Fort Meigs has storied history plus Ghost Walks, Lantern Tours
PERRYSBURG — Most people enjoy a good ghost tale, even those who don’t believe in ghosts.
And the best spooky stories, such as those at this month’s Garrison Ghost Walks at Fort Meigs historic site, are usually based in fact.
Once a place of misery and mire, valor and victory, Fort Meigs is now a peaceful, even lovely, reminder of an illconceived, ill-conducted conflict more than two centuries ago.
Nobody loves a tie game, except, perhaps, former Ohio State University President Gordon Gee, who once declared a 13-13 Osu-michigan football draw “one of our greatest wins ever.”
Maybe that explains the relative historical obscurity of the War of 1812, which ended with no winners. But Ohioans, especially those with an interest in state history, don’t need to wear a bow tie to find fascination in the conflict once known as the “Second War of Independence.”
A look at the fort’s history
The War of 1812 is the only declared war with major battles fought on Ohio soil. And Fort Meigs was the site of a crucial turning point in that conflict, one which eventually allowed the young United States to snatch a tie from the jaws of defeat by the heavily favored forces of Great Britain and its Indian allies.
Built in a wilderness by soldiers under the command of future President William Henry Harrison, Fort Meigs was constructed from more than 3,500 trees and covered more than eight acres, making it the largest wooden fort ever built up to that time.
The 1,200 or so soldiers who served at the fort experienced plenty of horror. With no barracks, the men slept in tents in mud and muck that often covered their ankles. By March 1813, more than two men a day, on average, were dying from disease or exposure. About 300 Americans perished at Fort Meigs, only half of those in battle. Many of those men are buried just outside the fort’s walls.
The soldiers also experienced a terrifying
siege by British and Indian forces from April 28 to May 5, 1813. During that time, the fort was under frequent heavy shelling by British artillery.
But the fort successfully held out, giving the Americans their first victory — of sorts — after a series of ignominious defeats.
Eventually a peace treaty between the United States and Great Britain conceded a tie, with the only real losers being the Indians who fought with the British and would be driven from their
land by American settlers moving westward.
The area today
The fort didn’t last long after the war, but has been reconstructed to appear as it did during spring and summer of 1813.
The site’s museum and visitors center explores the history of the fort and of the war with about 3,000 square feet of displays.
During regular hours, guests can
learn about the American, British and Indian soldiers and leaders and the war’s causes and consequences. And this month, visitors can experience the fort by night, a rare treat that offers a more authentic 1813 experience, absent the muck, mire and flying cannonballs.
Upcoming special events
On Oct. 8 at 7 p.m., the site will host an After Dark Lantern Tour featuring costumed guides, stories and a nighttime musket demonstration. The tour is limited to 50 guests.
Garrison Ghost Walks, one of the fort’s yearly highlights, will be held on Oct. 22, 23, 29 and 30.
Costumed guides conduct the walks by lantern light. Along the way guests will see candle-lit buildings and stop at campfires to hear War of 1812 “soldiers” — some of whom may still be buried on the grounds — tell of their experiences.
The 90-minute walks leave the visitor center every 15 minutes from 7:30 to 9 p.m.
Steve Stephens is a freelance travel writer and photographer. Email him at sjstephensjr@gmail.com.