Modernity
When it comes to national park units related to battles of some sort, River Raisin ranks just above the bottom. It's similar to places like Brice's Cross Roads or Tupelo, only it's slightly larger than either of the other two, and there's an actual visitor center in an old house. The field where Frenchtown once stood looks ragged. The River Raisin Paper Company built a paper mill here in 1911, and the last of the mill's abandoned buildings stood until 2009. The state of Michigan declared this a historic site in 1956, and in 2009 the US government finally declared this the only national battlefield park dedicated to the War of 1812. There are long-term plans to rehab the site, but everything still has that new park smell.
Modernity
When it comes to national park units related to battles of some sort, River Raisin ranks just above the bottom. It's similar to places like Brice's Cross Roads or Tupelo, only it's slightly larger than either of the other two, and there's an actual visitor center in an old house. The field where Frenchtown once stood looks ragged. The River Raisin Paper Company built a paper mill here in 1911, and the last of the mill's abandoned buildings stood until 2009. The state of Michigan declared this a historic site in 1956, and in 2009 the US government finally declared this the only national battlefield park dedicated to the War of 1812. There are long-term plans to rehab the site, but everything still has that new park smell.