Laserfiche WebLink
Advisory Notes <br />Regarding Leeper Park Island Retaining Wall or "Sea Wall" <br />Monday, January 26 2004 04:56 pm <br />GJ Greiff <glory@indy.net <br />This was a major WPA project that resulted from several steps. First, the <br />channel between the island and the south bank, which had silted up <br />completely, was dredged. In the process, buried glacial stones were <br />dredged up as well. These stones were used to create the stabilizing <br />wall around the island (along with additional stones picked up in the <br />area), which served both its functional purpose and its role of <br />beautification admirably for several decades. <br />The St. Joseph River appears to be the only one where this sort of <br />project was undertaken (in Indiana). Kamm Island was a similar <br />situation, although I believe less of the stone used there was actually <br />taken from the river. There is one other somewhat similar WPA project <br />I can think of, offhand, and that is the island in American (Rice) Park in <br />Elkhart. <br />My point is that this was a fine example of a particularly ambitious sort <br />Of WPA project that in turn was part of a larger river erosion control and <br />beautification program that they accomplished in the 1930s. <br />The island project was individually eligible for the National Register. <br />Replacing all the stone with "like" material wouldn't cut it. Your <br />integrity is gone. <br />