Opened in 1921 as Indiana's fourth state park for its natural beauty and recreation potential, it was first named Vinegar Mills State Park after the stone-cutting mill in the park and was renamed Muscatatuck State Park in 1922. In the 1930s, the Works Progress Administration and Civilian Conservation Corps built stone shelters and stairways, a fire tower, trails, and retaining walls. The nearby home of William Read, built in 1850, was used as an inn by the state park. Quail were raised there from 1953 to 1962, and the park was renamed Muscatatuck State Park and Game Farm. A state youth camp began there in 1962. In 1968, the park was returned to Jennings County for recreational uses. Walnut Grove Schoolhouse, built in 1913, was moved there in 1990.