point acquisition

POINT-5

acquisition

A Piece of American History

The Conservancy obtains part of what was once North America’s largest wooden fort.

General Anthony Wayne was an important figure during the early formation of the American military. He led troops against the British during the American Revolution and was appointed commanderin-chief of the United States Army by President George Washington. During the 1790s he established a number of military forts along the Northwestern frontier of the United States as westward expansion continued. One of those forts, built in 1793 in what would soon become western Ohio, was Fort Greenville.

At the time of its construction Fort Greenville was the largest wooden fort in North America, covering over 50 acres. General Wayne ordered that eight blockhouses be built about 250 yards away from the main fort to provide an initial line of defense. Two years later, Fort Greenville would be immortalized by the signing of the Treaty of Greenville on August 3, 1795, which ended the Northwest Indian War and laid the groundwork for Ohio to become a state in 1803.

The fort was abandoned in 1796 and most of its ruins were destroyed as the town of Greenville sprang up on the site. The remains of Blockhouse 8, located across Mud Creek from the main fort, were preserved in a field for more than 200 years and largely american archaeology

Blockhouse 8 is seen in the foreground of this scale model of Fort Greenville.

forgotten until amateur archaeologist Tony DeRegnaucourt and others found them in 2002.

DeRegnaucourt and his crew discovered over 1,500 artifacts dating to the late 1700s as well as pit features and log stains. The blockhouse was a large, two-story structure measuring roughly 85 feet by 112 feet. It was surrounded by a stockade measuring about 200 feet on each side. Though only a small portion of the site was excavated, the research yielded a large amount of information. Nonetheless, there remains much to be learned about Blockhouse 8 and Fort Greenville.

The Burk family, who has owned this land for some time, was happy to give the researchers access to the site. The Burks are also interested in preserving this important piece of American history, and so they’re selling a 12-acre parcel that includes Blockhouse 8 to the Conservancy. —Josh McConaughy