12/13/2013
Indiana Army Ammunition Plant
Charlestown State Park, near INAAP
Indiana Army Ammunition Plant was a vast manufacturing facility built by the Army at the beginning of WWII. The plant operated at a reduced capacity after the war but sections were successively abandoned until 1992 when the entire facility was turned over a redevelopment agency and the state of Indiana. The state turned it's portion of the grounds into Charlestown State Park. The redevelopment agency is gradually turning the rest of the grounds into an industrial park. The section that was turned over to the redevelopment agency contained most of the major manufacturing buildings. I had seen some amazing photographs of taken inside of the two power plants that had been a part of the industrial complex. When I visited in summer of 2013, both of those plants had been torn down. Most of the significant structures that remain on the site are in the front of the complex facing highway 62. That section of the site is fenced and heavily posted with no trespassing signs and there were two patrol cars patrolling when I was there on a Sunday afternoon. It's easy enough to see inside the compound through the fencing from parking areas alongside 62.
Indiana Army Ammunition Plant
It seems like it would be possible to sneak in the back way through Charlestown State Park but since the power plants were gone, I decided not to bother with the trouble and the risk. I visited on the same day that I got kicked out of the Marble Hill nuclear plant site. A fruitless day. Charlestown State Park was completely empty except for me and an incredibly large number of park staff. The park is essentially a long road to the river with few places to pull over and walk around. It costs $7 to enter and there is nothing to do. Other than to use the boat launch or try to sneak into INAAP, I can't imagine why anyone would want to pay to go to Charlestown State Park. Indiana State Parks in general are among my least favorite systems in the country.
Indiana Army Ammunition Plant
Indiana Army Ammunition Plant
Indiana Army Ammunition Plant
Indiana Army Ammunition Plant
Indiana Army Ammunition Plant
Indiana Army Ammunition Plant
Indiana Army Ammunition Plant
Charlestown State Park, near INAAP
Charlestown State Park, near INAAP
Charlestown State Park, near INAAP
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