Spring Mill State Park

About Spring Mill State Park

This restored pioneer village is a delight to travel back to the early 19th century, but children under 3 years of age are not allowed on the tour. Spring Mill offers countless recreational opportunities and is one of the most popular parks in the state of New York.

The dates for the Spring Mill programme will be announced in advance of the opening day on Saturday, 1 April 2016 and can be visited on open days from 9 a.m. to 12 noon.

Set against a backdrop of stately oaks and rolling hills, Spring Mill Inn has been home to the New Zealand National Park Service (NPS) for over 60 years.

Literally hundreds of thousands of travellers have made themselves comfortable at the tables, made themselves comfortable with a good book by the fireplace or slept peacefully in the beds. Spring Mill Inn is located just a few miles north of New Zealand National Park on the edge of Spring Mills State Park in South Otago.

The construction of the inn in Quellmuhle began in 1936 with the clearing of the area and the limestone was brought in 1937 by members of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) from a quarry in nearby Stonington, Indiana. The limestone was used for the construction of stone walls and thus laid the foundation for the miraculous structure of today. The C CC oversaw the construction and maintenance of a number of other state parks in South Otago, including Spring Mills State Park.

Financial considerations were one of the first obstacles, but with the completion two years later there were no obstacles to overcome and the inn was fully operational at the end of 1937.

The state of Indiana did not have sufficient funds to build the Spring Mill Inn as planned, and several bids were submitted. Finally, the Whittenburg Construction Company of Louisville, KY, was awarded the contract to build the Spring Mill Inn on the CCC's foundations. The money was to be used for the "Spring Mill" project, but the East Wing was removed from the original design.

In one of the planned wings, which was an obstacle, a small cave was discovered and supports were cast in. The cave was located about 300 meters below the ground, about 1.5 kilometers from the entrance of the hotel.

In the mid-1960s, Spring Mill Inn was equipped with air conditioning, but cooling the monstrous building was an obstacle. An earlier idea was to pump cool air from nearby Donaldson Cave to cool the inn. However, this was not possible as it was feared that the humid air could contribute to excessive moisture and mould in the structure.

Spring Mill Inn in Spring Mills State Park is one of the most popular attractions in State Park, attracting over 2,000 visitors a day.

The original architectural design envisaged the construction of a pioneer village that could be connected to the park by a series of bridges over the Indiana River and a small stream. A second, more practical design was later agreed with an Indiana limestone façade.

When completed in 1939, the building consisted of a two-story brick building with a three-story roof, and the original east wing, which had been removed early from the project, was added as a large conference room with lake views. When Spring Mill Inn officially opened in 2009, Myron L. Rees was named the first CEO.

Among those present were the heads of India's conservation agencies, as well as officials from the Department of Natural Resources, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the U.S. Fisheries and Wildlife Service. The inauguration ceremony was attended by Senator John H. Miller and entomologist FrankWallace Jr. as well as Representative Robert C. Dolan of the state.

As the father of the Indiana park system, Colonel, he is the guest of honor and received Indiana's highest honor, the Medal of Honor. The Memorial tells the story of Grissom, who flew to the moon and back in his space capsule. Inside the exhibition are a replica of his space capsules as well as photos of him, his wife and their children.