Perrysburg High School - Black and Gold Yearbook (Perrysburg, OH)

Page 18 text:

f -''-'H'fiii5Ei'5'if SI'15IfEE5f'E'if5'1ff I'f:ffi..1 e rl, ,. , HISTORICAL PERRYSBURG ursrnc-Moanexn Perrysburg, an historical town of northwestern Ohio, was laid out and' incorporated by the government in ISI6. It was the scene of many battles and small skirmishes in the War of IBIZ. Fort Meigs, which lies just west of the town, was built by General Harrison and named after Governor Meigs. It was practically the only barrier which kept the British from in- vading Ohio and the states south. Fort Meigs was very small, having a garrison of only about one thous- and men. It was besieged twice, but held out each time until help came. The first siege began April 24, ISI 3, and was raised May I lth. Gen. Proc- tor, a British general, had twelve hundred regulars and twenty-one hundred Indians under his command at that time. On May 3rd, Proctor demanded' the surrender of the fort. Gen. Harrison refused to surrender and held out until Gen. Clay arrived with twelve hundred Kentuckians to relieve him. Gen. Harrison sent Col. Dudley with eight hundred men to spike the British guns on the opposite shore, and then ordered him to retreat. Instead of obeying orders, Dudley pursued the Indians and fell into an ambush, where only one hundred fifty men escaped being massacred. The second siege began July 20th, when Proctor returned with still larger forces, expecting an easy victory. Clay, who was in command at this time, was not deceived by the strategy of the English, and kept his men inside the fort. The English, unable to capture the fort, left for Fort Steph- enson on July 28th. There Proctor was repulsed with heavy losses. This defeat practically ended the war in the northwest. After the war, the town of Orleans was laid out on the bottom lands' 1 .-,.1..1...1nq1rm-1-1111:W.-1lin-...nu1nuiuu.-n.-nu11.1up-.I1IpiI.1I.-..1...1.g1..1..1...-.,1,1 -..-.gf I 6124-I.- 4

Page 17 text:

' ' ' ' ' ' ' ''- E'fXE-12 X'ixTi5- E'3'f'5 -'- ' ' - ' - 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1-1..1..1..1..1..1..1..1.l1..1.g1..1,,1..1.1 1 1 1 1 1 1 l AIEANETTE LOWNSBURY NIR. KLINK Language Mu'ic F A C U L 'I' Y --fgaluafminanai-we CLARENCE WEINSTOCK HELEN SPURRIER Science Domestic Art .1 .1..1..1,.1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1..1..1..1u-.u1..1..1..1 1 1 1..1..1..1.p1...- I 5E,. .-

Page 19 text:

-1.g1.-.-.g1n1n1pn1qp...g1...-ni-11.11111ns1pp1qg-.u-np1qgiu-..1u-1qqilq-nn-nn1nligl-ls1r . .. .. .. . .. .u..g..g.ELAC-'i,A,ND .QQI-.,D--,. P.- n e.. - 4 fi I is 1 I - gp , . .....,.'-...4.. 1 - between Fort Meigs and the river. ln l8l6 Perrysburg was incorporated and named after Commodore Perry. The higher elevation and better loca- tion caused Perrysburg to grow and Orleans to decline. Now it is impossible to find a trace of the old settlement. ln I908, a monument was erected at Fort Meigs in honor of those who shed their blood on that sacred ground. This monu,ment.is of granite blocks, stands eighty-one feet high, and was erected at a cost of Sl4,000. The Fremont Pike now tal-:es the place of the old Indian trail that connected Fort Meigs with Fort Stephenson. Many Indians lived in the Maumee Valley after the close of the War of l8l2, but on june 24, l838, the last lot, of over eight hundred, was taken to a western reservation. They represented over seven different tribes. Perrysburg began to grow as soon as it was chartered. A dock and large warehouse were built at the foot of Main St. Several factories were built, most of which were run by water power. There were also several planing mills, tanneries, and a shipyard. Perrysburg was then the industrial center of this section of the country. To meet the demand for supplies, there were a number of dry goods, grocery, hardware, and drug stores. At that time the town was the county seat, and was the most important town in the county. It had several law offices, hotels, doctors, and newspapers. At first the lake boats plied as far up the river as Perrysburg, but as Toledo grew, with its better location, and the channel began to fill, the boats ceased to run up the river to Perrysburg. Education in the Maumee Valley dates back before the second war with England. At first the settlers maintained a private school at Miami and later at Fort Meigs. ln 1846, a grade school was organized by W. .. ..-..-..-..-..-..-..-..-..-..-..-..-.