Spring house to be dedicated at Potato Creek SP, Aug. 7

Indiana DNR Release:

Potato Creek State Park will dedicate a newly reconstructed spring house on Aug. 7 at 10 a.m. The reconstruction of this mid-19th century building was a project of the Friends of Potato Creek State Park with financial support from the GFWC Progress Club of South Bend; Robert Bosch, LLC; and the Cheryl Campion Memorial Fund.

After a short dedication ceremony, there will be an open house for visitors to hear about the spring house’s use and look inside. Participants should park at the Porter Rea Cemetery parking lot and allow time to walk the 3/8 of a mile along Trail 4 to the site.

Spring houses were built over springs to take advantage of the consistent temperature of the spring water to store food items. Spring water is about the same temperature as the surface temperature average. In northern Indiana that is about 50 degrees.

Spring houses were built either of stone or wood or a combination of the two. Since stone changes temperature very slowly it retains the coolness of the water better than wood. This spring house has a stone foundation and floor with a channel for the water to flow through. Food was stored in crocks, jars and cans on the cool floor or directly in the water in the channel. The upper wooden part of the building kept the sun off and the animals out of the stored food.

The normal park gate fee of $5 per Indiana vehicle and $7 per out-of-state vehicle will be charged. For more information call Potato Creek State Park, (574) 656-8186.