Fort Amanda Memorial Park
22800 St. Rt. 198Lima, OH 45801
419-221-1232 | https://www.jampd.com/parks-facilities/fort-amanda-park/
Fort Amanda Memorial Park
Fort Amanda Memorial Park commemorates Western Ohio’s involvement in the War of 1812. Part of a line of forts stretching from Piqua to Perrysburg, Fort Amanda is now commemorated by a monument, a historic cemetery, and a series of markers detailing the history of the site.
Fort Amanda Memorial Park is situated along the Auglaize River just southwest of Lima. Visitors can enjoy the park facilities and wooded trails and learn about the area’s significance during the War of 1812. A short walking tour marked by Ohio History Connection plaques details the construction of Fort Amanda and its use during the war. A trail leads to the fifty-foot tall stone monument, constructed in 1915 to commemorate Ohio’s contribution to the war. The cemetery contains seventy-five grave markers honoring unnamed soldiers of 1812 along with the burial sites of many local families.
The riverside site, marked by deep ravines, was an important strategic position for the U.S. Army as early as 1794. In the 1790s, General Anthony Wayne searched for an alternate route to carry supplies across Ohio while bypassing the Great Black Swamp. A series of forts was constructed along the Auglaize River to serve as supply depots and to transport men and material between present-day St. Mary’s and Fort Meigs on the Maumee River. This line of forts provided an American line of defense and communication along the disputed western frontier.
The site was enlarged and improved by Lieutenant Colonel Robert Pogue of the Kentucky militia who named it after his daughter, Amanda. When the war ended in 1814, the supply depots, including Fort Amanda, were abandoned. Within the next few years, settlers began to arrive in the area and used the deserted buildings as temporary housing and, briefly, as a church. The fort no longer stands, but the site has been preserved by the State of Ohio since 1913. During the Great Depression, the Civilian Conservation Commission built a shelter house, grill shelter, and restrooms for the site, which still stand today.
Notes for Travelers
The trail to the monument is short but includes steps and a bridge across a ravine. This can be challenging for those with young children or limited mobility.
Credits
Rebekah BrownAdditional Resources
Taylor, Alan. The Civil War of 1812: American Citizens, British Subjects, Irish Rebels, & Indian Allies. New York: Random House, 2010.Skaggs, David Curtis. William Henry Harrison and the Conquest of the Ohio Country: Frontier Fighting in the War of 1812. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2014.