The Fort Recovery State Museum is a member site of the Ohio Historical Society & is operated joinly by the Ohio Historical Society and the Fort Recovery Historical Society.

Schedule a guided tour.

Fort Recovery, Ohio - Changing History

Ohio Historical Society
"...a work impervious to savage force."
Unknown author, ca. 1793

Built in 1938 by the Works Progress Administration, the museum building first housed the local library and numerous artifacts from the local area. In the 1970s it became the Fort Recovery State Museum. The museum features Anthony Wayne’s legionnaires and a typical Native American from the 1790s. Life size mannequins show an officer & artillerymen operating a Howitzer cannon (left), an infantryman making use of the stockade, and a dragoon complete with his horse. Information and maps explain both the Harmar and St. Clair campaigns along with a detailed explanation of Wayne’s campaign and the construction of the fort. The original flagstaff from the fort as well as many artifacts from the 1790 campaigns are proudly displayed. Fort Recovery was a pivotal point on the Greenville Treaty Line. A print of the signing of the treaty is shown along with the original stake used to mark the treaty line. Portraits of the battles as depicted by historian and author Robert VanTrees and portraits of Wayne, St. Clair, Little Turtle, Blue Jacket, and Buckongahelas adorn the walls. Visit the balcony to see a large display of prehistoric artifacts found in the local area. Artifacts date back to 14,000 years B.C. Available in the gift shop are books, maps, postcards and other items relevant to Fort Recovery along with other souvenirs.

Newsletter - April 2008
!!!Attention Social Studies Teachers!!!
Are you looking for an exciting, meaningful, effective way to teach social studies standards that students will remember and to which they will make connections for years to come? Here is a suggestion - bring them to the Fort Recovery State Museum for a tour of the fort, the museum and the reconstructed log cabins! Our tour guides are experienced certified teachers who not only know how to teach children of all ages and how to captivate their interest, they know the Ohio Social Studies Standards. They incorporate the appropriate benchmarks and grade level indicators into each and every tour. A field trip to Fort Recovery State Museum grounds is not "vacation" from school, it is learning social studies in its most meaningful and educational venue. Students will grow in each standard. Following are a few examples:
History
  • " Comparisons of present life to past times, using pertinent vocabulary and time references
  • " Use of timelines - passage of time and events
  • " Cause and effect relationships of historical events
  • " Connections between military history of Fort Recovery to military situation in Iraq
People in Societies
  • " Diversity of Native American culture to European/American explorers/settlers
  • " Consequences of cooperation and/or conflict between cultures
Geography
  • " Geographical relationship of Ohio/Northwest Territory/13 Colonies/United States
  • " Patterns of the movement of people from the colonies/after the wars/after the treaties
  • " Surveying of the Northwest Territory
  • " Establishment of the 1795 Greeneville Treaty Line (North & West Corner stake at the fort)
  • " Wabash River moved
Economics
  • " Natural resources and the 18th century coveted Ohio Country
  • " Largest Prehistoric Indian Artifact collection on display in Ohio
Government
  • " Resistance by US citizens of 1790's to establish (or pay for) a United States Army
  • " Survival of the United States dependent on army success at Fort Recovery
  • " First Congressional investigation in history of US = Massacre of 1791 - Battle on Banks of Wabash
Citizenship
  • " Appreciation of sacrifices of Native Americans; settlers; army officers, enlisted men and volunteers

Tours can be booked by calling 419-375-4384. The cost is $1.00 per student with maximum group size around 70 students per session. Tours are tailored to the grade level of students, the topics you want covered (military battles, pioneer living, Indian artifacts, old tools, etc), and the time you have to spend.

Check this website for other points of historical significance within the town of Fort Recovery. Picnic grounds are adjacent to the museum grounds. Bus parking is available.