Clark Memorial is slowly sinking

By The Associated Press
April 1, 2004

The George Rogers Clark Memorial is slowly sinking into the soil along the Wabash River because of inadequate drainage around the monument to one of Indiana's Revolutionary War heroes.

Leaks in the memorial's basement have weakened the 67-year-old structure's foundation and caused it to shift slightly, said Dale Phillips, supervisor at the national park in Vincennes.

"If you look at the stone block on the corner you can see how it has moved and is settling," he said. "Eventually, it will just sink into the ground."

Phillips said fixing the drainage problem and repairing the monument's base will cost millions. Just to lift the base and fix the leaks will cost about $4 million, he said.

Ernie Quintana, the new regional director of the National Park Service's Midwest region, visited Vincennes on Tuesday to meet with Phillips.

He said Congress appropriated more money for the park service this year, but it was not enough. "At least 10 percent of the parks in this region began the fiscal year at a deficit," he said.

The budget shortfalls and the monument's foundation troubles mean Vincennes Mayor Terry Mooney's dream to again see the memorial lighted up at night will not come true anytime soon. The current wiring is unusable, officials said.

The memorial was dedicated June 14, 1936, in a ceremony attended by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. In 1966, it became part of the National Park Service.

The circular, column-lined memorial includes a bronze statue of George Rogers Clark, who in 1779 led troops in seizing Vincennes' Fort Sackville from the British, ending Britain's claim to the region.

Clark was the older brother of William Clark, who with Meriwether Lewis led an expedition of what was then the uncharted West from 1804-1806.

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