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Eagle Creek Reservoir and the Remains of a House on a Hill

Indianapolis is crisscrossed by several waterways, with the White River and Fall Creek being the largest, while several smaller creeks, like Pogues Run and Pleasant Run are also in the mix. On the northwest side of the city, the predominant waterway is Eagle Creek, and its smaller cousin, the Little Eagle Creek. The former, runs into the county on the far northwest side, and then runs southward, through Speedway, before it is joined by Little Eagle Creek near Washington Street. The combined creek then meets the White River near Harding Street on the south side.


Like other waterways in the city, Eagle Creek often flooded and was regularly causing problems on the north and west sides of the city. While its channel would be dredged and straightened at various times, the most significant measure taken to address the flooding issue was the construction of Eagle Creek Reservoir.


While Geist and Morse reservoirs had been constructed by the Indianapolis Water Company to support water supplies for the city, the main force behind the construction of Eagle Creek was the Indianapolis Flood Control Board, and the main focus of the reservoir was to serve in a flood control capacity, with recreation and water supply being secondary considerations.


Planning for the reservoir began in 1959, in the aftermath of a particularly serious flooding event along the creek in the summer of 1957, and continued into the early 1960s with the identification of the Eagle Creek Valley north of 38th Street as a suitable site for the project. A dam was planned near the intersection of 38th Street and Dandy Trail. A rendering of the proposed reservoir appeared in the Indianapolis News on July 5, 1961.

Indianapolis News, July 5, 1961
Indianapolis News, July 5, 1961

Efforts to obtain land in along the creek began later that same year. J.K. Lilly, son of Colonel Eli Lilly, the founder of the pharmaceutical company, had owned a large amount of land needed for the project. Lilly had begun purchasing property along Eagle Creek in the early 1930s, and also owned several homes, or 'retreats,' in the area. His holdings in the Eagle Creek Valley amounted to approximately 3,600 acres and he operated Eagle Valley Farms and Eagle's Crest Forestry. His farming operations focused on dairy and hog farms, until the late 1940s, when he transitioned from hogs to beef. Crops were also grown, including corn, soybeans, hay, and wheat. Lilly died in 1948, but the farming operations continued until 1957 when the Lilly family deeded the lands along Fall Creek to Purdue University (if this sounds familiar, another wealthy Indianapolis family in the same area of the county did the same thing with their farms).


Land acquisition and planning for the reservoir continued for the next few years. Purdue University, which found itself more burdened by the large land gift from Lilly, agreed to sell nearly 3,300 acres on both sides of the creek north of 56th Street, and in 1962 a purchase option was extended to the city which had an expiration date at the end of 1964. Land south of 56th Street to the dam site was also being purchased. But while there was an agreement to sell, the city still needed to raise the funds, and planned a bond issue, although legal concerns resulted in legal action which eventually reached the Indiana Supreme Court, delaying the project.


Indianapolis News, January 19, 1966
Indianapolis News, January 19, 1966

Nearly 2,300 acres were being pursued by the city's Park Board, while the flood board was going after the remaining 1,000 acres. As of the middle of 1964, the land purchase had not yet been finalized, but a bond issue was approved in August. Delays continued and in December an extension of the purchase option was requested from Purdue. 1965 saw additional delays related to the bond issue, and another extension of the option was needed.


The bond issue was finally scheduled for December of 1965, and bids for construction work were opened in late October. With contracts awarded and the bond issue proceeding, groundbreaking on the dam was scheduled for January 31, 1966. Mayor John Barton presided over the event, and with the assistance of two former mayors, Charles Boswell and Philip Bayt, along with county officials and members of the flood board, work on the dam commenced. Conflicting completion dates were given in local media as September 1967 or 1968.


The watered portion of the completed reservoir was expected to reach up to the Traders Point area, near where Interstate 65 crosses the creek, while the flood control pool, or the part of the reservoir which would retain water during rain events could stretch all the way to the Marion and Boone County line. On April 10, 1967, the Indianapolis Star announced that the Eagle Creek reservoir was half finished. By summer of the next year, the massive dam, visible from Interstate 74, was almost completed, meaning the 1968 completion date was more accurate.

Indianapolis News, July 5, 1968
Indianapolis News, July 5, 1968

Even as the dam was being completed in the fall of 1968, water began to gradually fill the reservoir. The planned pool level was 790 feet, with a flood control level of 811.5. The 811.5 feet was the level the reservoir could be raised to during high water period to allow additional storage to prevent downstream flooding. With these levels, it was expected that mud flats would form on the northern sections of the reservoir during low water periods. By early February of 1969, the reservoir was within 3 feet of capacity and operators dropped the water level in order to maintain flow further downstream.


Even with the reservoir now being filled, it would not open to the public until July 1, 1970. Shortly after midnight on July 1, officials launched a green flare over the reservoir, which signaled that the new lake was open for fishing and boating. Even at that late hour nearly 500 fishermen were waiting to launch their boats and be the first on the water. While the reservoir was open for recreational purposes, the land on both sides of the reservoir north of 56th Street was to become Eagle Creek Park, which would open a few years later. South of 56th Street the shores of the reservoir were sold as homesites.


Today Eagle Creek reservoir continues to serve its original flood control purpose, as well as providing recreational opportunities, along with contributing to the city's water supply. During the construction discussed above, the reservoir’s waters inundated roadways, homesites, school sites, and farms, the remains of which are now hidden from view. However, here and there the remains of pre-reservoir sites can still be found, including roadways to nowhere and old structure sites, taken for use as park land during the purchase of the land for the reservoir.


During a recent photography trip to Eagle Creek Park, I decided to hike on the westside of the park and started out from the Big Bear Overlook Trailhead (yellow highlight below), located next to the west end of the 56th Street causeway over the reservoir. A loop trail starts from the parking lot at this site, although that trail connects with Sunnyhill Road, a remnant of the pre-reservoir era, which today is more of an access road for the park and leads to other natural surface trails.



You can walk along Sunnyhilll Road, which crosses DeLong Creek, a tributary of Eagle Creek that flows into the reservoir at an inlet just north of the Big Bear Overlook parking area. Exploring this roadway, I found a small bridge over a second, smaller creek.


After this bridge the roadway begins to fade away, because at this point, the roadway had cut into the inlet, and it now sits under the waters of the reservoir. The remains of the pavement where the roadway enters the water (just after the bridge pictured above) can be seen in this photo below. Note the 56th Street causeway over the reservoir can be seen in the upper right corner.


A hiking trail, which may be an unofficial or rogue trail, as I did not see it listed on a map upon my return home (although it appears on other online maps), continued along the northside of this inlet until it encounters a second trail, which made a 90 degree turn up the hillside. This trail was odd because it appeared to have been partially paved. I bypassed this trail and continued to follow the original trail I had been on which began a gradual bend upward to the top of the hill which overlooked the inlet, and the reservoir itself. Near the top, I encountered what appeared to be some type of foundation, as well as various pipes and other metal objects sticking out of the ground. I also noted what appeared to be more pavement, and looking around, saw that most of the trees in the area were second growth, or younger trees.



I suspected this was a site of a structure, perhaps one taken as part of the land purchases for the reservoir. With the afternoon getting late, I retreated to my car, after noting the GPS coordinates on my phone.


Upon returning home, additional investigation showed that there was what appeared to be a structure, likely a house, perched on the top of the hill overlooking the reservoir, and the 56th Street bridge. A paved driveway from the road I had seen disappear into the lake ran up the hill on the westside of the house, curved to the east and ended in a large circular drive, presumably at the front of the home. The aerial view below is from 1986, and while the images are somewhat misaligned, you can clearly see the driveway and circular drive, along with the remains of the road in the inlet.


Earlier images show the area prior to the reservoir. The aerial images below show the site in 1941 and 1956. The red arrows mark the curved driveway leading to the circle drive.



The next step was to locate some information about the house. As noted above, much of the land around Eagle Creek had been owned by the Lilly family, who purchased the land in the mid-to late 1930s. The property in question was not originally owned by the Lilly family but was instead owned by the Rev. George W. Watkins, a pastor who was also involved in farming and real estate interests and who owned about 100 acres along Eagle Creek along the line of 56th Street. He had purchased the land int he 1920s from a Burt Miller, a farmer who had a small frame home lower on the hillside at the site.  Newspaper reports indicate that Watkins had constructed the home with the plan that his daughter, Maurine Watkins, a noted Hollywood script writer, would move back to the state, and occupy the second floor of the home. The 1901 Baist map shows a home and garage (or more accurately at this point, a stable) already on this site, likely the home later obtained from Burt Miller.


As for Watkins's daughter, Maurine, she graduated from Butler University in 1919, and after attending graduate school on the east coast, became a reporter in Chicago. After returning to school, she wrote a play titled ‘Chicago’ based on stories from her reporting experiences. This play was later adapted into the 1975 musical, and the more recent film. Watkins then moved to Hollywood and embarked on a screen writing career. She never moved back to Indiana, although she did visit her parents at their farm along Eagle Creek on occasion, which attracted the attention of local media. Her father also transferred many properties to her in the 1930s. Property maps from 1931 show the Watkins property being in the name of M.D. Watkins, which were Maurine’s initials (see map below). The blue highlighted line is where 56th Street runs today. The red dot is the site I was exploring.

Wagner's Map of Marion County, 1931, Indiana State Library Map Collection
Wagner's Map of Marion County, 1931, Indiana State Library Map Collection

George died in 1941 (some sources indicate a date of death in the mid 1930s although this is incorrect) and his wife, Georgia, moved to Florida where she was joined by Maurine who retired there from Hollywood. Sometime prior to the departure of the Watkins family, reportedly in the early 1930s, the house and the property were obtained by J.K. Lilly, as part of his real estate purchases along Eagle Creek. The house was dubbed “Knoll House” by the Lilly's, and they planned to use the property as a summer house for entertaining. This 1938 map shows the extent of Lilly's land holdings along Eagle Creek. The house site is just to the left of the "91.74" acreage number.

Plat book of Marion County, Indiana, 1938, Indiana State Library Map Collection
Plat book of Marion County, Indiana, 1938, Indiana State Library Map Collection

After the purchase of the home and property, Lilly embarked upon an extensive renovation of the house, which included relocation of stairways, entranceways, and reworking the interior layout, with walls being torn down and relocated. The original three car garage, which had been on a level lower than the main house, was relocated, and moved next to the main house at the top of the hill.


In 1947 the family of James L. Kittle, of the Kittle’s furniture stores, leased the home from the Lilly's, and continued to occupy the property until 1966 (some sources suggested they owned the property). During this time the Lilly family was in the process of deeding their land along Eagle Creek to Purdue University, which, as discussed above, led to a sale to the city of Indianapolis, and was leading to the creation of Eagle Creek Park.


By 1969, as Eagle Creek was being completed, the house was occupied by various city park employees. The Master Plan for Eagle Creek Park, dated June 16th, 1969, noted big plans for the site, which included the construction of a lodge (something like the state park inns we know today) on the crest of the hill. The site was selected due to "its magnificent view of the reservoir," and because the site was "surrounded on three sides by water, and on the fourth by a tremendous stand of Beech Maple forest." It does not appear that the house was anticipated to survive, as the master plan suggested that the lodge have 150 double rooms, 50 apartments, a restaurant, lounge, game rooms, meeting rooms, and ample parking. The map below (north is to the right) from a reservoir development map, showed various proposed features for the new park. The red arrow shows where the house was located, and the proposed site of the lodge. If you look closely, you can see a broken line running along the shoreline below the lodge site. That is roughly the location of the trail I was hiking. Also, you may see the "H" marker just north of the Overlook. That was a location for one of several helipads proposed around the park.

Eagle Creek Reservoir Planned Development Map, Indianapolis Digital Mayoral Archives
Eagle Creek Reservoir Planned Development Map, Indianapolis Digital Mayoral Archives

The lodge never materialized, but another use was in mind for the house, and the prominent overlook. The state was looking to replace the governor’s mansion, then located at 4343 North Meridian Street. In 1967 the General Assembly had appropriated $250,000 for the purchase of a homesite for a new mansion, and for any design related needs. One of the sites being considered was the “Knoll House” property. Reports from park employees was that there were increased traffic to the site, presumably state officials and interested parties looking at the site. As many readers my know, this site, despite its dramatic location, was not selected as a site for the new governor’s mansion. Instead, the property on the northwest corner of Meridian and 46th Street was obtained and continues to serve that purpose today.


I returned to the park a few weeks later and hiked out to the site again. This time, I followed the paved side path I had seen during the first park. The path was mostly paved and went straight up the hillside (photo below). Having the aerial images of the site, I expected the path to start a gradual curve to the right, which it did. While the pavement disappeared from view, digging into the ground with the heel of my boot revealed the pavement under a few inches of dirt and biological material.


At the top of the hill the remains of the circular drive can still be seen as shown below.


Aerial images from 2019 show the outline of the driveway and the circle drive a little clearer, although it really depends on the time of the year.


No foundation or other remains of the house or its garage were immediately visible beyond that which I had observed during my first trip. However, after exploring the site, I did locate a section of what appears to be a foundation. Based on the aerial images, this seems to be a smaller building, perhaps a garage, next to the main house. There are other remains on site as well, including some kind of grate and some smaller foundational remains.



No further signs of the house were located, and I concluded my hike for the day.

Some photos of the house appear in local media (also check the sources about some images from a local Facebook group), although the quality is not the best. This image from February of 1969, as the reservoir was nearing capacity, was taken from the middle of the 56th Street causeway/bridge, looking towards the hill and the house (marked with a red arrow). Note the lack of trees on the hill during this time.


Indianapolis Star, February 19, 1969
Indianapolis Star, February 19, 1969

The opposite view appeared in the Indianapolis News, also in February of 1969, as part of an article about the potential use of the house and land as a new governor's mansion. The first image is taken from the house's front porch, with the 56th causeway, and bridge, visible in the background. Also note the trees sticking out of the water. This was the route of the roadway whose remains were shown on the shore of the reservoir above. The second image is the front of the house, the only image I could find. Note the circular drive, and the garage on the far-right side of the image.




Sources


As I was concluding the research for this blog post I ran across a short podcast about the history of Eagle Creek Park which discusses some of the history of Knoll House. The show notes also included photos, including some of the Knoll House, although the webpage has some issues, and the photos are no longer hosted. However, some photos of the Knoll House are available from the Eagle Creek Park History Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18cBdGMsnx/


Indianapolis Star: October 14, 1960, March 28, 1962, June 27, 1964, August 8, 1964, February 1, 1966, April 10, 1967, June 18, 1967, February 16, 1969

Indianapolis News: January 6, 1928, August 12, 1960, July 5, 1961, June 17, 1964, August 31, 1965, August 27, 1966, February 24, 1968, February 5, 1969, February 19, 1969, July 5, 1968, July 1, 1970


Wagner's map of Marion County, Ind. - Indiana State Library Map Collection - Collections Hosted by the Indiana State Library, https://indianamemory.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15078coll8/id/1079


Plat book of Marion County, Indiana - Indiana State Library Map Collection - Collections Hosted by the Indiana State Library, https://indianamemory.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15078coll8/id/5868


Eagle Creek Welcome to Lilly Lodge, Indianapolis Digital Mayoral Archives, https://uindy.historyit.com/item.php?id=379224


Eagle Creek Area Plan and Eagle Creek Park Master Plan, Indianapolis Digital Mayoral Archives, https://uindy.historyit.com/item.php?id=375779


Eagle Creek Reservoir Planned Development Map, Indianapolis Digital Mayoral Archives, https://uindy.historyit.com/item.php?id=304684

 

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