The battlefield was in disarray for many years after the conflict, although there was sporadic attention given to the site.  Nearly two decades following the battle, serious motions were begun to preserve and mark the battlefield. In 1834 the Indiana General Assembly authorized the acceptance of the sixteen-acre campsite from its owner, battle veteran John Tipton. The tract was formally presented on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the conflict in 1836. The return of Gen. Harrison to the site in 1835 inspired toasts to the raising of a monument commemorating the battle. It would be seventy-three years before this was accomplished.

Increasing activity at the site, by attendees at the Methodist Campground in the late 1800s, brought new urgency into erecting a suitable memorial to the battle. An association organized in 1892 worked the state and national representatives into funding a monument. It wasn’t until 1908 that the 85-foot marble obelisk was finally erected, at a cost of $24,500.