Near Marshall in Parke County, Indiana — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Richard Lieber
the Father of Indiana State Parks
Photographed by Daniel Barriball, March 25, 2025
1. Richard Lieber Marker
This memorial honors a man who devoted his life to protecting Indiana's natural landscapes.
Richard Lieber emigrated from Germany to the United States and became a successful Indianapolis businessman.
During the late 1800s, Americans began to realize that the nation's once vast resources were rapidly disappearing. President Theodore Roosevelt championed the idea of conserving landscapes through the creation of national parks. Lieber seized upon this idea and worked tirelessly to create an Indiana park system. In 1916, McCormick's Creek and Turkey Run became Indiana's first state parks.
Lieber would go on to become the first director of Indiana's Department of Natural Resources.
Richard Lieber's ashes are located at this site. Please respect the memory of this great man whose years of unselfish service established a conservation program ahead of his time, a gift for the future.
Erected by Indiana Department of Natural Resources Indiana State Parks.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Immigration • Industry & Commerce • Parks & Recreational Areas. A significant historical year for this entry is 1916.
Location. 39° 52.99′ N, 87° 12.42′ W. Marker is near Marshall, Indiana,
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in Central Indiana and in the Wabash Valley. It is also in the American Midwest and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture and also the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Log Church (a few steps from this marker); Juliet Strauss Memorial (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Turkey Run: Cradle of State Parks (about 400 feet away); Welcome to the Turkey Run Inn (about 700 feet away); Turkey Run (approx. 0.3 miles away); Arthur C. Newby (approx. half a mile away); Working In A Drift Mine (approx. 0.7 miles away); Life After Mining (approx. 0.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Marshall.
Also see . . .
1. The Beginning of Indiana State Parks. Indiana Department of Natural Resources The story of Richard Lieber and the birth of Indiana's state parks.
"I hope and trust that the small beginning we have made will have laid the foundation for a comprehensive system of State Parks which will not only stand forever as a token of the past, but which will bring health, wealth and happiness to our own generation and the many that will come after us."(Submitted on April 17, 2025, by Daniel Barriball of Chesterton, Indiana.)
2. Richard Lieber. Encyclopedia of Indianapolis A short biography of Richard Lieber (Submitted on April 17, 2025, by Daniel Barriball of Chesterton, Indiana.)
Photographed by Daniel Barriball, March 25, 2025
2. Colonel Lieber Memorial
Photographed by Daniel Barriball, March 25, 2025
3. Richard Lieber bust and plinth, Colonel Lieber Memorial
Hiddenly to each other connected are,
That you can't disturb a flower
Without the troubling of a star."
Born Sept. 5, 1869 at St. Johann Saarbruecken, Germany-
Died Apr. 15, 1944 at McCormick's Creek State Park, Indiana.
Photographed by Daniel Barriball, March 25, 2025
4. Colonel Lieber Memorial Plaque
Builder of State Parks
Public Servant-Benefactor
Erected-Dedicated to him by a grateful people
November 13, 1932
"He most lives
Who thinks most
Feels the noblest
Acts the best"
Credits. This page was last revised on July 6, 2025. It was originally submitted on March 26, 2025, by Daniel Barriball of Chesterton, Indiana. This page has been viewed 344 times since then and 64 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on March 26, 2025, by Daniel Barriball of Chesterton, Indiana. 2, 3, 4. submitted on March 27, 2025, by Daniel Barriball of Chesterton, Indiana. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
