260 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
believing that the people should be
accommodated. The well is
not quite finished.
The number of people who visit the fort
on the Sabbath
day runs from 1500 to 2000. Even on last
Sabbath, dark and
gloomy and rainy, there were one hundred automobiles
present,
perhaps with five hundred people. Our
Society must take care
of them in the best possible way.
The present graveled road was built
about twenty-five years
ago, when only poky horses, drawing vehicles,
now and then,
found their way into the Fort. The road
was a good one for
its day, built at an expense of about
$150.00. But the rapid
automobile can tear any graveled road to
pieces, and that is
what they are doing with our road at
Fort Ancient. Then, too,
the road was built as a single-track.
When carriages passed each
other they had to turn on the grass. The
same must be done by
the automobiles now. What is needed is a
road wide enough for
vehicles to pass each other without
leaving the roadway. It is
a matter that this Society ought to
prepare for presentation to
our next General Assembly.
It may not be amiss to present another
thing. With the
crowds that gather weekly at the Fort
during the warm season,
there ought to be a person who will give
his whole time in that
part of the grounds where the people
park their autos. He could
prevent fires from being built against
trees, rough treatment of
the state's property, and any violation
of good order, and also
be a source of information to the people
who gather there. The
people of our state are disposed to make
certain places a point
for gathering, as Buckeye Lake, Indian
Lake, Fort Ancient, and
other favorite points, all being state
property, and the state can
afford to make its own grounds pleasing
to the people.
Respectfully submitted,
(Signed) B. F. PRINCE,
(Signed) JOHN L. ZIMMERMAN.
The report was ordered received and
placed on file.
REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON SERPENT MOUND
Professor W. H. Cole, Chairman of the
Committee,
read the following report:
The general conditions at Serpent Mound
Park during the
past year have been satisfactory. The
custodian, Mr. Guy Wal-
lace, has been reasonably watchful and
efficient in looking after
the property.
Fortieth Annual Meeting 261
In addition to the usual repairs and
upkeep, it became neces-
sary to reroof the dwelling of the
custodian, including a new
roof over the porch, and to repair the
summer-house. This has
been done at a cost of $127.47.
The great increase of visitors at the
Park has required an
additional supply of drinking water and
made it necessary to
drill an additional well on the
premises. This has been done at
a cost, including casing and pump, of $198.20.
The rapidly increasing number of
visitors at the Park is
evidence of the popularity of the place.
While doubtless some
of these are attracted to the Park as a
pleasant place to go for
an outing, all are more or less
impressed with the historic and
archaeological interest of the great serpent effigy.
Respectfully submitted,
(Signed) W. H. COLE,
(Signed) W. C. MILLS,
Committee.
The report was received and placed on
file.
At this point the Chairman appointed Mr.
E. F.
Wood, Hon. Van A. Snider, and Mrs. Orson
D. Dryer,
as a committee to nominate successors to
the Trustees
whose terms expire.
REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON FORT MEIGS,
FORT
MIAMI AND THE BATTLEFIELD OF FAL-
LEN TIMBERS.
President Arthur C. Johnson read the
following
report of the committee:
Your Committee on Fort Meigs, Fort Miami
and Fallen
Timbers respectfully report as follows,
viz.:
Fort Meigs:--
This splendid property has been well
maintained by the
Commission in whose care it has been
placed. The rapid de-
velopment of this suburban territory has
resulted in a gradual
increase in the number of visitors to
this interesting old fortress.
The monument erected last year to honor
the memory of the
Pittsburgh Blues has proven quite a
drawing card for the many
visitors.