Ohio's Mysteries: The Old Stone Fort

nbc4i.com ^ | July 23, 2012 | Anon

[Pharmboy]

It's believed to be the oldest building in Ohio, and possibly the Midwest. But the mystery remains: who built it and why?

COSHOCTON, Ohio -- It's believed to be the oldest building in Ohio, and possibly the Midwest – built nearly a century before the American Revolution. But the mystery remains: who built the Old Stone Fort and why?

On an ordinary plot of farm land on County Road 254 in eastern Coshocton County sits what is arguably one of the most important buildings in Ohio history.

It is believed that the Old Stone Fort was built sometime around 1679.

As important as it is, however, hardly anything is known about the Old Stone Fort.

For example, no one knows who built the fort or why.

It's generally believed that it was built by Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville.

He was a French Canadian and brother of the founder of New Orleans.

It's believed that he traveled the nearby Tuscarawas River and built the fort to guard against the English in the fur trade battles.

Then, there's the George Croghan scenario.

He was an Irish fur trader working for England who moved into the Native American territories to trade furs with the Delaware tribe.

He was not born until 1718, which would mean that if built by Croghan, the fort isn't as old as presumed.

There's also the theory that the fort was built by unknown settlers as a way to defend themselves against the native tribes.

There are rifle ports on all sides, and archaeological digs have found evidence of a stockade.

Then, there's yet another theory.

"I'm going to get tarred and feathered and ran out of Coshocton, because I don't think it was a fort," said Margaret Lowe.

Lowe has studied the fort all her life and said she believes it was not nearly as historic as a fort or outpost, but it may have just been part of a farm.

"I think it was probably, and again, this is written during one version, that it was used as a spring house. Another version was that it was used for a meat house," Lowe said.

Could it have been all of the theories over the years?

In the French Canadian version, the fort was built nearly 100 years before the American Revolution, and oral history handed down over generations say it was built as early as 1800.

In 1918, a farmer dug up a French compass while plowing near the fort. In 1880, there was a tornado in the closest town of Evansburg, destroying the town, but the fort survived.

The town, named after the people who lived there, was never rebuilt.

Over the centuries, the fort was rebuilt after falling into disrepair.

Part of the doorway is preserved at the local museum, and the wood looks ancient.

It is only 14 square feet inside, and doesn't appear to have been used as living quarters.

At one time there was a ladder heading up to a second floor, but now the fort is boarded up.

What the Old Stone Fort has given the neighbors is a sense of wonder.

"I would have loved to have seen the stockade around it," said Dan Markley, a local historian. "This fort, everybody has a different opinion as why it was here and it's just a mystery. If you could find just one person, somewhere along the line who could give you a true answer."

Another mystery surrounding the fort is the owner. It's not clear who owns the building today.

Locals want to know the history, but likely will take their theories to the grave, never having an answer.

[FreedomPoster]

"This fort, everybody has a different opinion as why it was here and it's just a mystery. If you could find just one person, somewhere along the line who could give you a true answer."

Sorry, couldn't resist . . .
;-P

[muawiyah]

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=sacristy+window&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.r_qf.,cf.osb&biw=925&bih=459&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=nqkUUJbZD-Tc6wHKwIHwCQ sacrasty windows ~ make sure you have images ~ there are some layouts here showing you about how big it ought to be. This old building may have started out intended to be part of a great cathedral, and now it’s a great mystery, but cathedrals have a room laid out like this.

[Sacajaweau]

I found a latitude and longitude for the Fort...but the easiest way is to get near it using wikimapia....then where it says above "pick a map type"...pick satellite and old places - and there will be a little box at the site

Latitude 40.2822, Longitude 81.6772 or 40 16 56 and 81 40 38.

I'm now leaning to Bouquet and his 1764 mission into the Ohio country....We KNOW Bouquet built forts on this mission. This stone fort would likely have been for supplies with one or two guards left behind.

I looked at Hutchin's BIG map...circa 1776...while not perfect...I'm seeing a "Fort built in 1764" in the New Comers Town vicinity.

I have Bouquet's diary saved someplace...I'll see if I can find an explicit reference. He really gave a blow by blow.

[Sacajaweau]

I just posted it also....but didn’t realize that you posted it earlier. Anyways...I enjoy “the hunt”. Also took a stab at who might have built it and when.