Volunteers staff various historical sites

April 12, 2009 at 12:00a.m.

HAMILTON, Ohio (AP) — The Soldiers, Sailors and Pioneers Monument, built on the site of a 19th- century frontier outpost, has been a downtown focal point for more than a century.

Lots of people, especially military veterans, were up in arms when county commissioners decided that keeping it open was a luxury the county could no longer afford.

“People realize that cutbacks are necessary, but that’s kind of a sacred place,” said historian Jim Blount. “It wasn’t exactly a revolt, but there were a lot of unhappy people.”

But ending funding for part-time staffing was necessary because the county was facing a $7 million shortfall, Butler County Commissioner Greg Jolivette said.

“It’s not like something we enjoyed doing,” he said. “But it was out of necessity.”

Then a group from AMVETS Post 1983 volunteered to reopen the memorial one day a week, on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Korean War-era Air Force veteran John Freeman and his buddies have been staffing the memorial for the last two weeks, and they’ll keep it going as long as they have volunteers.

“It doesn’t cost us anything but our time,” the 74-year-old said.

The 100-foot-tall stone structure — first opened July 4, 1906 — is engraved with the names of Butler County pioneers and veterans from the Revolutionary War through the Spanish-American War of 1898.

It’s the most prominent landmark in Hamilton, topped by an open dome and a 14-foot bronze statue of “Billy Yank,” a Civil War soldier. And it’s what visitors see for more than a dozen blocks when they’re coming down High Street from the east, Blount said.

Inside are displays of military weapons and uniforms, records and memorabilia from Butler County residents from several wars, and unique glass windows, two of which portray women helping soldiers.

It wasn’t the only historical site threatened by economic times. The budget crunch has affected numerous Ohio museums and historical sites, including the Dunbar House in Dayton, where a solution similar to the one in Hamilton is being worked out.

A group called Dayton History plans to reopen the house when it finalizes a partnership agreement with the Ohio Historical Society, which owns and operates the one-time home of poet Paul Lawrence Dunbar.

Several states are temporarily closing historic sites as the slowdown in the economy, higher unemployment and turmoil in the national financial markets has hurt tax revenue.

The Ohio Historical Society said last month it would lay off 25 workers and reduce hours at some sites because of state budget cuts. It plans to use private funds to help keep 18 state memorials and museums open through June 30.

There will be reduced hours at many of the sites, including Fort Meigs in Perrysburg, the President Warren G. Harding Home in Marion and Serpent Mound near Peebles.