Indiana to invest $1.2M in historic preservation, including 1863 river shipwreck

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources will distribute more than $1.2 million across 12 preservation projects across the state. The state contributes $656,000, with the federal government providing matching funds to reach the total investment. The Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology announced the awards last week, targeting specific sites that require immediate attention or further study.

The largest portion of the attention goes to the Ohio River, where the wreckage of the Union naval vessel Alice Dean remains visible. In July 1863, Confederate forces under Gen. John Hunt Morgan captured the ship during a false distress call. After using the vessel to transport troops from Kentucky into Indiana, the raiders burned the Alice Dean, sinking it into the riverbed. The site now straddles the border between Indiana and Kentucky, marking the location where the waterway divides the two states.

Charles Beeker, director of Indiana University's Center of Underwater Science, plans to use the new funding to transform the wreck into a living museum. Beeker described the site as an underwater cultural resource that forms part of the regional maritime landscape. He stated that the goal is to gather more information to preserve this specific piece of Indiana's history. Beeker noted that such historic shipwrecks are rare, emphasizing the need to document the site before it deteriorates further.

Beyond the river project, the grants support structural and archaeological work in multiple cities. Masonry repair funds are allocated for historic buildings in South Bend, Cannelton, Terre Haute, and Plymouth. Other projects include a study in New Harmony and a request for federal recognition for a site in Fort Wayne. The DNR is currently accepting public comments on all 12 projects until the end of the calendar year. This period allows residents to review the scope of work and provide feedback before the preservation teams begin their fieldwork.

The Alice Dean was a newly completed vessel at the time of its capture. It had responded to a distress call from a small postal boat sailing down the Ohio River. The Confederate ambush allowed Morgan's troops to subdue the Union soldiers on board. The subsequent raid moved through Corydon, Salem, and Vienna before ending in Ohio with Morgan's defeat. The shipwreck serves as a physical remnant of that 1863 offensive, more than 150 years after the initial recovery efforts began.