Fort Steuben facts for kids
Fort Steuben was a military fort built in February 1787. It was located on the Ohio River in what is now eastern Ohio. The fort was built where the modern city of Steubenville, Ohio stands today. Major Jean François Hamtramck led the construction, and he named the fort after Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben. Steuben was a Prussian army officer who helped George Washington during the American Revolutionary War. The fort's main purpose was to protect the first land surveyors exploring the new Northwest Territory from attacks by Native Americans.
History of the Ohio Country
After the 1763 Treaty of Paris, Great Britain took control of the Ohio Country from France. However, a rule called the Royal Proclamation of 1763 stopped white settlers from moving into this area. After the American Revolutionary War ended with the 1783 Treaty of Paris, the United States claimed this region.
The U.S. government, under the Articles of Confederation, passed the Land Ordinance of 1785. This law was a plan to survey, sell, and settle the land. It also aimed to raise money for the new country. The survey was supposed to start in what is now East Liverpool, Ohio, and move westward into present-day Ohio.
Thomas Hutchins, who was the Geographer of the United States, began the survey on September 30, 1785. But just a few days later, on October 8, news came of a Native American attack. Hutchins and his team were scared. They returned to Pittsburgh after only surveying a small part of the land. Hutchins then went back to New York.
On July 20, 1786, Hutchins and his group met again in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to continue their work. Fort Harmar had been built earlier at the meeting point of the Muskingum River and the Ohio River. Hutchins asked for federal troops to protect his surveyors. Colonel Josiah Harmar ordered Major Jean François Hamtramck and soldiers from the First American Regiment to guard them. Major Hamtramck felt it was important to build a new fort. This fort would protect the surveyors and also stop people from illegally settling on the land.
Building Fort Steuben
The perfect spot for the new fort was chosen on October 11, 1786. Major Erkuries Beatty, who drew the picture you see here, described the location. He said it was about 47 miles below Fort McIntosh (Pennsylvania) and 23 miles above Wheeling, West Virginia.
Major Beatty described the fort's design:
It was about 120 yards from the river on a very high, excellent bank. The fort was a square shape with a large blockhouse (a strong, small fort) at each corner. Tall wooden posts, called picquets, connected each blockhouse to form the walls. The main gate faced west, and a smaller gate (sally port) faced the river, with a guard house above it. The blockhouses were for all the soldiers, and the officers' houses were on each side of the main gate. The back of these houses also served as part of the fort's walls. Captain Hamtramck's and Mercer's companies were stationed there, with Hamtramck in command.
—Major Erkuries Beatty, 1787
Major Hamtramck officially named the fort for military officer Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben on January 2, 1787. The fort was completely finished by January 8.
On May 23, 1787, Major Hamtramck was told to leave Fort Steuben. The surveyors had moved closer to Fort Harmar, so Fort Steuben was no longer as necessary. The soldiers were sent to Fort Harmar, and supplies went to Fort Henry (West Virginia) in Wheeling.
Sadly, Fort Steuben was destroyed by fire in 1790 and was never rebuilt. Later, in 1797, a man named Bezaleel Wells founded the city of Steubenville on the same spot. Today, a replica of Fort Steuben and a visitors' center have been built there. It's a popular place for tourists to learn about the fort's history. The original Federal Land Office (Steubenville, Ohio) is also part of the attraction.
