Lenape settlements facts for kids

Lenape settlements were villages and other places where the Lenape people lived. The Lenape are a Native American tribe from the Northeastern Woodlands part of America. Many of their old villages are in what is now Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Hell Town: A Village by the Water

Hell Town, Ohio was a village located on a stream called Clear Creek, which is now known as Clear Fork. It was near an old, abandoned town called Newville, Ohio. The village was on a high hill, not in a low area as some people thought. This hill was just north of where Clear Creek met the Black Fork of the Mohican River.

Hell Town was on an important "war trail" used by Native Americans. This trail went from about 30 miles south of Sandusky, Ohio, all the way to the Cuyahoga River valley. Later, white settlers used this same path, and today it's known as State Route 95. Some parts of the old trail are now under Pleasant Hill Lake.

The name "Helltown" actually meant "town of the clear water." The village was abandoned in 1782 after a sad event involving Moravian Indians. After that, a new village called Greentown was started in a better spot for defense.

Jerometown: Named for a Trader

Jerometown was a village of the Delaware tribe. It was located on the south and west side of what is now the Jerome Fork of the Mohican River. The village was named after Jean Baptiste Jerome, a French-Canadian fur trader. He didn't actually live in the village, but it was named for him.

Many people thought it should have been named "Captain Pipe's town" after Captain Pipe, a Delaware leader. Around 1808, early European-American settlers found Delaware people living near this village. Captain Pipe and a few remaining Delaware people lived near Jerometown until about 1812.

Mohican John's Town: A Tale of Two Places

"Mohican John's town" was sometimes thought to be the same as Jerometown, located near Jeromesville, Ohio. However, older maps from the 1760s show "Mohican John's town" near what is now Mifflin, Ohio.

It's not clear if the village moved or if historians simply got confused. What we do know is that the "Mohican John's town" from the 1760s was definitely on the Black Fork of the Mohican River, probably near Mifflin, Ohio. It was mainly home to members of the "Mingo" tribe.

Greentown: A Village Burned

Greentown was located west of Perrysville, Ohio. During the War of 1812, in August 1812, pioneer settlers burned it down. However, the Native American people living there had already left for safety. Greentown was said to be named after Thomas Green, a white man who had helped the Mohawks and then lived with the Indians in the west.

Coshocton: A New Home for Lenape

Coshocton was settled in 1778. This happened when Lenape leader Pipe and his tribe moved from the Tuscarawas area. They relocated to the Walhonding River, about fifteen miles upstream from where Coshocton, Ohio is today.

Kilbuck: Also Known as Bucktown

Kilbuck was another Lenape village. It was also known as Bucktown. This village seems to have been named in honor of "Chief Killbuck".

Shamokin: A Displaced Community

Shamokin was a village in central Pennsylvania. It was started by Lenape people who had to move from their original homes along the Delaware River. This happened because more and more colonial communities were growing in the early 1700s.

The village was first mentioned in 1711. Shamokin became a place where missionaries tried to convert people. It was also used as a base for attacks on English settlements in Pennsylvania during the French and Indian War. The Lenape burned and left the village in May 1756. A few months later, Fort Augusta was built on the same spot.

Kittanning: A Strategic Location

Kittanning was a Lenape village in the 1700s, located on the Allegheny River in what is now Kittanning, Pennsylvania. The village was at the end of the Kittanning Path, an Indian trail that crossed the Allegheny Mountains. This trail connected the Ohio and Susquehanna river areas.

Kittanning was a place where Delaware and Shawnee warriors prepared for attacks on English colonial settlements during the French and Indian War. However, Pennsylvania soldiers, led by Colonel John Armstrong, destroyed the village on September 8, 1756.

Meniolagomeka: A Moravian Settlement

Meniolagomeka was a settlement of the Moravian Church. German missionaries and Lenape people who had converted to Christianity lived there. It was located on the Aquashicola Creek near Kunkletown in Monroe County, Pennsylvania. This settlement existed from about 1742 to 1754.