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

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BLACK AND GOLD : za i., .. V QTL. ' , itil V , .. it 4' Q' MTL ' .Lead the British crossed the river and asked General Harrison to surrender the fort, which he refused to do. Soon General Clay arrived with twelve hundred Kentuckians to re- lieve him. General 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 obey- ing orders, Dudley pursued the Indians and fell into an ambush Where only one hundred fifty men escaped being massacred. During this first siege, the soldiers dug a famous well. The night previous to a great celebration held in 1840 on the site of the old fort, some Perrysburg youths ob- tained the sixty-foot flagpole erected at the fort and plunged it into the well, where it has remained these eighty-seven years. The second siege began July 20th, and lasted for five days and nights during which hundrds of shells were thrown against the fort. Proctor returned with a very large force, expecting to be victor. Clay, who was commander of the fort, was not deceived by any English stratogy, and kept his men inside of the fort. On July 28th, the English left for Fort Stephenson. There Proctor was repulsed with heavy losses. This defeat practically ended the war in the Northwest. On all sides of the fort site are the graves of the soldiers who fell in that vicinity during the war. Right across the river stood the famous Indian elm from which an Indian sharp- shooter killed dozens of the Fort Meigs defenders as they moved about the enclosure. Finally a marksman used a giant rifle to tumble the red skin. The elm blew down in i 1927 --

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BLACK AND GOLD F F F. P A ,. fl , r 3l'Iiain1'iral lgP1'1'QZlJ1I1'Q jg: ERRYSBURG, a very historical village of Northwestern Ohio, was incor- ima Am 4554, porated by the government in 1816. During the War of 1812, it was the fy pq QQ? scene of many battles. Just west of Perrysburg lies Fort Meigs. One hundred and fourteen years ago, this served as a fort in the War of 1812. On February 1, 1813, General Harrison began the construction of the fort. The men worked very diligently - - felling trees and digging trenches. The fort erected of fifteen foot logs served as palisades and as material for the block house. By February 16th, the fort was finished and named in honor of the patriotic Governor of Ohio, Return Jonathan Meigs. Fort Meigs proper covered a space of nine acres, but was increased to fourteen acres after the second siege. Fort Meigs had a garrison of only about one thousand men. It was besieged twice, but each time was able to hold out until help came. The first siege began April 27, 1813. The enemy established batteries directly opposite the fort, which was known as British Point, and on the 29th, the siege began in earnest, as firing continued briskly on both sides. April 30th, the enemy under General Proctor towed a gun boat across the river and fired for several hours at the fort. May lst, eight Americans were wounded. May 2nd and 3rd, six were killed and twenty wounded. May 3rd, -- 1927 --

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BLACK AND GOLD W H i 3 ? Q as K H 5 , S f Q s H s H Eb wg 1 .Hs 3 Q 5, s 1. H X H-if so af 5 gmt , , V. :Q .ml . . is . . M W ' sgsttlffs at 'E' , . .. ta Q H we e. s 5.5.2 ef -f Q Q 2 . . as 2 H u flag? .se was E new X I, sis gmiwissg- 'gags' , Z i me frssts' 5S?w :reg rl Q . a-are-5 sas. we W! 151 M nl 1 :ggi saw: a storm but the site is marked and a stone is to be placed there. The huge rifle that was used was said to be so heavy that a soldier could not carry it on a march, was more than ten feet long, and its bore would admit a broom handle. The fort was not abandoned by the government until 1815, but the year before, several soldiers brought their families to the fort and established the town of Orleans on the broad flat near the present bridge. After Perrysburg was incorporated and named after Commodore Perry, the better location caused Perrysburg to grow and Orleans to decline. Now a trace of the old settlement cannot be found. About a mile from the old Fort Meigs is Buttonwood Island, and on it the Indians assembled in 1833, where all were vaccinated and made ready for deportation to the west by the government. The Fremont Pike now takes the place of the old Indian trail that connected Fort Meigs with Fort Stephenson. In 1908, a monument was erected at Fort Meigs in honor of those who so gallantly fought on that sacred ground. The monument is 87 feet tall with a 34-foot base, at a cost of S14,000, of Barre granite. In 1923, a monument was erected in honor of the Pennsylvania Blues. As soon as Perrysburg was chartered, it grew very rapidly. 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. In the early seventies, when Perrysburg was the seat of the govern- 1 1927 -