Military Park (Indianapolis)
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Military Park
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| Location | Indianapolis, Indiana |
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| Coordinates | 39°46′13.6″N 86°10′7.2″W / 39.770444°N 86.168667°WCoordinates: 39°46′13.6″N 86°10′7.2″W / 39.770444°N 86.168667°W |
| Built | 1852 |
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| Added to NRHP | October 28, 1969 |
Military Park is the oldest park in Indianapolis, Indiana, covering 14 acres (6 ha). In accordance with the Indiana Constitution, the land that forms Military Park cannot be sold; only Monument Circle and half of the Indiana State Capitol share this distinction.
Ever since the founding of Indianapolis in 1820, the grounds of Military Park, originally called Military Ground, have seen various uses. The first documented celebration of Independence Day in Indianapolis occurred at Military Ground on July 4, 1822. The United States Congress officially gave the land to the state of Indiana in 1827, for use in training the local militias. Before 1860, its greatest use for militia training was for the Black Hawk War in 1836.
The 1851 Indiana Constitution forbids the selling of Military Park. The first Indiana State Fair was held at the park in October 1852. Save for the years during which the fair traveled, the site was used for the state fair until it moved, in 1860, to the site where, during the Civil War, Camp Morton would be built. Stalls and exhibition halls were built on the grounds for such a purpose, surrounded by a large wooden fence. The State Fair made one last appearance on Military Park in 1863.
During the Civil War, Union soldiers were encamped at the Park. Governor Oliver P. Morton renamed the park Camp Sullivan, after the 13th Indiana Infantry's Colonel Jeremiah C. Sullivan. It was the first designated camp for the Federal army in Marion County, Indiana. However, this use severely damaged the grounds, due to all of the different troops entering and leaving Camp Sullivan, as it was a marshaling center. Following the war, efforts by local resident George Merritt started to improve the grounds, with the addition of a fountain and a small pool with a considerable-size rock foundation. Relics from the war and playground equipment were also added, as was a pavilion that still stands.
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