Mahan Manor was originally built from 1806-1808 as a two-story log cabin (the original structure is shown above between the chimneys). The home was given as a wedding gift to Virginia and Howard in 1921, by Virginia’s family.

The bare logs were showing, however, since this represented a low income status, the Mahans covered it with cedar clapboards. The original logs are still found under the current siding! They added a kitchen, breakfast room, and indoor bathroom upstairs, and a bedroom and dressing room on the first floor. They even turned the livestock holding area into a modern hallway! They named the farm Hill O’Content Farm, and raised cattle, ducks, saddlebred horses and many more animals.

The springhouse just below the manor was the original water source for the farm.  It was built in 1803 with locally quarried limestone as the first building on the property. The family would store milk, fruits and vegetables in the springhouse to keep them cool, since there was no other source of refrigeration. The active spring still runs today, flowing underground to the blue spruce tree nearby, and feeding many other streams in the area. A storm blew the roof off, so a new roof of authentic cedar shakes was built in 2008.

Please call (502) 228-4362 to schedule a tour.

NEW “Forest Friends” Play Area!

Judge David Voegele and representatives from Creasey Mahan Nature Preserve were joined by a crowd of enthusiastic supporters of the Nature Preserve to see some images and share ideas for a new nature-themed play area on May 28, 2015. We want you to share your thoughts and suggestions!

The Nature Preserve has been thrilled to have been the site of the City of Goshen’s Harmony Park Playground for the last 13 years. However, the playground equipment is being moved to a new location in the City of Goshen (around October 2016), so we are dreaming big for a new playground. This is an opportunity to offer something new, different, and hopefully exciting to you, our wonderful visitors.

We are working with Miracle of KY & TN, a company from Leitchfield, Ky, that specializes in kid safe, creative, handicapped accessible playground equipment. We plan to have fun equipment for kids of all ages and sizes. Of course, we will need your support, both financial and in volunteer hours to make this dream come true. We hope to have the new playground ready for family fun by Spring 2017. We will keep everyone advised of our progress.

With over 9 miles of winding trails, there is a walk for everyone! Hike through lush forests, white pine stands, native grass meadows, wetlands, springs, and meandering streams. From quiet forest paths to broad grassy avenues, Creasey Mahan is ideal for local hiking, trail running, and nature exploration. Benches and picnic tables provide ideal spots for birding, wildlife viewing, and picnicking. Friendly dogs on leash are welcome (bring pick-up bags). No bikes allowed.

Trail Maps are available at the Office Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and at the main kiosk as you enter the wildlife area near the fire pit.

Click the trail guide below to view a larger version as an Adobe PDF file.

For a printable version of the map only, click here.

You may have noticed nesting boxes with blue roofs and initials in a heart around the Preserve. This is our Bluebird Trail sponsored by the Louisville Audubon Society. Click for a printable version of this map. When the boxes were installed, people who made donations got their names or initials painted on the box. Although the boxes are all posted in prime Bluebird habitat, other cavity nesters use them too, such as Tree Swallows, Chickadees, Tufted Titmice, House Wrens, and (unfortunately) House Sparrows.

The female Bluebird makes a cup-shaped nest in the box, using pine needles or dried grass, whichever is closer to the box. A Chickadee put a soft layer of moss at the bottom of the box before building her nest.  The blue eggs take 12-14 days to hatch, the the young will fledge (leave the nest) when they are 18-21 days old. The parents will then start another brood if there is a good food supply in the area. This winter was very hard on the Bluebirds, who do not migrate to warmer locations in the winter, and there aren’t as many this year as last year. Enjoy watching our Bluebirds as they enter the nest boxes, but try to resist the urge to open them. We don’t want the young chicks to jump out prematurely, nor do we want predators to be attracted to the boxes. Learn more about Bluebirds here. Learn more about Bluebirds here .

In 1975, the Mahan family gifted their 170-acre farm to create the Creasey Mahan Nature Preserve. Once primarily horse pasture, with patches of woodland along waterways and ravines, Creasey Mahan Nature Preserve is now a living example of how good stewardship and community involvement can restore a healthy forest ecosystem.

A. Mahan Lane—Enjoy an easy stroll down the old farm-lane. Pass by the frog pond and take in the broad, open, native grass meadows. Provides access to several other trails. Easy.
B. Huckleberry Creek Path—Follows Little Huckleberry Creek between low wooded hills. The most mature part of the forest, be sure to visit the Hidden Springs wetland, where trickling streams merge and meander. Moderate.
C. Turkey Trot—Winds through the woods from Mahan Lane to the forests edge, passes a sunny pond and hidden meadows. Moderate.
D. Cross-Country Trail—Broad grassy paths are perfect for trail-running. This trail climbs up and down hills to overlooks, past native meadows and pine stands. Moderate.
E. Watershed Trail—This favorite wildflower footpath travels through the most mature and delicate forest, down the shady side of Little Huckleberry Creek, and past stony waterfalls. Moderate.
F. Sycamore Crest—This multi-branched loop trail takes you past old sycamore trees, including a towering giant with four trunks! Moderate.
G. Frog’s Leap Trail—The perfect trail for little ones, this nature exploration trail leads from the Frog Pond past the outdoor classroom and meanders in the forest. Easy.