[Pharmboy]

I spent 4 years in Ohio and never knew about this.

[max americana]

Wait until the History Channel gets a hold of this...they’ll make a 1-hour program dedicated to aliens landing in Ohio and building the fort.

[Pharmboy]

The RevWar/Colonial History/General Washington ping list...

[Hegemony Cricket]

14 square feet inside? Wow, how thick are those walls? Or did they really me 14 feet square?

[Hegemony Cricket]

14 square feet inside? Wow, how thick are those walls? Or did they really mean 14 feet square?

[Some Fat Guy in L.A.]

My first thought was - doesn’t look like a fort.

[Sacajaweau]

I have a good idea....but I have to look up the map and name.

[Dr. Scarpetta]

Bttt

[Jonty30]

How is this gentleman, who is thought to be the builder, French Canadian?

He may have been French, but he certainly wasn’t Canadian. :)

[Engraved-on-His-hands]

Interesting. Thanks for posting.

[NativeSon]

They can relocate it to my yard and the mystery will be solved- it will be my Man Cave

[Inyo-Mono]

Looks to me to be what they used to call an “Indian House,” where a family could retreat to during an Indian raid. One of my ancestors built one near his log home in the wilds of western Virginia in the 1780s.

[The Working Man]

I’m sure this will get me thrown out of the “Aliens Built it” Fan Club. But when I saw the picture it reminded me of some of the stone buildings the Vikings built in Greenland.

I’m sure though that when it comes to field stone buildings there are really only a couple of ways to build them. So they would all look similar after awhile.

[Sacajaweau]

More like a trading post....I’d say French....They had a whole line of forts along the Ohio

[Rebelbase]

There’s an 1750’s stone/brick house north of Winston-Salem, NC built when the area was still subject to Indian attacks. There are several gun ports built into the walls.

This one was probably as much fort as it was trading house.

[dog breath]

I would have to agree with the fortified trading post theory, it would of been impossible to establish anything else. The natives were in total control at that time and anything built would of been only by their permission. Ohio actually has many very neat things in it, most people who live there have no concept. I visit several historic sights every year in Ohio, and I don't think I will run out of things to explore in my remaining years. I will have to add this to the list. I have been planning to visit sites related to Crawford's Defeat next year this will have to be added to the trip. My wife doesn't complain as long as I find nice small town diners for her to enjoy on the drives.

[mass55th]

I wonder if it could be an ice house.

[arthurus]

It is only 14 square feet inside,

No way that thing is 14 square feet inside unless the walls are 10 feet thick. I suspect this should read "14 feet square" which would make it 196 square feet and would fit the pictured building.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

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

Possibly a powder magazine for a wooden fort.
At Fort Gibson Oklahoma there is a stone powder magazine at their wooden walled fort.

[madison10]

Looks like a barn to me. What makes it a fort?

[MS.BEHAVIN]

Thanks for the post, Pharmboy!
PING to a friend who grew up in Ohio.