Ohio History Journal

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THE GATEWAYS TO FORT ANCIENT

THE GATEWAYS TO FORT ANCIENT.

 

 

BY THOS. J. BROWN.

 

During a recent visit to Fort Ancient, after a period of

several years, I was greatly impressed by the improvements that

have taken place there since I have been acquainted with the fort.

My visits to it were begun forty-seven years ago, and have been

repeated at short intervals until late years, then not so often.

When I first saw it, and continuing until about the time the

State acquired title to it, it was one of the most neglected and

uninviting tracts of land that ever came under my notice in Ohio,

except for its historic associations it was very undesirable prop-

erty indeed. It was, except a small tract near the road, a tangled

thicket of trees, bushes, (principally briars), logs, weeds, etc. I

believe it had more blackberry bushes on it than any other tract

of equal size in the county. I have known people to drive 14 or

15 miles to it to gather blackberries, and feel well repaid for their

trouble. The blackberry bushes have disappeared, with most of

the undesirable undergrowth. Logs, brush, weeds and stones are

also gone or have been applied to useful purposes. Those dread-

ful washes which were working back farther and farther within

the ramparts from year to year have been arrested in their work

of destruction and in some cases at least seem to be in a measure

an element of beauty. Still the work of restoration is not com-

pleted. The few acres to the north of the public road ought to be

added to the rest, and the road should be turned out of its present

track through the fort and be directed to another alongside the

hollow which bounds the fort along the north, until it gets beyond

the fort. The main entrances to the fort would of course remain

where they are, but they would then be private ones. The strip

referred to would add greatly to the fine appearance and "business

like" purposes of the fort. Although the ramparts along the

north side are in no place more than a few rods from the road,

they are so smothered with undergrowth and unshapely trees

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