Land owned by the late Gov. Edgar Whitcomb has been donated to the city of Seymour for a future walking trail.
Mayor Craig Luedeman said the two strips of property are on the north side of the Crestview housing addition near where one of Whitcomb’s daughters still lives.
Totaling 3.824 acres, the property once served as railroad right of way and runs east from behind Louise Court all the way to Eighth Street.
The property is part of Whitcomb’s revocable trust, which is overseen by his family.
“They are paying taxes on the property and don’t intend to use it and wanted to donate it to the city as a possible future trail,” city attorney Rodney Farrow told the Seymour Board of Public Works and Safety on Thursday.
Whitcomb served as Indiana’s 43rd governor from 1969 to 1973. He served during World War II, and in 1996, he sailed solo around the world at the age of 71.
He died in 2016 at the age of 98 at his home in Rome in Perry County.
Originally from Hayden, Whitcomb moved his law practice to Seymour in the 1970s.
Luedeman said he would like to see the trail named after Whitcomb.
The city will have to update its master trails plan to include the property.
“It’s exciting because we’ve talked about getting a trail on that side of town and didn’t really know how to do it,” Luedeman said. “This will help make that happen.”
He envisions the property serving as the middle part of a longer trail.
“We’ll have to figure out where it goes from there,” he said.
One idea is to have a trail along the Von Fange Ditch that goes out to Chateau de Pique Winery.
The city will have to decide what kind of trail it wants and how to mark it.
“Until we get more property to connect it to a street or sidewalk, we’ll likely leave it a grass trail,” Luedeman said.
He hopes the city can do some clearing and mowing of the property this fall.
With the future trail being located behind a total of 16 residences, Luedeman said he plans to have a meeting in the future with homeowners to discuss the project and address their concerns.
