The Tippecanoe Battlefield Park preserves the location of the
Battle of Tippecanoe
The Battle of Tippecanoe ( ) was fought on November 7, 1811, in Battle Ground, Indiana, between American forces led by then Governor William Henry Harrison of the Indiana Territory and Native American forces associated with Shawnee leader Tecums ...
fought on November 7, 1811.
The site of the battle was deeded to the State of
Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
by John Tipton, a veteran of the fight, on November 7, 1836, the twenty-fifth anniversary of the battle. The site was used for a number of major political rallies during its earlier years, those most significant being on May 29, 1840 in favor of
William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was an American military officer and politician who served as the ninth president of the United States. Harrison died just 31 days after his inauguration in 1841, and had the shortest pres ...
's bid for the
White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...
attended by 30,000 people.
Tippecanoe Battlefield History
The location was attracting visitors by the 1850s, and the battlefield was bordered by the Louisville, New Albany, & Salem Railroad during that decade. A refreshment stand was built adjacent to the site to accommodate visitors, and this land was later purchased by the Northwest Indiana Conference of the Methodist Church
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related Christian denomination, denominations of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John W ...
and used for the Battle Ground Collegiate Institute and later for a Methodist youth camp. Despite interest in the location for the sesquicentennial of the battle in 1961, the camp was abandoned in 1971 and the location was neglected. It was designated a National Historical Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places liste ...
in 1960.[ and ] It is located in the Battle Ground Historic District.
Local residents acquired the Methodist property upon its closure, and created a museum in the camp's lodge. The citizen's group merged with the Tippecanoe County Historical Association in 1990 which took over operation of the museum. The museum was extensively renovated in 1995.
The Battlefield Monument was ceded to the Tippecanoe County Park Board in 1972.
Recreational opportunities
*Hiking (including access to the Wabash Heritage Trail).
*Nature Center
*Battlefield Monument
*Museum
Tippecanoe Battlefield Park is operated by the Tippecanoe County Park Board and the Battlefield Museum is operated by the Tippecanoe County Historical Society.
See also
*Battle Ground, Indiana
Battle Ground is a town in Tippecanoe Township, Tippecanoe County in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 1,334 at the 2010 census. It is near the site of the Battle of Tippecanoe.
Battle Ground is part of the Lafayette, Indiana, Met ...
*John Purdue
John Purdue (; October 31, 1802 – September 12, 1876) was a wealthy American industrialist in Lafayette, Indiana, and the primary original benefactor of Purdue University.
Early life
Most details of Purdue's early life were either not recor ...
*''Battle of Tippecanoe Outdoor Drama
The ''Battle of Tippecanoe Outdoor Drama'' (''BOTOD'') was an outdoor historical drama held near the site of the Battle of Tippecanoe in Battle Ground, Indiana in the summers of 1989 and 1990. The drama was held at an amphitheater specially cons ...
''
References
External links
Tippecanoe Historical Society webpage for the park
Tippecanoe County Parks Department webpage for the park
"Life Portrait of William Henry Harrison"
from C-SPAN
Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network (C-SPAN ) is an American cable and satellite television network that was created in 1979 by the cable television industry as a nonprofit public service. It televises many proceedings of the United States ...
's '' American Presidents: Life Portraits'', broadcast from Tippecanoe Battlefield, May 10, 1999
{{Authority control
Protected areas of Tippecanoe County, Indiana
Tippecanoe, battle of
National Historic Landmarks in Indiana
Conflict sites on the National Register of Historic Places in Indiana
Parks in Indiana
Museums in Tippecanoe County, Indiana
Monuments and memorials in Indiana
Military and war museums in Indiana
History museums in Indiana
National Register of Historic Places in Tippecanoe County, Indiana