A free smartphone app could turn Henry County’s Memorial Park into a sort of living museum without taking away from the park’s recreational feel.
While working on a new World War I exhibit for the Henry County Historic Society, HCHS executive director Tim Rainesalo became interested in the statue of an American soldier that stands high on a hill in Memorial Park.
Rainesalo wondered what the story was behind that seven-foot-tall fighter carrying a rifle and lobbing a hand grenade, which is officially known as the “Spirit of the American Doughboy.”
On top of that, Rainesalo started thinking about ways to share that story with park visitors.
“The big thing in museums right now is interactivity,” he said.
Rainesalo realized that the key is to turn passive observers into active participants. But it had to be done on a shoestring budget. The county museum works within limited means, and the Memorial Park board is currently searching for ways to keep the park funded.
The curator turned to a marketing tool called “QR codes” as a simple way to let Memorial Park offer more to the community with little or no increased strain on local resources.
A QR code can be thought of as a square barcode that people scan with the camera on their smartphones. The codes can link to websites, YouTube videos or podcasts.
Rainesalo gave a demonstration Monday to the Memorial Park Board, county officials, and about 100 others on how a QR code could bring the history of Henry County’s Doughboy right to them.
“Think of it as a real life ‘click here for more information’ button,” Rainesalo said.
The explicit purpose of Memorial Park is to remember local military men and women who served in America’s wars and the family members they sometimes had to leave at home.
The park is also an environment designed for fishing, hiking, birthday parties, family reunions, summer camps, county fairs and more.
“It’s not a battlefield memorial park,” Rainesalo said. “You don’t necessarily go there for education and quiet contemplation.”
By adding QR codes to the various statues and monuments installed around the park, Rainesalo thinks Henry County could create an inexpensive opportunity to provide more information for people who want it.
“We could provide more history for those who are interested in it in a casual way,” he said.
Rainesalo thinks the county should also look into moving the Doughboy statue to a new location as part of its modernization efforts. It is difficult for people to reach the current spot on top of a steep hill on the edge of the tree line.
Rainesalo would like to see the WWI statue relocated closer to Cannon Hill once the iconic German cannon is reinstalled. He suggested there may be grant money available through the Indiana Historical Society or Indiana Landmarks.
“Being involved with the preservation of the Doughboy memorial is a worthwhile endeavor,” Rainesalo said.