historical indiana property

[dixie bee]

In the earlier part of the 1900s, possibly even the late 1800s Lodi Indiana was known statewide and nationwide for its artesian wells. Artesian water was bottled and sold by snakeoil salesmen all around
Lodi is located on the banks of the wabash river where fountain county, parke county and vermillion county meet. Although Lodi is in Parke county, Lodi park was in fountain county. Lodi park was where the wells were located, the wells filled a few public "baths" where folks from all around would come to soak in to cure many ailments including arthritis, or so it was r
umored.

My reason for bringing up this bit of history, I will be getting a metal detector in a month or so, and a large portion of the original Lodi park is now private property. A buddy of mine is very good friends with the guy who owns and lives on the property.
I have been to a few weekend parties at his place and he is a pretty good guy, so i am hoping he will allow me to md on his land.
I can imagine there almost has to be a fair amount of silver coins to be found there, possibly some non coin artifacts as well.

Has anyone else here ever heard of Lodi park?

 

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[L.C. BAKER]

It sounds interesting and like it was a boom town after the canal came through. Would definitely be a good place to look!

With the building of the Wabash and Erie canal, 1844-47, and the building of the old east and west plank road about the same time, business in the county took a boom. The canal went through Lodi (Waterman), Montezuma and Armiesburg, and Howard, West Union and Clinton Lock (Lyford) grew up on its banks. All did a thriving business in packing, shipping and importing. Most of the goods for Putnam, as well as Parke county, came to these towns. Passenger boats, as well as freight boats, were run on the canal, and much traveling was done in this way. Various social gatherings, especially dances, were given on canal boats, as they went up and down the canal. It began to decline about 1855, when it failed to meet the competition of the railroads. Most of the canal bed and the remains of the aqueducts across Big Raccoon and Sugar creek are still visible, and a section of the old tow path forms part of the gravel road between Montezuma and West Union.

L.C.

 

[dixie bee]

Good information, additionally, part of the towpath continues north out of Lodi still today known as towpath road.
A few couple of years before she died (last year), my grandmother wrote a book about the history of Lodi and Silver Island. Silver island was the area between the canal and the wabash river just north of lodi.