Monroe Bicentennial Commons Park

Monroe Bicentennial Commons 2023
Americana Entrance Arches
Sky Rides
Americana Pool Abandoned
Documents and Links
Monroe Bicentennial Commons Park is a growing park at the western edge of the City of Monroe along the picturesque Great Miami River, a state and national scenic river. In addition to a covered playground, restroom facility and walking paths, the park connects with the Great Miami River Trail and US Bike Route 25, a 308-mile trail stretching from the Ohio-Michigan border to the Ohio River near Cincinnati. The property is rich in history and has been a recreational destination in Monroe since the early 20th century.

Join us for beautiful summer days along the Great Miami River (where there's always a nice breeze), birdwatching opportunities, a shared use hike/bike path and other upcoming community events!

History

Throughout the 20th century, this property was an amusement park originally opened in 1922 as a family picnic destination with swimming amenities along the since-abandoned Miami-Erie Canal. In the 1940s, LeSourdsville Lake transformed into an amusement park with the addition of rides, attractions, and an arcade. The park was sold in 1961, and following heavy competition from nearby Kings Island, it was rebranded the Americana Amusement Park in 1978. The park continued to operate until its closure in 1999 following an electrical fire in 19990 that cost over $5 million in damages, leading to the park's eventual demise.

In 2017, it was announced that Butler Tech, a county-wide vocational technical school, purchased 36 acres of the former park to develop a new campus. The property owner Jerry Couch donated a portion of the land to the City of Monroe for development of a city park and regional bicycle trail. The funding of the community park project, undertaken by the city, was covered by a 0.5% earned income tax increase. After demolition of the remaining amusement park structures in 2018 (including the onsite water tower and the concreted LeSourdsville Lake itself), except for the sky rides station, the former park administrative building, and the arches at the main entrance, construction of Monroe Bicentennial Commons began in April 2021. 

In keeping with the amusement park history of the space, the original carousel structure was used to house a sheltered playground for young children, while the entrance arches were repurposed for the new park entrance, seen from above. 


For more history about LeSourdsville Lake/Americana, please visit the following links: