One thing our team at Studio 13 loves is being a part of history within the Indianapolis and surrounding areas, especially when the focus is on both maintaining historical roots and developing spaces for future generations to be proud of and grow even more. When our partner in IndyCREW, Michelle Jarvis, introduced us to the great team responsible for the new Virgil Park in Brownsburg, we jumped at the chance to capture this amazing project.
Virgil Park, the newest addition to Brownsburg’s recreation scene, opened in early May 2024 and spans over six acres with easy access to the B&O Trail. The quite literal connection to the B&O trail is where this project gets even more exciting! You could say the B&O trail first became known in the late 1800s when the Indianapolis, Decatur and Springfield Railroad was completed from Indy to Illinois. Fast forward to the late 1920s when this line became part of the Baltimore & Ohio (B&O) Railroad and continued to be merged and acquired for decades until the nationwide decline effected B&O and the line was fully abandoned by 1993.
The Trail is one of the premier trails in the Indianapolis Metro Area, running from West Michigan Street in Haughville through Speedway. You’ll find a short break between Clermont and Speedway and where the trail picks up in Brownsburg, you will find Virgil Park!
Our new client asked us to help capture not only opening day and ribbon cutting stills of the event, but also drone footage to commemorate the day and highlight the beauty and vastness of the park. What a fun time! As we had just brought Craig, our drone operator, onto our team, we were so excited to see his talents shine through this project! In the drone video, you can see many of the features of the park like the prairie and wetlands, a large playground, restroom facilities, water fountains and, of course, access to the B&O Trail. We were able to splice some of the audio from the day and share in the video, as well.
In the ribbon cutting photos captured by our team member Lisa, you’ll see the namesakes of Virgil Park, Diana and Hall Virgil, the inspiring couple who spent more than 20 years converting and preserving the old railroad into a recreational trail.
We can’t wait to see how the trail continues to grow and the impact Virgil Park will have on the community. We hope to see other communities in Indianapolis and surrounding cities follow the same path and bring revitalization and new life to parts of history that would otherwise be forgotten. Many thanks to all who made this project come to life!
