Skiles Test Nature Park, sometimes called Skiles Test Nature Area, is a nature park on the northeast side of Indianapolis, Indiana, United States.[1] It is in the northern trailhead of the Fall Creek Parkway and used by hikers, bikers and nature enthusiasts. The land, originally owned by millionaire Skiles Test, was willed to Indianapolis after his death.[2] His home, known as the House of Blue Lights, is supposedly a haunted house.[3]
Test lived on the property from 1913 to 1964. It once featured a miniature railway and a pool with bathhouses, elevators, and high dives.[4]
In 2010 Big Car organized series of site specific art installations in the park including works by Cindy Hinant, Nathan Monk, and Lukas Schooler.[5]
Skiles Test Nature Park has a documented history as a gay cruising site,[6] but a crackdown and several arrests in the early 2000s led to a decline in it being used for this purpose.[7]
- ^ "Natural Resource Areas". Indy Parks. February 18, 2010. Archived from the original on February 18, 2010. Retrieved August 8, 2018.
- ^ "In the Park: Skiles Test Nature Park - Historic Indianapolis | All Things Indianapolis History". Historic Indianapolis | All Things Indianapolis History. November 15, 2014. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
- ^ Hamlett, Ryan (October 29, 2013). "The House of Blue Lights - Historic Indianapolis | All Things Indianapolis History". Historic Indianapolis | All Things Indianapolis History. Retrieved August 8, 2018.
- ^ "Skiles Test Park". Center for Earth and Environmental Science. Purdue University. March 14, 2009. Archived from the original on March 14, 2009. Retrieved August 8, 2018.
- ^ Becker, Gretchen (October 21, 2010). "Found objects find way into artwork". The Indianapolis Star. p. N3. Retrieved October 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Undercover police sting aims at 'cruising' for sexual episodes in Indy parks. Retrieved April 12, 2024 – via www.youtube.com.
- ^ "Skiles Test Nature Park, Gay Indianapolis Cruising Areas". www.cruisinggays.com. Retrieved April 12, 2024.