Fort Meigs, located at 29100 West River Road, Perrysburg. Ohio, is the largest reconstructed wood-wall fort in the United States according to their web site: Fort Meigs Historic Site.
Visitors today can enter the Museum and Gift shop area and then enter the fort which was the site of two sieges during the war of 1812. Block houses, artillery, and earthworks have been reconstructed as they were in 1812.
History
During the war of 1812 Fort Meigs was built on the south bank of the Maumee River near what is now Perrysburg, Ohio. General William Henry Harrison ordered the fort built to fortify the Northwest Territory against British attacks
First Siege
In April 1813 British General Henry Procter began a siege of the Fort. On May 1st the British opened fire on the Americans. The bombardment lasted for 5 days until reinforcements arrived from Kentucky. More than 600 men were lost but the British and their Canadian and Native American forces withdrew giving the Americans the victory.
The Second Siege
In July of 1813 Native Americans led by Tecumseh staged a mock battle hoping to draw the Americans out to be ambushed but the American army stayed within the fort, until a strong storm made the British and Native Americans to leave the area.
This monument is to honor Fort Meigs and the soldiers who served and died here
Today’s Fort Meigs
Today visitors can step back in time and tour the fort as it was shortly after the second siege when it was torn down and rebuilt as a supply depot. The fort holds many special events throughout the year. After dark lantern tours, Second Sunday games, and Drums at the Rapids which is a miniature gaming conference. Memorial Day and Independence Day are fun to spend at the fort. Reenactors invade the fort to entertain visitors with a view of the past. There is also the Garrison Ghost Walk where you can hear ghost stories with campfires along the way.
Check out the website for more special events, admission costs and hours: https://fortmeigs.org.
My husband and I along with some of the children and grandchildren have enjoyed several holidays at the fort. On one visit my grandchildren joined the children’s muster. They had to sign up and take an oath to the American forces and then they trained with wooden riffles. We enjoyed watching as much as they did participating. Make plans to visit the fort for your next Ohio road trip.
Historic information was obtained from Wikipedia, the Fort Meigs website, and information from guides at the fort.