Ohio Forts

American Forts: East

OHIO

Last Update: 08/JUNE/2014

Compiled by Pete Payette - Š2014 American Forts Network

Highbanks Park Earthworks
(Highbanks Metro Park)
(Hutchins State Nature Preserve)
(800 - 1300), Orange Township, Delaware County
A Late Woodland period Cole Indian semi-elliptical earthen blufftop fortification located north of Columbus.

Camp Delaware
(1862 - 1864), Delaware
A Civil War training camp located one and one-half miles south of town on the east side of the Columbus Road by the Olentangy River (South Sandusky Street at English Terrace and Olentangy Ave.). It was expanded into two camps in 1863, the new portion located one-half mile north on the west side of the road. The original portion of the old camp was afterwards used for mustering Negro troops.

Fort Morrow
(1812), near Norton
Also known as Norton Blockhouse, a half-acre palisaded enclosure with two blockhouses built by the local militia, surrounding a brick tavern operated by Nathaniel Wyatt. The tavern operated until 1825. Site was surveyed in 1973 and later excavated. Marker located one-half mile north of town on the east side of US 23.

Upper Sandusky Trading Post
(1745 - 1748), Upper Sandusky
A French fur trade post. It was burned down by Indians.

Leeth's Trading Post
(1781), Upper Sandusky
A British (Tory) trading post.

Fort Ferree
(1812 - 1815), Upper Sandusky
A stockade with four blockhouses and barracks, built by Pennsylvania militia troops under General Richard Crooks, at the time located within the Wyandot Indian Reservation. Site located two blocks northeast of the Wyandot County Courthouse, at the present-day Elks Lodge. One of the blockhouses stood until 1850, being used as a jail at that time.

Fort Findlay
(1812 - 1815), Findlay
A stockaded supply base 50-yards square, with four blockhouses, built by troops under General Hull. A marker is on South Main Street on the south side of the Blanchard River Bridge.

Camp Vance
(1861 - 1865), Findlay
A Civil War training camp.

Wyandot Indian Stockade
(1794), near Findlay
A Wyandot Indian fortified village located west of town.

Fort Necessity
(1812 - 1817), near Williamstown
A stockaded blockhouse and supply post built by troops under General Hull. It was also known as Mud Outpost, due to conditions when built. A stone marker is at the site east of town.

Fort McArthur
(1812 - 1815), near Kenton
A stockade with two blockhouses built by troops under General Hull, it guarded the main supply road. A stone marker is at the site, three miles west of town.

Camp Simon Kenton
(1861 - unknown), Kenton
A Civil War training camp, located at the present-day county fairgrounds.

Zane's Town Trading Post
(1786), Zanesfield
A British (Tory) trading post. The town was originally known as Zane's Town after settler Isaac Zane.

Alexander McKee's Trading Post (2)
(1778 - 1786), near Bellefontaine
A British fortified trading post at McKee's Town. Site located somewhere south of town (on McKee's Creek ?).

Urbana Fort
(1812), Urbana
An unnamed War of 1812 defense built by troops under General Hull. Minimally a fortified encampment.

Camp McArthur
(1861 - 1862), Urbana
A Civil War training camp.

Tawixtwi Town Trading Post
(1750), Shelby County
A British trading post located somewhere between Piqua and Fort Loramie. Also spelled Tweightewee.

Fort Loramie
(1769 - 1782, 1793 - 1798, 1812 - 1813), Fort Loramie FORT WIKI
Originally a British (French-Canadian) trading post, known as Peter (Pierre) Loramie's Trading Post, then destroyed by American troops under Benjamin Logan in November 1782. Rebuilt in 1793 by troops under General Wayne, simply a blockhouse with supply buildings, and used until 1798 as a supply depot. The fort was destroyed during the War of 1812. What was left remaining was sold in 1815 to James Furrow for a tavern and post office. Exhibits on the fort and local history are located at the Wilderness Trail Museum at 37 North Main Street.

Fort Recovery (State Memorial)
(1793 - 1796), Fort Recovery FORT WIKI
A rectangular stockade with four blockhouses built on the site of General Arthur St. Clair's November 1791 defeat, where General Wayne later "recovered" the area for the United States. The fort was later dismantled. A smaller reconstruction, with only two blockhouses, is now located here at 1 Fort Site Street. See also Fort Recovery and Siege of Fort Recovery from Ohio History Central.org

Fort Adams
(1794 - 1796), near Mercer FORT WIKI
A diamond-shaped stockade with two blockhouses located on the south bank of the St. Mary's River at or opposite the mouth of Beaver Creek, built by troops under General Wayne. A marker was located on US 127 at the St. Mary's River bridge, but has been missing for several years. The fort site was found and excavated, located about one-half mile east of the highway, about two miles north of town.

Fort Randolph
(1794), Willshire
A temporary post built by troops under General Wayne in October 1794, near the end of the Fallen Timbers Campaign.

Wayne's Camp #13
(1794), Venedocia
A temporary post built by troops under General Wayne in August 1794, during the Fallen Timbers Campaign, on the way to Fort Defiance. Marker located on OH 116 at Memorial Park, actual camp site near the town cemetery west of the marker.

St. Mary's Trading Post
(1760), near St. Marys
A French trading post located on the St. Mary's River two miles upstream of town.

Girty's Town Trading Post (2)
(1782 - 1784, 1785 (?) - 1790), St. Marys
A British (Tory) trading post that was burned down in 1784. Built by James Girty, Simon's brother. Probably rebuilt in 1785 or 1786, it was later found to be recently abandoned upon the approach of Federal troops under General Harmar in October 1790. Located just south of the Fort St. Mary's site.

Fort St. Mary's
(1794 - 1796), St. Marys FORT WIKI
Located on the west bank of the St. Mary's River, opposite present-day K.C. Geiger Park, headquarters and supply depot for Generals Harmar and Wayne. Marker located in the Old Lutheran Cemetery off of Herzing Street, behind the present-day bowling alley. Exhibits on the fort are located at the Mooney Museum at 223 South Main Street.

Fort Barbee
(1813 - 1816), St. Marys
Built by troops under General Harrison, commanded by Col. Joshua Barbee. Located in the area of the present-day town center, northwest of the original 1794 fort site. The Treaty of St. Mary's was signed here in September 1818. The "Fort Barbee" Hotel (aka Fountain Hotel) (1889), located at 100 West Spring Street, was built on a spring that was used by the fort's garrison.

Fort au Glaize (1)
(1748, 1760, 1784), near Wapakoneta
A French trading post on the Auglaize River about one-half mile northeast of town. Also known as Wapakoneta Trading Post or AuGlaize Trading Post. Re-established as Francis Duchouquet's Trading Post in 1760 before it was captured and dismantled by the British. Re-established again by French-Canadian traders in 1784.

Fort Amanda (State Memorial)
(1812 - 1815), Amanda Township, Allen County FORT WIKI
Originally built by Kentucky militia as a 160-foot square stockade with four blockhouses, later enlarged in 1813 by Ohio militia troops to 160 feet by 320 feet, and adding a fifth blockhouse. Located on the west bank of the Auglaize River, east of Spencerville. A 50-foot granite obelisk (1915) marks the location.

Fort Shawnee
(no date), Fort Shawnee
More or less a concocted name to honor the history of this area, which is in Shawnee Township, a township which was once covered almost in its entirety by a Shawnee Indian (Hog Creek) Reservation. The village was created circa 1960 when township residents feared that the city of Lima would get all wild with annexation ideas; thus, the township interests created a large sprawling village with corporation limits that in critical areas (i.e., heavy industy) would serve as a wall preventing the expansion of the city.
(special thanks to Mike Buettner, Allen County Historical Society, for info)

Camp Lima
(1862), Lima
A Civil War training camp.

Fort Jennings
(1812 - 1815), Fort Jennings FORT WIKI
A stockaded blockhouse built by the Kentucky militia during the War of 1812. No remains, monument located in a small park on the Auglaize River, at First Street and South Water Street.

Fort Brown
(1812 - 1815), Fort Brown
A supply blockhouse built by the Kentucky militia. Located on the Auglaize River at the Little Auglaize River, one mile north of Melrose.

Fort Junction
(1812 - 1815), Junction
A supply blockhouse built by the Kentucky militia. Located on the Auglaize River at Six Mile Creek.

Capt. Henry Byrd's Stockade
(1780), Defiance County ?
A British military stockade. Undetermined location.

Miami Trading Post (1)
(1750 - unknown), near Defiance
A British trading post built by George Croghan at a Miami Indian village (Little Turtle's Town). Taken over by the French in 1751, depicted as La France Post on a French map. Located on the north side of the Maumee River near the mouth of the Tiffin River, just west of town.

James Girty's Trading Post (3)
(1792), Defiance
A British trading post, probably located at Blue Jacket's Town, a Shawnee village located on the north side of the Maumee River.

McKenzie's Trading Post
(1792), Defiance
A British trading post. Undetermined location.

James Girty's Trading Post (4)
(1794), near Defiance
A British trading post. Undetermined location.

Fort Defiance (Memorial)
(1794 - 1797), Defiance FORT WIKI
A 60-foot stockade with four blockhouses built by troops under General Wayne, in "defiance" of the ever-present British and Indians, two weeks before the Battle of the Fallen Timbers (August 1794). Camp au Glaize (or Camp Grand Oglaize) (1794) was established here before the fort was constructed, also referred to as Fort Auglaize (2). It was used mainly as a supply base. Eventually it was discontinued. A reproduction of the original fort was built in 1894 at the point, but was torn down a few years later due to vandalism. A stone marker (1925) is at the original site in a small park overlooking the Maumee and Auglaize Rivers, at Fort and Washington Streets, adjacent to the Defiance Public Library. Remnants of earthworks are still evident. History of Defiance, Ohio from Defiance Tourism.com

Fort Winchester
(1812 - 1815), Defiance FORT WIKI
A stockade with four blockhouses, built by troops under General Harrison, located about 80 yards above the site of Fort Defiance. No remains, state marker located on West Second Street.

Located on the north side of the Maumee River across from downtown is the site of Winchester's Camp #2, a fortified camp occupied for about one week in November 1812 by Kentucky militia under General Winchester. Conditions were not good, so the troops moved six miles downriver to a new site. State marker located at 1010 East River Drive.

Fort Starvation
(1812), Independence
Kentucky militia built a fortified camp (aka Winchester's Camp #3) here six miles below Fort Winchester on the north side of the Maumee River. Occupied for about one month (November-December 1812). The troops were not prepared for the cold winter. State marker at site at the entrance to Independence Dam State Park. Workers building the Miami and Erie Canal in the 1840's uncovered the camp's burial ground (referred to as the "Old Kentucky Burial Grounds").

Camp Latty
(1861 - 1862), Napoleon
A Civil War recruiting and training camp. Site marked at entrance to Ritter Park on West Riverview Ave.. Glenwood Cemetery, later established, was included in its grounds.

Fort Portage (2)
(1812 - 1813), near Grand Rapids
A supply camp and blockhouse located 18 miles south of Fort Meigs on the Maumee River, two miles northeast of town (late fall 1812). It was partially destroyed, but was rebuilt a few months later (January 1813). Burned by Indians in July 1813 during the second siege of Fort Meigs. (NOTE: there is some confusion with older source material. This post may actually be the same as Fort Portage (1) below.)

Fort Portage (1)
(1812), Portage
A stockaded camp (with blockhouse ?) for disabled and invalid soldiers under General Hull (summer 1812). Site located on the south side of the North Branch Portage River (known at the time as the Carrying River) about 250 yards west of OH 25 (Old US 25). A 1930's state marker (now gone) once marked the site.

Lower Sandusky Trading Post (1) ?
(1764 ?), Fremont
A British trading post.

A French trading post may have possibly been located here earlier (date ?).

Girty's Town Trading Post (1)
(1775 - 1782 ?), Sandusky River
A British (Tory) trading post built by Simon Girty. Undetermined location, possibly at Lower Sandusky (Fremont) (?).

Fort Stephenson
(1812 - 1815), Fremont
A log stockade with one blockhouse built in June or July 1812 on a hill on the west side of the Sandusky River to protect the Sandusky Indian Agency (1806 - 1812), a government trading post, or Indian Factory, which was located nearby within its own simple log stockade. Located within the so-called "Two Miles Square Reserve", one of several Federal reservations granted by the 1795 Treaty of Greenville. Initially known as Fort at Lower Sandusky or Fort Sandusky (4). A party of Indians attacked sometime in the late summer or early fall of 1812, burning the fort and destroying the Agency. The fort was repaired and rebuilt in May 1813, enlarged to a one-acre stockade with two additional blockhouses, and renamed. The Indian Agency was not rebuilt. The British returned to attack the fort in August 1813. Only one small field cannon, a 6-pounder known as "Old Betsy", was used by the Americans during the attack and it was moved from blockhouse to blockhouse in a successful attempt to save the fort. "Old Betsy" can still be seen today at Birchard Library Park on Croghan Street. The blockhouses were sold and dismantled in 1818. Marker and monument located at 423 Croghan Street. See also Battle of Fort Stephenson from Sandusky County Scrapbook.net

Fort Seneca
(1813 - 1815), Old Fort
A stockaded supply depot with three blockhouses, built by troops under General Harrison, previously known as Camp Seneca (1813). A miniature replica log blockhouse is located in Centennial Park. The nearby community of Fort Seneca (settled 1836) also refers to this post.

Fort Ball
(1813 - 1815), Tiffin
A stockaded fort and supply depot, with three blockhouses, built by troops under General Harrison. Originally a militia camp until fortified. Site marked.

Camp Noble
(1861), Tiffin
A Civil War recruitment and muster camp. Training took place at Camp Dennison in Cincinnati. State marker located at Statler Park at Clinton and Ohio Streets.

Camp Perry (State Military Reservation)
(Camp Perry Lodging and Conference Center)
(1907 - present), near Port Clinton
An Ohio National Guard training camp and artillery firing range. This post has the largest outdoor rifle range in the world. Used as a training camp by the U.S. Regular Army in 1917 - 1919. A German and Italian POW camp was built here during WWII. Several of the original POW hutments are still extant, and some are still used as housing for participants of the annual National Matches.

The Erie Army Ordnance Depot (1918 - 1965) was located adjacent to Camp Perry. It is currently the Erie Industrial Park.

Sandusky Bay Forts
(1680 ?, 1740 - 1747, 1750 - 1753, 1761 - 1763, 1764), Sandusky Bay
A French fortified trading post known as Fort Sandoske (1) (1750 - 1753) was built in late 1750 on the north shore of Sandusky Bay, south of Port Clinton located near Gypsum or Hickory Grove, at the southern end of the "deLery Portage" between the bay and the mouth of the Portage River that avoided the hazardous water route around Marblehead Peninsula. It was built to keep British traders away from the area, who had been in the general area in 1745 and 1750. The fort was reported to be already in ruins in August 1754. Monument located at the southern end of Fulton Street.

The first British Fort Sandusky (2) (1761 - 1763) was built in September 1761 on the south shore of the bay near the mouth of Cold Creek near Venice (state marker located at Venice Road and Fremont Ave.), and located about "one league" from the site of the palisaded Wyandot Indian village of Anioton (1740 - 1747) which was probably near Crystal Rock, and about three and one-half miles northeast of the Wyandot Indian village of Canoutout (1754 ?- 1763) near Castalia. The fort was burned during Pontiac's Rebellion in May 1763. Canoutout was burned in retaliation by the British in July 1763.
(NOTE: the map shown on the Ohio History Central.org link for Fort Sandusky is actually a depiction of the 1812 Fort Stephenson at "Lower Sandusky" (Fremont).)
A replica of the 1761 British fort was built in 1971 at the Cedar Point Amusement Park's Frontier Trail.

The British started building a replacement for Fort Sandusky (2) about 0.75 mile west of the old French fort site on the north shore of the bay in September 1764, but the work was abandoned three weeks later in October (Fort Sandusky (3)).

The palisaded Wyandot Indian village of Nunqunhanty (or Junundat) (1740 - 1747) was located near the mouth of Racoon Creek or Pickerel Creek near Bay View in present-day Sandusky County. Also known by the French as Nicolas' (Orontony's) Fort. British traders from Pennsylvania were here in 1745. Exact location probably eroded under the bay.

A French trade post was possibly located in the Bay View area in 1680.

(thanks to Ted Reising-Derby for providing corrections)

Johnson's Island Camp
(Johnson's Island Cemetery)
(1862 - 1865), Johnson's Island, Marblehead
A stockade and prison camp for Confederate officers. 3000 men were here in 1865, over 15,000 total during the course of the war. Defenses built outside of the prison stockade in the winter of 1864-65 included Fort Hill (2) and Fort Johnson. The prison closed in September 1865. No remains, except preserved graveyard. The island, now primarily a private residential community, can be reached by a toll causeway (since 1972). The Johnson's Island Museum, opened in 2001, is located in the Ohio Veterans Home at 3416 Columbus Ave. in Sandusky. See also Ohio History Central.org entry

Huron Blockhouse (1)
(1811 - 1815), Huron
A blockhouse originally built by the state militia, located at "(William) Sprague's Landing" at or near the mouth of the Huron River. Later occupied by various local militia companies of the Firelands.
(thanks to Ted Reising-Derby for providing corrections)

Fort Huron (2)
(1812), near Huron
A state militia fortified encampment and blockhouse built by troops under General Simon Perkins, also known as Camp Perkins or Camp Huron, located about two miles east of the mouth of the Huron River. Also known as Fort Nonsense, as it was considered to be built too close to British naval observation from Lake Erie, and also built on the low floodplain of the lakeshore. After several weeks General Perkins then subsequently ordered Camp Avery to be built to the south on higher ground.

Camp Avery
(1812), near Avery
A state militia fortified encampment and blockhouse on the east side of the Huron River, about two miles north of Milan, built by troops under Col. Richard Hayes, as a replacement for Fort (Camp) Huron. Later referred to as Fort Avery by some historians.
(thanks to Ted Reising-Derby for providing corrections)

Erie Trading Post
(1787 - 1791, 1793 ?), near Milan
A British trading post among resettled Indian tribes at Pequotting on the east bank of the Huron River. Probably not fortified.

Camp Monroeville
(1861 - 1862), Monroeville
A Civil War training camp.

Camp McClellan (2)
(1861), near Norwalk
A Civil War training camp located west of town on the East Branch Huron River.

New Haven Blockhouse
(1812), New Haven
A fortified encampment with a blockhouse, built by troops under General Hull.

Early Pioneer Settlement Forts of Ohio

Auglaize County:
Murray's Trading Post (1795), undetermined location.

Defiance County:
Ironside Trading Post (1792), undetermined location.

Delaware County:
Alum Creek Blockhouse (1812), near Kilbourne. It survived until 1849.
Berlin Blockhouse (1812), near Cheshire, 40-feet square with cellar.
Cheshire Blockhouse (1812), Cheshire, later used as a school. Site inundated by the Alum Creek Lake (1974).
Delaware Blockhouse (1812), undetermined location.
James Stark's Blockhouse (1812), on Walnut Creek at Stark's Corner.

Erie County:
Jeremiah Benschooter's (VanBenschoten) Blockhouse (1812 - 1815), Berlin Township.
Bloomingville Blockhouses (1812 - 1815), Bloomingville, two community blockhouses palisaded together, also garrisoned at times by the local militia.
Clark's Blockhouse (1812 - 1815), Florence Township, built by the local settlers primarily for the protection of the widow Clark and her family.
Charles Parker's Blockhouse (1812 - 1815), a palisaded farmhouse located two and one-half miles west of Milan, along the Huron River and Spring Valley Lake. Charles' brother Clark Parker was a local militia captain who commanded a company of troops here, which soon departed after only a week or so in late 1812, before finishing the palisade around the house. Charles died in 1815, and the present house now located near the presumed site was built later by another family. A stone-lined well, possibly from the 1812 period, is still extant. No other remains.
Sprague's Blockhouse (1811), Florence. Attacked by Indians in 1813, who were repulsed by the all-female garrison while the men were away, or so the story goes. Possibly a fictional site. (pending any additional info)
(thanks to Ted Reising-Derby for providing corrections)

Hardin County:
Kenton Trading Post (1812 ?), Kenton. Located at the present-day Kenton National Field Trial Grounds.

Logan County:
Hiram Curry's Blockhouse (1812), near De Graff, built for protection of the settlers following the surrender of General Hull in the War of 1812. It stood on the north bank of Stony Creek, opposite the Seneca Indian village of Old Town, along present-day Township Road 63.
James McPherson's Blockhouse (1810 - 1817), near Bellefontaine.
James McPherson's Trading Post (1817), Lewistown, site of the town of Shawnee chief Captain Lewis.
Capt. James Manary's Blockhouse (1812), near Bellefontaine. Located three miles north-northwest of town, at the Delaware Indian Bokengehelis' Town, just slightly south and east of McPherson's Blockhouse. It was bought by James McPherson in 1823, who subsequently plugged up the rifle ports, and whose family lived in it until 1919. The ruins of this cabin were known to be still standing in the 1970's on the original site. The McPherson family still owns that land today. A "McPherson Family" log cabin from the area was moved to Lakeview in 1924 and made into a museum (at 255 Midway street). This was not the 1812 Manary Blockhouse, but another structure. It appears that the Lakeview cabin was demolished or relocated elsewhere in 1992.
Robert Robitaille's Trading Post (1793 - 1800), Zanesfield.
Joseph Vance's Blockhouse (1812), Quincy.
Zanesfield Blockhouse (1812), Zanesfield.

Marion County:
Grand Prairie Blockhouse (1812), Grand Prairie.
Boland's Trading Post (1819 ? - 1830 ?), near Brush Ridge. A simple log cabin built by a mulatto named Boland to trade with the Delaware Indians, located just south of the then Delaware Reservation boundary (on OH 423 below the present-day county line).
Green Camp Blockhouse (1812), Green Camp. Built by Aramus Ashbaugh. Also called Scioto Blockhouse (4). No remains. Marker on west side of OH 203. Site now occupied by the Carter Lumber Company.
Prospect Blockhouse (1812 - 1820's), Prospect.

Mercer County:
Recovery Trading Post (1816), Town of Fort Recovery.

Ottawa County:
Parson's Blockhouse (1812), near Danbury.
Ramsdell's Blockhouse (1812), Danbury Township.

Sandusky County:
Campbell's Stockade (2) (1812), Fremont (?), also known as Lower Sandusky Trading Post (2).
Whittaker's Trading Post (1812), undetermined location.

Shelby County:
Capt. Cephas Carey's Blockhouse (1810), Hardin. It was still standing in the 1850's.
Jackson's Blockhouse (1812 ?), undetermined location.
Sidney Blockhouse (1812), Sidney.

Union County:
Adler's Post (1813 - 1819), a wooden blockhouse on a stone foundation, located three miles north of Marysville on Mill Creek. Later dismantled and used for lumber.
Mill Creek Blockhouse (2) (1812), undetermined location on Mill Creek.
New Dover Blockhouse (1812 - 1819), New Dover. Later converted to a private residence.

Wyandot County:
Whiteacre's Trading Post (1804), undetermined location.

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