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[Mike Ingels]

I love the Nightmare on Elm Street idea. 

Maybe that's a good idea for a downtown festival.  Have a ghost festival.  Horror films and seances on Loranger Square.  They could raise the spirit of Custer.    That would be a riot.

Not that I believe any of that stuff.  But it would be a good time.

[lordfly]

I love the Nightmare on Elm Street idea. 

Maybe that's a good idea for a downtown festival.  Have a ghost festival.  Horror films and seances on Loranger Square.  They could raise the spirit of Custer.    That would be a riot.

Not that I believe any of that stuff.  But it would be a good time.

That is an excellent idea. "Ghosts" running around, candy given liberally to the kids, goofy B-movies playing on the sides of buildings all over Downtown... the city would be fun chaos for a night.

[ladyjane]

If they do turn the area into a national park, hopefully they put up some big signs that point tourists to downtown Monroe. You surely don't want them to go south over the Winchester St. Bridge and end up in no mans land. Could be like taking the wrong turn in DC or Miami. 

I don't think the brewery would work for the same reasons. With no bar being in the east end, can you imagine all the rift raft taking over the place. 

[Will Sweat]

LadyJane wrote:

If they do turn the area into a national park, hopefully they put up some big signs that point tourists to downtown Monroe. You surely don't want them to go south over the Winchester St. Bridge and end up in no mans land. Could be like taking the wrong turn in DC or Miami. 

I don't think the brewery would work for the same reasons. With no bar being in the east end, can you imagine all the rift raft taking over the place. 

Or the right thing could be done and these visitors could be directed across the river so that they may find the site where the battle began (Hellenberg Field), or where General Winchester surrendered (Third and Kentucky), or where Col. Allen (the only sitting elected State Senator to die in armed conflict) fell (Second and Winchester), or the area where the Kentucky Soldiers surrendered (Wood lawn Cemetery on Fourth St), or maybe direct them out Kentucky Ave. and discuss how it connects into "Hull Road" named for Gen Hull who used that route to get to Fort Wayne. 

Of course, doing that would mean investing the time, resources and yes, money to ensure that the project is done properly and that the entire community plays a role. 

As a graduate of Eastern Kentucky University and with my family heritage being from Middlesbrough and Union Junction (Richmond), I am amazed at the number of Monroe youth that have no idea of the significance of Memorial Park, the Kentucky Soilders, Col. Allen or even why Winchester St., Kentucy Ave., or Hull Road are so named.  Believe me that those folks who will be coming to see the area will know and if they don't the information given to them at the museum will tell them and they will go visit those areas as they will have no preconcieved ideas on the "rift raft" of the "no mans land". 

If I seem defensive it is because I work off of Winchester and feel that the community and it's citizen's receive a very unfair characterization by the community.  In the time that I have been working in the community I have felt as if the area was a "no mans land". 

I also agree with JenJen in that there are several bars / night clubs are only blocks away (both east and west) and yet they appear to be free of "rift raft".  In fact, although I am not a patron, it seems that at least two of them (just east of the battlefield) are doing a very brisk business. 

[The Fuzz]

You are just mad cause they don't pick up leaves anymore!

[Storm]

Whatever they choose to do with the area is probably not going to work out unless it is embraced by the town. I am not saying the whole town has to be built around that, but it might help if people host events and restoration of the area, including the river. It might not be clear what I am trying to say, but a big place isn't going to help us if nobody knows about it or nobody has a reason to go there.

[Will Sweat]

The Fuzz wrote:

You are just mad cause they don't pick up leaves anymore!

Thankfully we use bags - much neater. 

Storm wrote:

It might not be clear what I am trying to say, but a big place isn't going to help us if nobody knows about it or nobody has a reason to go there.

I think it was pretty clear.  You expressed the need for the community to be informed about what is and will happen.  I agree. 

[BigRedDog]

This article is on the front of today's Business Section of the MEN.   It mentions several ideas that have been discussed on this thread.

http://monroenews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070812/NEWS01/108120019

[AbraCadaver]

They should build the National Park/battlefield monument or whatever its called...... the River Raisin Massacre took place there in 1813....which went on to become the rallying cry for the War of 1812..."Remember the Raisin".....If they can get the word out on why the place is so historically significant the people will come to see it...look how many ppl visit Civil War sites...Gettysburg gets 2million visitors per year....if Monroe could get even a TENTH of that...200,000 tourists per year is a LOT of business for the area....couple that with Cabelas just 20mins away which already brings a Million+ to Dundee and the potential seems astronomical

for further proof of what 1 popular destination can do just look at all the businesses that sprung up around Cabelas, its totally insane to imagine that happening in Dundee when less than 7yrs ago that was all farmland

plus that battlefield sits in such a prime location for other businesses to come in with the river right there that could be utilized in any number of ways....

[MonroeMom]

Another beer name:  Nightmare on Elm Street Ale

Arrrgh!!! It is Elm AVENUE.

[Chips]

They should build the National Park/battlefield monument or whatever its called...... the River Raisin Massacre took place there in 1813....which went on to become the rallying cry for the War of 1812..."Remember the Raisin".....If they can get the word out on why the place is so historically significant the people will come to see it...look how many ppl visit Civil War sites...Gettysburg gets 2million visitors per year....if Monroe could get even a TENTH of that...200,000 tourists per year is a LOT of business for the area....couple that with Cabelas just 20mins away which already brings a Million+ to Dundee and the potential seems astronomical

for further proof of what 1 popular destination can do just look at all the businesses that sprung up around Cabelas, its totally insane to imagine that happening in Dundee when less than 7yrs ago that was all farmland

plus that battlefield sits in such a prime location for other businesses to come in with the river right there that could be utilized in any number of ways....

The $1 million dollar loan for this project has to be repaid by us, the taxpayers.
Did you have the opportunity to vote on this project?
It was said to be a grant, but the fine print says it has to be repaid with interest.
It was obtained by a "Brownfield" designation.
While it really is a major cleanup of a polluted site from a bankrupt private paper mill at taxpayer expense.
The goal of this project is to return it to the grassy field where the battle occurred.
While this is all well and good, how many tourists will want to spend their vacation dollars to look at a "grassy field"?

[lordfly]

Another beer name:  Nightmare on Elm Street Ale

Arrrgh!!! It is Elm AVENUE.

Not if it's a beer. Then it's an ALE.

[Skippy]

They should build the National Park/battlefield monument or whatever its called...... the River Raisin Massacre took place there in 1813....which went on to become the rallying cry for the War of 1812..."Remember the Raisin".....If they can get the word out on why the place is so historically significant the people will come to see it...look how many ppl visit Civil War sites...Gettysburg gets 2million visitors per year....if Monroe could get even a TENTH of that...200,000 tourists per year is a LOT of business for the area....couple that with Cabelas just 20mins away which already brings a Million+ to Dundee and the potential seems astronomical

for further proof of what 1 popular destination can do just look at all the businesses that sprung up around Cabelas, its totally insane to imagine that happening in Dundee when less than 7yrs ago that was all farmland

plus that battlefield sits in such a prime location for other businesses to come in with the river right there that could be utilized in any number of ways....

I agree with you 100%. I grew up here and although I heard about the River Raisin Massacre while growing up, I always thought it was just some Indians who came down and scalped some settlers and some soldiers who were living in the area. I never knew it was an actual battle until I went into the Museum last summer and met Mr. Ingels, a very nice man, who explained everything to me. Now I can't get enough of the history of this battle. I think that if more people realized that American soldiers actually fought a battle here in Monroe against a foreign,invading force, then interest in the museum and future national park would be greatly increased. I can't see anything but good coming from a national park commemorating the battle. The ground is actually sacred and should be treated and honored as such. Plus, there aren't many places in the Midwest where armed conflicts have actually taken place between opposing armies at any time throughout our history,making this site even more unique.