Historic Monroe

[ZachariahDaMan]

Since the weather has been getting nice out I've been doing a lot of research online for new downtowns to go to for some picture taking and exploring. I found quite a few sites with information about Monroe. I decided to go there because it seemed to be very historic. I even found a website with pictures from around Monroe but just about all of them were just of houses so I was worried downtown would be crappy but I wasn't disappointed. I took many pictures and actually filled up the camera so I will have to make a trip back. I will be breaking up my Monroe pictures into parts.

Monroe seems to have done a great job preserving its history. It has many historical markers but the bad thing is some of them are getting worn out and harder to read. If you want a nice, historic small town to visit then Monroe is for you!

Part 1- Heck Park

Abandoned paper factory:

Monroe County Historical Museum:

More to come...

[ZachariahDaMan]

Part 2- Downtown

Monroe has many other nice churches that I wasn't able to take pictures of. If you take a little drown down Monroe Street south of downtown you will find them.

More downtown to come...

[ZachariahDaMan]

More from downtown or nearby:

[ZachariahDaMan]

Part 3- Monroe County Courthouse

Part 4- River Raisin

So what do you guys think of Monroe?

[MJLO]

when I look at those photos I see massive, and under utilized potential!

[Jerseyman4]

Looks and feels like an All-American hometown!

[archfan]

Nice photos of the town I grew up in. A couple of things that might interest you:

- The martial arts building with all the ivy was originally housed the Masons. I don't know where the moved...

- There was another paper mill across the street from the one in your photo. After being vacant for several years, it was torn down, and lots of the surface dirt was hauled away because of contaminants. In its place, a new neighborhood was built using New Urbanism principles - closer spacing of houses, pedestrian-friendly, etc. No word on whether something similar will happen to the mill in your photo.

- The original statue of Gen. Custer was supposed to have both the horse' front legs raised. There's a prototype in the Historical Museum you visited.

- The Historical Museum was originally the Post Office. It was slated for demolition, but the Historical Society got it instead. Good thing, in my opinion, because it's a nice building.

[archfan]

Nice photos of the town I grew up in. A couple of things that might interest you:

- The martial arts building with all the ivy was originally housed the Masons. I don't know where the moved...

- There was another paper mill across the street from the one in your photo. After being vacant for several years, it was torn down, and lots of the surface dirt was hauled away because of contaminants. In its place, a new neighborhood was built using New Urbanism principles - closer spacing of houses, pedestrian-friendly, etc. No word on whether something similar will happen to the mill in your photo.

- The original statue of Gen. Custer was supposed to have both the horse' front legs raised. There's a prototype in the Historical Museum you visited.

- The Historical Museum was originally the Post Office. It was slated for demolition, but the Historical Society got it instead. Good thing, in my opinion, because it's a nice building.

[BarGal]

I've been to Monroe many times. It is a beautiful, historic little town.

Another major part of Monroe is the Immaculate Heart of Mary Motherhouse. The IHM community began in the frontier settlement of Monroe, Michigan in 1845.

The sisters have won many major awards over the last few years for their enivonmentally friendly renovations they have made to their community.

IHM: Sustainable Community

They offer tours, to find out more you can click here.

[ZachariahDaMan]

Nice photos of the town I grew up in. A couple of things that might interest you:

- The martial arts building with all the ivy was originally housed the Masons. I don't know where the moved...

- There was another paper mill across the street from the one in your photo. After being vacant for several years, it was torn down, and lots of the surface dirt was hauled away because of contaminants. In its place, a new neighborhood was built using New Urbanism principles - closer spacing of houses, pedestrian-friendly, etc. No word on whether something similar will happen to the mill in your photo.

- The original statue of Gen. Custer was supposed to have both the horse' front legs raised. There's a prototype in the Historical Museum you visited.

- The Historical Museum was originally the Post Office. It was slated for demolition, but the Historical Society got it instead. Good thing, in my opinion, because it's a nice building.

Thanks for the info. I just read an interesting article in the Monroe News about how the city recently acquired the land where the 1813 battle happend that resulted in 600 American troops dying and they want to turn it into a major historical attraction. City leaders want a interpretive center built along with the battlefield park. I can't wait to see what they do!

[hudkina]

Another interesting fact about Monroe is that it has one of the oldest continuously operating (at its original location) businesses in the country. Martin's Shoe House has been operating in the same storefront since 1846.