Englishton Park

From "Lexington" by Mary Wilson and Sharon Y. Asher, published sometime after 1975.

PRESBYTERIAN NATIONAL MISSIONS HOMES, INC.

Englishton Park

Closely related in geography and interest to the Lexington Church is Englishton Park, now owned and operated by Indiana Presbyterians. This estate, over 840 acres, owed its beginnings to Major Elisha Gale English who came from Kentucky in the early part of the 19th century, bought the original tract of land and established his home there. He married Mehala Eastin of Lexington whose brother-in-law possessed the first deed ever recorded in Scott County.

Major English was known and respected over a wide territory, as were his son William Hayden English and his grandson William Eastin English. All three generations served their state and country with devotion and distinction.

In the 1880's the English family moved to Indianapolis but spent a great deal of time still at their "beautiful country residence, Englishton Park, the ancestral home in Scott County."

Captain William E. English died in 1926, leaving Englishton Park in trust for the establishment of a "Summer Home (with authority to extend same to other seasons if desired)" for needy children "primarily of Marion County, secondarily of Scott County." The estate stood virtually abandoned from 1926 to 1958 when the court awarded it to Presbyterian National Missions Homes, Inc., a corporation of twenty-five members of the Presbyterian Church in Indiana. Fifteen of the members are the National Missions Committee of the Synod, which ties the work at Englishton Bark very closely to the mission program of the Synod.

The court interpreted the terms of the will liberally and gave the corporation permission to use the estate for children of Marion, Scott, and other Indiana counties, and for other age groups as it saw fit. The result is a developing Christian community at Englishton Park which now has three inter-related branches of service to many age groups:

l. The Roe-Seal Home for retired people, built by a bequest from Miss Mary T. Roe, Kentland.

2. A center for activities of many age groups in meetings, workshops, retreats, camping, etc.

3. A program for children

A. A class for trainable retarded children, supported by county and state educational funds, which meets in the barn during the school year.

B. A summer program for children of normal intelligence but with emotional problems.

Rev. Dr. Roy E. Mueller was the first Resident Director of PNMH (1958-1962). He directed the very extensive program of rehabilitation, reclamation and improvement of buildings and grounds, and began the mission of Englishton Park to many age groups. At Dr. Mueller's retirement in 1962, Mr. James B. Hardie was elected Resident Director.

Englishton Park is related in many ways to the work not only of the Lexington Church but also of the Todd-Dickey Parish and the Presbytery. There have been meetings on the estate of women's organizations, young people's groups, church boards, Sunday School classes, Vacation Church schools, the Todd-Dickey Parish Council and other Parish organizations.

New Albany Presbytery held its fall meeting at Englishton Park in 1961, over 140 years after the Presbytery meeting in Lexington for the installation of Rev. John M. Dickey as the first Presbyterian pastor in Indiana.

On February 22, 1962, James B. Hardie became Director of Englishton Park. Mr. Hardie, who was an electrical engineer, and his wife came from Springfield, Ohio and served until July 1966.

At that time Katherine Parker served as Manager until January 1, l967, when she relinquished her duties due to ill health.

Russel Byers, who had been the Bookkeeper for several years, became Resident Manager and Administrator in January of 1967 and served until July 1, 1971, along with Opal Byer who was Secretary.

On July 1, 1971 Janet Heilman became interim manager and R. F. Struck became the Public Relations Director. Mr. Struck later was appointed Director on June 1, 1972 and his wife Lonia was his Secretary.

As state law requires a licensed administrator for state licensed residential care homes, Mrs. Rosiland Mayfield, licensed Administrator of a home in Madison, visited the Roe-Seal Home once a week until Janet Heilman received her license in February, 1973, and became Administrator of the Roe-Seal Memorial Home.

Her husband, Reverend William Heilman, became Program Director and Bookkeeper in 1973. On November 1, 1974, Rev. Heilman became Director of Englishton Park and continues to serve in this capacity today. At the same time Dutch Struck became Director of Public Relations and Promotion.

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