Gatsby Summer Picnic

The Gatsby Summer Afternoon "In the Spirit of Historic Preservation"

Thank you to all who participated in 2011. It was truly a relaxing afternoon. Watch for 2012 Details

Proceeds go to restoration efforts: The Lake County Parks is attempting to secure funds for repairs to the main house and the 1916 barn. When Dennis and Catherine Buckley fled Ireland during the Potato Famine and settled in the United States they likely never thought that the land they developed and the homestead they built would one day represent a vanishing lifestyle – or that anyone would care. They were a typical farm family in south Lake County. Maybe Rose Buckley Pearce had an idea when she donated her great-grandparent's farm to the public trust through the Lake County Parks and Recreation Department in 1977 that independent family farmland would soon be but a memory here in Lake County Indiana.

Buckley Homestead County Park is 620 acres, a major portion of which functions as a living history site serving thousands of visitors each year. The original farmstead was established in 1849 when the Buckley family purchased the original 80 acres of farmland to create a home for their four children. The home and its accompanying agriculture buildings remained in the Buckley Family until 1977 when 160 acres were donated with the purpose of preserving the farming heritage for the public. Upon her death, Mrs. Pearce left the remaining homestead to the park system. The Buckley Homestead is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In the Spirit of Historic Preservation you can help in these efforts and enjoy a leisurely afternoon at the same time.

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For reservations and more information about the Lake County Parks Call 219-769-PARK
Mon-Fri 8:30am to 4:30pm Central Time (Chicago Time)

Lake County Parks and Recreation Department Corporate Office
8411 East Lincoln Highway, Crown Point, Indiana 46307
Just west of Deep River WaterparK 4.5 miles east of I-65 on Route 30