂
Excellent video!! These videos give the deep scoop on areas that would take me hours of googling to get all the info on. Love it!
Thanks Hayden! History and mystery are real passions of mine. And southern Indiana has lots of both! I filmed for two years straight, and still have more to do.
By the way, I enjoy your videos and I love history myself, and studying it, there's so much out there for us to find, and now I'm studying history about the year I was born and what happened in that year in which I was born, my birthdate April 4-25-57-( some amazingly crazy history I was born into, it's almost hard to believe, because there's always more to the story, as you know, I enjoy your content See you in the next broadcast, I can't wait to hear what's next-gen 😀.
Interesting. Thank You
I actually went there about a year ago, glad that someone made a video on it 👍
Before I visited, I’d heard and read a lot of folklore about it. I was psyched to go! Was not disappointed at all! Except for the climb up,…😀
So cool! I love history! That was an interesting and neat video! TFS❤️
We moved to charlestown during the ice storm of 2010. I never knew that about rose island. I have been to the bridge but never across it. 9 penny bridge is another place I have explored but not as much. That place made me feel like I was and wasn't welcomed. All these places here close to me makes me want to dig into the history even more. I don't know if you ever been to the castle on David Carr road when I worked at the Renaissance fair this past month there I felt like I was not alone at times. Thank you for sharing a piece of history
Hi Lacy! Some say Charlestown has some scary and or cursed areas. I don’t know about all that, but think there’s some very old history there, predating Columbus’s arrival to North America.
I’ve driven by the castle but never to it! Maybe I’ll make it one of these days! A very rustic castle I love is Loveland Castle, at Loveland, Ohio. A guy made it for his wife and started a Boyscout club chapter, that stressed good Christian deeds and charity. The man and his wife are now dead, but those teenage knights are now in their 60’s, and are legal heirs of the castle! Very impressive castle!
@@AdventureswithRoger have you ever venture around the henryville forestry I hunt there and there's places in there that doesn't feel right.
@@lacyhay9022 Have filmed at Clark State Forest, Henryville. Many people have died there, and it has a spooky quality. I was going to do a segment about the unsolved serial killer murders, but the families of the victims still live in the area, and I don’t want to bring up old wounds. I’ve heard it was also a supposed dumping ground for mob murders, during prohibition. My first recollection was hearing about a man that went caving solo and disappeared in the forest. He was later found dead in a cave. I filmed there for a few segments, and can say it just didn’t feel right, particularly in the evening. Of course I got lost on those winding roads, and somehow made it out at dark.
@@AdventureswithRoger I am so glad I subscribed. I homeschool my kids and the biggest thing I like to teach is the forgotten history. You probably know what I am talking about. Some of these sites you film I want to take as future field trips and such. I pray one day I meet you in the future and be able to have an actual conversation in person. Thank you for what you do
@@lacyhay9022 My pleasure, Lacy! My parents inspired a love and curiosity about Indiana, that has never left me. Not everyone “gets” these videos, and what I’m trying to do. But those that understand the importance of history, it’s lessons, and it’s ability to inspire and motivate, both the mind and soul, this channel is an evolving storybook. 🙂
Since I got your TH-cam I been hook from Cincinnati love it thank you got some camping trip coming up and I love it
I gotta get back down there,.
Very interesting park, especially if you’re into history. The first time we went there we were unaware of the trail that brings you back up to the parking lot! As mentioned in the video, do be prepared to pace yourself if your not used to hiking steep grades, It’s not easy! 😬 Great video & information!
After I came back up, regretting my decision, I’ve use it as the benchmark for all other Indiana trails.
“How was the trail up from Donaldson Cave?”
“Oh man! It was another Rose Island.”
@@AdventureswithRoger Lol! Absolutely a good way to benchmark future walks! I’m only thankful that I didn’t have my Chihuahua the day we were there, as I would’ve been carrying her!
I love the old iron bridge they’ve installed on the trail though, and it’s great place to take pics in the fall especially! So..guess the walk is worth it:)
Many have said that the longer Rose Island trail isn’t nearly as bad. I believe I’d give it a shot if I visited Rose Island again. Though I really would see if a boat would just drop me off!
Fantasic report !
I first heard of Rose Island while on a cruise aboard the Belle of Louisville f/k/a Idlewild.
I'm from Louisville. I should check this out sometime.
You should! It is a cool piece of land. But man, that trail is killer, coming back up! They tell me there’s a longer, easier trail that isn’t so steep, but I thought, “straight up to the parking lot.” I would definitely take the longer trail back, if I did it again.
Great video!
Thanks Gigi!
So cool legends and stories 🤗
Love me some legends, and there are tons of them down here!
Rose island has a interesting past.
It really does. At some point I’ll make a bigger story about the ancient ruins that were found there.
I live in Charleston Indiana and i didn't know that was there
Thank-you for watching, Madison! Comments like yours make all the hours of filming and editing worthwhile! Spread the word about this channel, there’s a whole lot more to come!
The Viking were here too.Giants
Lots of good reasons to believe Vikings were in Indiana
Across the river in Prospect you will find Rose Island Road.
The flood of 97 was pretty dang bad too
Just checked it all out on 6/30/21 had no idea great video!
Thanks Roy! Really interesting area, and people keep giving me more information!
Been here as well ! Yes , the hill wasn't terrible but not easy . I used a walking stick lol.
Says you, tough guy! 😀 Well this weekend warrior was puffing like a steam engine to get back up. 😉
Thomas Jefferson owned 1 of the breastplate I read somewhere. Believe it was the clark,floyd,harrison counties heritage or similar title.
I’d not heard that one. I do know that Jefferson was having Lewis and Clark bring him back all sorts of artifacts.
Also Corn Island jetti or abutment stone work was precolonial & did I heard Brandenburg Stone was Welsh Land Claim Stone may heard wrong tho
I was reading where Corn Island is completely under water since they built the locks. And a family in Louisville still pays the property tax every year!
I’d heard stories about possible things on Sand Island. It’s above water and you can see it from Clark’s Cabin. Don’t know if they’d let you take a boat there or not. The flood of 1937 likely washed away a lot of good history.
Clark collected a lot of stories and legends from local Indians, especially about chief yellow hair. Supposedly, if you climb down to the rocky river banks at new Albany, you can see an outcrop and pool where he supposedly bathed.
So I just moved to jeffersonville from California. And I've been loving your videos, I have a question if their's alternative routes or entrances to rose island
Hi Norma! Welcome to Indiana!
If you knew someone with a licensed boat, they could drop you off at the edge of Rose Island, at the gate, where the steamboats used to land. Otherwise, it’s trail 3. I’m told that if you take the northern part of trail 3, that’s not paved, it’s not nearly as steep, but a lot longer. I’ll attach a link to the park map so you can take a look at trail 3.
www.in.gov/dnr/state-parks/files/charlestown_trail.pdf
@@AdventureswithRoger thank you so much
Have you ever thought about doing a video on Connor Prairie?
Connor Prairie is on my northern Indiana list of things to film. I’ve visited several times since I was a kid, but they’ve probably changed a lot.
It almost makes me angry that private collectors can hoard ancient items such as the breastplates..but also that we do not have any pictures only textual references.... if the person/s entity owning them or housing them in some museum warehouse could take some pictures to release that would be great...What would be the incentive for covering up this part of history?
I live here and Rose Island is less than a mile from me.
Really cool place to hike
If you ever come to crown point and do the story on John Dillinger let me know. I live 5 min from the jail
Do you know if the Dillinger Museum was moved up there?
@@AdventureswithRoger yes still there. Only open on Saturdays
Now we know the idea that ancient Europeans believing earth was flat was BS.
Really complicated history! For sure, Viking artifacts have been found all over the eastern United States and as far inland as Minnesota: they were pretty fearless navigators. There’s some anecdotal evidence of ancient Irish and Greek settlement in Kentucky and other places. Welsh artifacts were supposedly found around Rose Island and Louisville. And while the European Middle Ages belief, now in history books, said that the earth was flat, not everyone of that time believed that. Simple sailors were afraid of not seeing a shoreline, but more experienced ones used stars for navigation. The Catholic Church at the time enforced their interpretation of the Biblical text, concerning astronomy, and dissection was grounds for heresy charges. You could be put in prison for saying the earth rotated around the earth, but if you wanted to sail off and disappear at the oceans skyline, that was your foolishness.
Mississippian and Hopewell culture Native Americans were not simple people. They built fortified cities with stone walls, all over Ohio and Indiana in particular, musical instruments, a variety of high end stone tools that are still sharp and will cut you open like the finest scalpel. There’s evidence that they performed complex surgeries, even removing pieces of skull, and the patient’s lived. Many early archaeologists did not want to accept / publish that they were as advanced or more so, than European civilizations of the same time period. These archaeologists assumed that every rock wall or unusual artifact must be of ancient European origin.
Then there’s colonialism. The Portuguese, Spanish, English, French, any country that wanted to stake a claim on America, looked for ways to prove “they were there first.” If they could “prove” ancient settlement by their group, then they felt they had a claim. Some evidence suggests that explorers, of the 18th and 19th centuries, were saying Native American artifacts or fortifications were ancient European, and proving their claim. Or, outright placed European artifacts in America.
Then there’s revolutionary war hero and Louisville founder George Rogers Clark. He told some amazing stories about finding massive amounts of bones on corn island, and a local chief told him it was where they killed all the giant white Indians, that had golden hair, ie, Europeans. While this may be a true set of stories, we also know that Clark was hounded by creditors for his revolutionary war debts, and might’ve sold some firelight fiction for some much needed cash. His brother William Clark, along with Merriwether Lewis, supposedly found native Americans with blue eyes and using Welsh words: evidence of early European settlement and land rights.
What do I think? It’s probably a mixed bag with many of those things
@@AdventureswithRoger Depending on how you interpret it, the ancient Greeks may have even known about North America!
@@stevebrian2145 I’ve heard about the Greek theory. And Egyptians! Someone at Jeffersonville allegedly has a Viking rune stone, found near the Ohio River. Roman coins keep popping up.
Speaking very slowly makes it all seem even more mysterious...
Tried to give it a Dateline NBC feel. I’m no Lester Holt though.
Past reset
It very well could be. Many rumored artifacts were carried away, and a legendary cave still might still hold evidence of a pre-Columbian past.
Mud flooder.
Thank you Roger I'm hooked Im a addicted watcher of your videos and all I can say is I sure do love these videos of my most favorite State of Indiana,I'm just curious were you born a Hoosier?
My humble thanks! Lifelong Hoosier: I was born at Johnson Memorial Hospital at Franklin, grew up outside of Greenwood. 🙂
@@AdventureswithRoger yeah I worked on the Franklin High school,Franklin is a great town ,I've been there many times.It seemed a very friendly town.I used to take my kids to the go cart track years ago .