Locating the Fort

Fort Recovery, constructed in 1793, was long known to have stood in this general area, though its exact location was unknown. In 2011, ground-penetrating radar was used on a small parcel of land owned by the Ohio History Connection to look for possible archeological features below the surface. Archeologists from Ball State University used the radar data to place excavation units during an archeological field school and uncovered a 17 foot section thought to be one of the palisade walls, consisting of a wide trench with large post holes. They also excavated battle-era artifacts including lead balls with intact sprue, a Charleville musket center band, and a strike-a-light. In 2016, Ball State conducted additional ground-penetrating radar surveys and a second archeological field school. Historical maps, radar data, and field school data were then entered into a geographic information system for processing, and the resulting model provided a better idea of where the fort might have stood.

Fort Recovery, Ohio · United States