Read time: 4 min.

Flowing wells -springs, as they’re known in Richmond- play an integral role in the story of the city’s Glen Miller Park. Early on, Cook’s Spring was one of the area’s main attractions! Thirsty patrons like me still come from miles away to visit another, the scenic Spring Water Spring, which sits just within the park’s entrance off the National Road. Unfortunately, the Iron Water Spring is not nearly as prominent as it sits far away from its peers on Lakeshore Drive. At least it used to: the entire setup had collapsed before the last time I visited. 

Glen Miller Park is nearly two hundred acres. The Iron Water Spring is occasionally known as the North Spring¹ or the Lincoln Spring². The “north” name is self-explanatory, but the spring took the Lincoln name from Lincoln Rock, a gigantic boulder nearby that was dedicated in memory of the Great Emancipator in 1909 on his hundredth birthday³.

Approaching the park from the northwest, the surest route to Iron Water Spring has always been to follow Grand Boulevard onto Lakeshore Drive and head east. At least, that used to be the case. When I returned two summers ago, I found Lakeshore Drive barricaded and closed off to vehicles. It was still blocked earlier this month, but that didn’t stop my mom and me. We parked at the makeshift gate, stretched our legs, and took the short, pleasant walk down to the spring.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary as we approached. I fully expected to see the Iron Water Spring trickling into its familiar trough behind the decorative stone wall, just as it always had. As we carefully descended the timeworn stairs, though, it became clear that something was very wrong: a massive section of the trough had broken away, while another piece jutted toward the stream at a precarious angle. The once-steady flow was gone! What remained of the iron-stained well casing was bone dry.

Even so, Mom and I could still hear the unmistakable sound of water. Curiosity got the better of me, and I scrambled up onto the collapsed retaining wall to peer beneath the remains of the trough. Sure enough, the Iron Water Spring was still alive, gushing steadily beneath the wreckage. Its source, though, was completely hidden under a tangle of broken stone and debris. It was almost as if the spring had retreated into secrecy.

The Iron Water Spring may no longer greet visitors with the same elegance it once did, but its steady flow beneath the rubble is a reminder that history doesn’t simply disappear. Instead, it endures, even when it’s been damaged or forgotten.

While the Spring Water Spring continues to draw crowds, Iron Water’s overlooked corner of Glen Miller Park tells a different story: one of resilience tucked away behind barricades and broken stone. Someday, I hope the spring will be restored to its former prominence. For now, though, it remains a hidden echo of Richmond’s past, still flowing faithfully but just out of sight.

Sources Cited
1 Field, B. Historic Richmond Indiana Photos (2018, September 18). Shame that its condition has deteriorated so much over the years.  First photo was taken by another member in the [Post]. Facebook.
2 Lincoln Spring at Glen Miller Park Temporarily Closed (1930, September 16). The Richmond Item. p. 14.
3 Lincoln Rock At Glen Dedicated On Centennial Of Emancipator’s Birth (1947, July 27). The Richmond Palladium-Item. p. 6.