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Darke
County Parks—Through the Years
Shawnee
Prairie Preserve
This
is the sixth installment of a series featuring Darke County
Park District’s twelve park areas.
The
mission of the Darke County Parks is to acquire and preserve land areas
possessing special natural and historical features and to manage and
maintain these
resources for the benefit of its residents through appropriate
educational and
passive recreational programs and activities.
The Park District was created in 1972
when the honorable Judge Williams
ordered the formation of the Park District.
The Park District is now comprised of
over 1,000 acres.
Shawnee
Prairie Preserve is Darke County Park’s largest park and
is located at 4267 State Route 502 West, Greenville.
The majority of the 118 acre park was
acquired by land donation and land purchase from Winchester Farms,
owned by the
late Raper and Mabel Nelson and later by their son, Robert. A small tract was acquired
from Andrew and
Inez Warner. There
are currently about
2.25 miles of trails that wind throughout a myriad of ecosystems. This
park is
steeped in a rich mix of history, native plants and wildlife.
Archeological
evidence has confirmed that at least a portion of Shawnee Prairie
Preserve was
the site of Prophetstown.
Shawnee
Prairie Preserve is home to the Nature Center and Park
Office and is always abuzz with activity.
The Nature Center is open Monday through
Saturday from 9:00am-5:00pm, no
charge for admission. Take
the time to
visit and check out the displays and live animals that call Darke
County
home. Also located
on the property is a
working Maple Sugar Shack and an 18th Century Pioneer Log House. The Log House is open
Saturdays May through
September from 1:00pm-4:00pm. The
Sugar
Shack is running when the sap starts to flow, mid-February to early
March and
is open to the public during our Maple Festival, the first Saturday in
March. Shawnee
Prairie Preserve also
hosts the Park District’s major events such as Prairie Days, coming up
on
September 28th and 29th!
All
of the Darke County Parks are open sunrise to sunset.
For more information on Shawnee Prairie
Preserve or any Darke County Parks, call the Park Office at
937.548.0165 or
visit our website at www.darkecountyparks.org
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