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The British and indians did lay siege against the fort two times, but both attempts failed. The fort was dismantled after the war, but the land owner, Timothy Hayes, preserved the land in memory of the men who fought the battles. In the late 1960s, the Ohio Historical Society reconstructed the fort. (Wikipedia) The fort's web site indicates the reconstruction was done in the 1970s.
I present the historical markers in the order in which I encountered them from the parking lot. The fort was built to help mount the War of 1812.
Settlers and soldiers moving west brought with them familiar institutions such as the Masonic Lodge. Here at Camp Meigs, military officers were authorized by Ohio Militia Captain Henry Brush, Ohio Masonic Grand Master, to establish the first lodge in Northwest Ohio on Spetember 3, 1813. Colonel William Anderson was Master. Lt. Col. William McMillan, Senior Warden, and Capt. Charles Graflot, Junior Warden. Built under the command of Gen. William Henry Harrison, the fort was named for Ohio Governor, Return Jonathan Meigs." (I did not tromp through the show to get a picture of the other side.)
In 1810, some of the first American settlers in this area were Major Amos Spafford (1753-1818), his wife Olive (1756-1823), and their children Samuel, Aurora, Chloe (Mrs. Almon Gibbs), and Anna (Mrs. Richard Craw). In 1796, Spafford, a native of Connecticut, was a surveyor for the Connecticut Land Company He drew the first map detailing the layout of Cleveland and named the city. He left that area in 1810 following his appointment as custom's collector and postmaster for the new port at the foot of the Maumee River rapids called Port Miami of Lake Erie. Major Spafford was granted a 160 acre land patent on the River Tracts No. 64 and No. 65 in Waynesfield township, signed by President James Monroe and was able to purchase it following the 1817 Treaty of the Repids that extinguished Native American claim to the land. Two years later, sixty-seven families lived in the area, but most fled at the outbreak of the war of 1812."
The 17th Infantry, created by Congress in 1812 and formed with personnel from western states, was the only Regular Army regiment in General James Winchester's column of the Army of the Northwest's compaign to regain Detroit. During the war of 1812, the 17th fought at Frenchtown, Fort Meigs, Fort Stephenson, and Thames River. In 1815, the 17th was consolidated with the 5th, 19th, and 28th Infantry to form the 3rd Infantry. In May 1861, the 17th Infantry was again organized as a Regular Army regiment and has since served continuously with distinction.
