03241997 Regular Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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Final Report March 1997 The possibility of further developing the Calaboose as a museum should be explored. The building served as our first county jail and continued to serve as a corrections facility long after. The Old First Baptist Church on Martin Luther King Boulevard could be an asset to our whole community. We are aware of the problems that have emerged in the renovation effort already undertaken. Still, restored, it could serve many civic organizations as a meeting site and with other buildings would help draw visitors because of its age, size, and architecture. This church is a resource which should not be allowed to deteriorate further. Historic Sites at Aquarena Many people are unaware that the Burleson Cabin, the Merriman Cabin and the Kyle City Jail are located at Aquarena Springs. Relocating the structures to one area of the property would be one way to enhance them as attractions for visitors. Future Product Development LBJ Attraction Most colleges and universities which have U.S. Presidents as alumni have some type of public attraction that draws visitors even if the attraction is not a presidential library. Developing an LBJ attraction makes sense because of the closeness of important attractions concerning our 36th president. The Johnson Ranch in Eastern Gillespie County near Stonewall attracted 106,572 visitors in 1996; the LBJ National Historic Park in the Johnson City area drew 148,052 in 1996 (Lindig, 1997), while the LBJ presidential library in Austin attracted 274,190 in 1996 (Milner, 1996). When people visit an area or take part in historical tours, they want the complete tour. We would be able to plug into an already existing pool of visitors and marketing efforts. An "LBJ Trail" then could be created to tie these attractions together. Penny Reeh, director of the CVB for Fredricksburg is "very interested in a cooperative effort to create and market" such an LBJ Trail. The development of a LBJ museum has nothing to do with partisan politics; it has everything to do with enhancing our understanding of our own history and with increasing the income and opportunity of our community. Natural History Attraction Reportedly, San Marcos is located at the longest continuously inhabited area of North America. Yet, we have not taken advantage of this fully for tourism purposes. Many regions of the United States have done well in tourism by developing their natural history resources. Kampsville, Illinois, for example has benefited economically by the development of natural history sites. The discoveries of the Indian mound civilizations of the Mississippi River system has dramatically altered scholarly and popular understanding of the cultural attainments of the Native Americans during pre-contact times. 77f Mayor's Blue Ribbon Committee on Tourism Development Page 14