LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A historic Floyd County farm is set to transform into a public park.
The 158-acre Sillings-Schoen-Mitsch property on State Road 64 near Georgetown, Indiana, includes a 1910s-era farmhouse and three barns.
When the owner — Zelpha Schoen Mitsch — died in 2015, she left the farm to Indiana Landmarks so the organization could protect the land and buildings. It was sold to Floyd County this year, and the county plans to use part of it for agricultural instruction for 4-H groups.
Sillings-Schoen-Mitsch Farm (Drone)
The 158-acre Sillings-Schoen-Mitsch property on state Road 64 near Georgetown, Indiana, includes a 1910s-era farmhouse and three barns. Nov. 30, 2022. (WDRB Photo)
The 158-acre Sillings-Schoen-Mitsch property on state Road 64 near Georgetown, Indiana, includes a 1910s-era farmhouse and three barns. Nov. 30, 2022. (WDRB Photo)
The 158-acre Sillings-Schoen-Mitsch property on state Road 64 near Georgetown, Indiana, includes a 1910s-era farmhouse and three barns. Nov. 30, 2022. (WDRB Photo)
The 158-acre Sillings-Schoen-Mitsch property on state Road 64 near Georgetown, Indiana, includes a 1910s-era farmhouse and three barns. Nov. 30, 2022. (WDRB Photo)
The 158-acre Sillings-Schoen-Mitsch property on state Road 64 near Georgetown, Indiana, includes a 1910s-era farmhouse and three barns. Nov. 30, 2022. (WDRB Photo)
The 158-acre Sillings-Schoen-Mitsch property on state Road 64 near Georgetown, Indiana, includes a 1910s-era farmhouse and three barns. Nov. 30, 2022. (WDRB Photo)
The 158-acre Sillings-Schoen-Mitsch property on state Road 64 near Georgetown, Indiana, includes a 1910s-era farmhouse and three barns. Nov. 30, 2022. (WDRB Photo)
The 158-acre Sillings-Schoen-Mitsch property on state Road 64 near Georgetown, Indiana, includes a 1910s-era farmhouse and three barns. Nov. 30, 2022. (WDRB Photo)
The 158-acre Sillings-Schoen-Mitsch property on state Road 64 near Georgetown, Indiana, includes a 1910s-era farmhouse and three barns. Photo courtesy of Indiana Landmarks.
The 158-acre Sillings-Schoen-Mitsch property on state Road 64 near Georgetown, Indiana, includes a 1910s-era farmhouse and three barns. Photo courtesy of Indiana Landmarks.
The 158-acre Sillings-Schoen-Mitsch property on state Road 64 near Georgetown, Indiana, includes a 1910s-era farmhouse and three barns. Photo courtesy of Indiana Landmarks.
"Indiana Landmarks is grateful to Floyd County officials for their desire to maintain the farm as greenspace and a recreational amenity for the residents of a fast-growing section of the county," Greg Sekula, director of Indiana Landmarks' Southern Regional Office, said in a news release Tuesday. "We believe this use honors the legacy of Zelpha Schoen Mitsch and her commitment to preserving this beautiful property for future generations to enjoy."
About 70 acres of the property will be converted into a park with hiking trails. Baseball fields and the house on property will be converted into 4-H offices.
"We saw a need for a regional large park in the Georgetown/Edwardsville area. It is a fast-growing area," said Don Lopp, director of operations and planning for Floyd County. "It has been in three families since the founding of Floyd County, so that historic component was very important to us."
The first phase of the project is expected to be completed in spring of 2024 with total completion in five to seven years.
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