Fort Steuben (Steubenville, Ohio)
Steubenville · Ohio · Post-Revolutionary War / Northwest Territory Settlement
History & Significance
After the United States claimed the Ohio Country following the 1783 Treaty of Paris ending the Revolutionary War, Congress passed the Land Ordinance of 1785 to formally survey, sell, and settle the land. Thomas Hutchins, the Geographer of the United States, began the survey in September 1785 but retreated to Pittsburgh after an Indian attack on the Tuscarawas River.
In 1786, Colonel Josiah Harmar ordered Major John Francis Hamtramck and the First American Regiment to guard the surveyors, and Hamtramck felt it necessary to build a fort to protect the surveyors and prevent squatters from settling in the area. Hamtramck completed construction by January 8, 1787.
The 1st American Regiment protected government surveyors from American Indian raids as they platted the First Seven Ranges of the Northwest Territory. The surveyed land was sold for settlement or offered to soldiers as payment for military service during the Revolutionary War, and the states of Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin were subsequently formed from the Northwest Territory settlement. In 1797, Bezaleel Wells founded the city of Steubenville on the site.
Key Facts
Map
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🧳 Visiting
What you’ll see when you visit:
- 1787 military fortification replica overlooking the Ohio River
- Early settlement era frontier defense post
- Museum exhibits on Northwest Territory surveying and mapping
- Baron von Steuben's role in American military history
- Visitor center with period architecture reconstruction
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Steuben
- https://www.nps.gov/places/historic-fort-steuben.htm
- https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=33873
- https://www.oldfortsteuben.com/history
- https://www.visitsteubenville.com/what-to-do/historic-sites-museums/historic-fort-steuben/
- https://savingplaces.org/distinctive-destinations/historic-fort-steuben