Flowing Well Park, located just off of 116th Street on the east side of Carmel opened in 1994 as CCPR’s very first public park. Park-goers from far and wide frequent this 15-acre park for its national park-feel and to collect water from it's artesian well, "Old Faithful."  An artesian well means that the water flows out freely; it doesn’t need to be pumped out of the ground.

Before Flowing Well Park was a park — and before it was even part of Carmel — it was a piece of land along Cool Creek in Mattsville, Ind. In 1904, the well was discovered when drillers looking for natural gas accidentally found water instead! In the early years of the well, travelers from the dusty dirt road crossed the mud on a rough boardwalk on the farm of Charles L. Williamson to collect the cool, clean water that came out of a pipe sticking out of the ground.

The Williamson family donated the well in 1926 for public use and a beautiful concrete structure was built around the pipe. A bronze tablet memorializing the founding of the town of Carmel was placed at the site. In 1983 the well was moved 50 feet further away from 106^th street and housed in a new gazebo. The community also built a small park and parking lot around the well. The well was donated to the newly formed Carmel Clay Parks and Recreation in 1991. They opened Carmel’s first park there three years later.

Flowing Well Park now features long walking trails through the woods. Visitors enjoy fishing, gathering water from the well, walking the trails and stomping in the creek. Last year alone the park had more than 200,000 visitors. 

The park recently underwent planned improvements, including Cool Creek bank stabilization, restroom construction, parking lot expansion, and updated interpretive signage and trails. The Clay Township Impact Program funds these enhancements as part of Carmel Clay Parks & Recreation’s Reimagining Parks initiative. “The updates will make Flowing Well Park more functional for the everyday visitor,” said Michael Allen, CCPR Director of Parks & Natural Resources. “We are expanding not only access to trails, but recreational opportunities. To me, beyond being good stewards of quality habitat, the next most important thing is getting people to see it and value it.”

Over the next three years, the Clay Township Impact Program will fund improvements to six parks in our community with a focus on parks and public safety. These improvements will provide benefits for all township residents, schools and businesses and make our community a better place to live, work and play.

To learn more about all the parks being reimagined, visit carmelclayparks.com/reimagining-parks.