Rose Island

Rose Island. . From the 1880s until the 1930s, a trip to either Fern Grove or Rose Island would not be complete without either a ride on a steamboat or a walk across a suspension bridge, along with a basket of fried chicken and a dance in the dance hall., Originally called Fern Grove, the site was the annual picnic destination of almost every Louisville church. Fern Grove offered hiking trails, picnic tables, a hotel, dance hall and a cool escape from the city's summer heat. Steamboats transported groups across the river from Kentucky., In 1923, Mr. David B. G. Rose bought Fern Grove, changing the name to Rose Island. Twenty cabins were built on the property as well as a roller coaster, swimming pool, live animal exhibits, shooting gallery, Ferris wheel and dining hall. It was rumored that he was able to get a Kentucky liquor license by convincing authorities that his property was an island, not part of Indiana., The building of a suspension bridge across Fourteenmile Creek allowed Hoosiers to visit Rose Island. A toll was charged at the suspension bridge., The “Great Flood” of 1937 abruptly ended generations of fun on Rose Island. Ten feet of water covered portions of Rose Island. When the waters receded, the damage was too great to reopen., The Portersville Bridge , The Portersville Bridge was built in 1912 to span the east fork of the White River between Dubois and Daviess Counties. In March, 1913, only months after the Porterville Bridge was completed, a record flood on the White River covered the bridge floor under two feet of rushing water. The hand rails were removed to allow damaging debris to pass through the bridge. Because of the flood, the bridge was raised three feet higher in May of 1913., In 1999 the bridge was closed to traffic after 86 years of operation. Charlestown State Park acquired the bridge in 2008. It was disassembled, and each piece numbered for reassembly. At the park, pieces were inspected, cleaned and repainted. The bridge was reassembled in 2011 to serve as a pedestrian bridge onto the former site of Rose Island.