Ohio History Journal

FORT HILL, OHIO.

FORT HILL is situated in the southeastern corner of High-

land county, Ohio, one and a half miles west of Pike county

line, and three miles north of the village of Sinking Springs.

The base of the hill is bounded on the north and west by the

East Fork of Ohio Brush Creek. Its elevation is about five

hundred feet above the bed of the stream and thirteen hundred

feet above the level of the sea. The base of the hill rests upon

one hundred and fifty feet of Niagara limestone, followed by

two hundred and fifty feet of Huron shale and capped with

about one hundred feet of Waverly shales and sandstone.

The leading point of interest, and the source from which

the hill derives its name, is the ancient artificial wall of earth-

work which completely encloses the level plateau on its sum-

mit. This was evidently constructed by an excavation of

earth and stones around the brink of the hill thus raising a

wall, which, at the present time, has a base averaging twenty-

five feet and a height averaging from six to ten feet.

Its entire length is 8,582 feet. It contains 50,856 cubic

yards of material.  At the present day, with our modern

methods of construction, it would cost not less than twenty

thousand dollars.

The area enclosed is thirty-five acres. The gateways or

entrances are thirty-three in number and are spaces from ten

to fifteen feet in width, arranged without apparent order or

regularity except that an average number is found on either

side, - the eastern half containing the same number as the

western. The same may be said as to the northern and

southern divisions.

The space enclosed is level and is almost entirely covered

with forest, which extends in all directions to the base of the

hill. There are two small ponds, known locally as "Bear

Wallows," one located near the northern extremity, the other

in the north-central part of the Fort. In winter and during

rainy weather these ponds contain water, and could be made

260

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Fort Hill, Ohio.               261 to hold and retain almost any desired quantity. The entire circumference of the wall for at least one hundred feet from the summit is very steep and precipitous, so that the inmates would certainly be able to repel a much superior force from the outside;

The query naturally arises as to where the inhabitants had their permanent residence. A partial answer at least may be made to this question from an examination of the evidences of the former existence of a considerable village or settle- ment about one mile south of the summit of the hill. At

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262     Ohio Archaeological and Historical Quarterly. this point the ground is somewhat undulating and intersected by numerous ravines, from which issue springs of the purest and coldest water. Here may be seen, a short distance south- west of the residence of William Reynolds, Esq., in a culti-

vated field, about thirty rods east of the creek, a circular earthwork of about three hundred feet in diameter. This field has been under cultivation a number of years, yet the outlines of the work are still plainly visible.

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Fort Hill, Ohio.              263

Another work of like size and character is situated on the

west side of the creek, and at an equal distance from it.

About a half-mile south of the first-named circular work is

another work similar in character but much smaller, being

but fifty feet in diameter. There are also in this latter vicinity

many other evidences of various kinds, such as mounds, etc.

Numerous implements of stone and of flint have been discov-

ered from time to time, and deposits of mica, as well as spec-

imens of galena, whether native or not, are frequently met

with.

A short distance below Bragg's Tannery, on a small stream

which is fed by a number of fine springs, there seems to

have been a dyke thrown across the stream, which would

form a lake of considerable extent in the basin-shaped valley.

We may reasonably conjecture that the great Fort on the

hill was constructed as a place of refuge and protection in

case of invasion.

The vicinity of Fort Hill is by no means void of natural

scenery. The channel of Brush creek has cut its way through

an immense gorge of Niagara limestone for a distance of two

or three miles, forming numerous cliffs and caverns. On the

west side of this gorge, at the foot of Fisher's hill, is a cave,

once occupied by David Davis, an ingenious and eccentric

hermit, who made the cavern his home for a number of years

from about 1847. He discovered a vein of ore near his

abode from which he manufactured in limited quantities a

valuable and durable metallic paint, of a color approaching a

rose tint, and of metallic luster, which gained considerable

local reputation. The ore, however, so far as yet discovered,

is not in paying quantities. His cave and surrounding scen-

ery, situated as it is in one of the most romantic regions of

Southern Ohio, is well worthy of inspection.

This gorge, in the opinion of the writer, is of post-glacial

origin, an idea probably announced for the first time. The

entire drainage of the country north of Fort Hill once had

its outlet into Paint creek, ten or twelve miles northeast of

here at a point a short distance above Bainbridge, in Ross

county. This outlet has been completely blocked up and

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264     Ohio Archaeological and Historical Quarterly.

filled to a sufficient height to force the water in the direction

it now assumes. The filling of this old valley at its outlet

into Paint creek was caused by the vast accumulation of gla-

cial deposits brought in by the ice.

As this is a question for the geologist, there is no need of

further discussion in this article.

H. W. OVERMAN.

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