Information
Names: McCormick’s Creek, McCormick
Location: McCormick’s Creek State Park
County: Owen (the other tower site in Owen County is Cataract)
Topo quad: Gosport
Condition: Standing; refurbished; climbable up into the cab. Great tower to climb, but there isn’t a lot of view because the trees block much of the view in most directions. There’s a gate and it’s locked at night etc.
Maps of McCormick’s Creek tower
Above: Gosport topo quad, 1947
Links
NHLR page for McCormick’s Creek tower
IDNR video about the history and restoration of the tower.
McCormick’s Creek State Park property map with Fire Tower on Trail 4
NGS mark MC CORMICKS CREEK ST PARK LOT KA1978 datasheet
Structural Survey numbers 004-244-23003, 006-244-05032, 119-244-39018
Gorgeous photos of McCormick’s Creek tower by abandonedonline.net
Data
| Coordinates | Latitude | Longitude |
| My coordinates (unofficial) | 39.2848 | -86.72392 |
| NGS mark KA1978 | 39 17 04.76370(N) | 086 43 26.03075(W) |
History of McCormick’s Creek
McCormick’s Creek became the first Indiana state park in 1916.
The McCormick’s Creek fire tower was built in 1935, and was in active service through 1967, according to one source. One of the structural survey pages says about the tower: “One of several structures built by CCC during 1933-35 period.”
The Friends of McCormick’s Creek raised more than $100,000 to restore the tower in 2018. The restored tower was opened in 2019. A plaza with a fence was built soon after that.
It is still standing and climbable in 2024.
Personal Photos of McCormick’s Creek
