It is not known when the Flowing Well was discovered. Some sources say it was 1890, others say 1902 and 1904. It is known that the well was discovered when drillers looking for natural gas accidentally found water instead! The well is an artesian well, which means that the water flows out freely; it doesn’t need to be pumped out of the ground.
In the early years of the well, Travelers on the dusty dirt road crossed the mud on a rough boardwalk on the farm of Charles L. Williamson. Back then the water came out of a pipe sticking out of the ground.
The Williamson family donated the well for public use, and a beautiful concrete structure was built around the pipe in 1926. A bronze tablet memorializing the founding of the town of Carmel was placed at the site. In 1983 the well was moved 50 feet further away from 106th street and housed in a new gazebo. The community also built a small park and parking lot around the well. The well was donated to the newly formed Carmel Clay Parks and Recreation in 1991. They opened Carmel’s first park there three years later. The new Flowing Well Park now features long walking trails through the woods.
