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“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
Greenville in Darke County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
 

Fort Greene-Ville

Ohio Revolutionary Memorial Trail

 
 
Fort Greene-Ville Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Dale K. Benington, June 5, 2009
1. Fort Greene-Ville Marker
Inscription.
Site of
Fort Greene-Ville
»»««
The largest pioneer fort
in Ohio, built in 1793, by
General Anthony Wayne.

Here, August 5, 1795, the
Treaty was signed by which
much of present Ohio was
opened to White settlement.

 
Erected 1930 by Ohio Revolutionary Memorial Commission. (Marker Number C15.)
 
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Forts and CastlesNative AmericansSettlements & SettlersWars, US Indian. In addition, it is included in the Ohio Revolutionary Memorial Commission series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1793.
 
Location. 40° 6.164′ N, 84° 38.032′ W. Marker is in Greenville, Ohio, in Darke County. Marker is at the intersection of South Broadway Street (Ohio Route 49) and West Main Street, on the right when traveling south on South Broadway Street. This historical marker is located in the heart of present day, downtown, Greenville, Ohio. Like many of Ohio's rural county seats, Greenville has a traffic circle in the center of town where it's major streets intersect one another. This historical marker is located in the northwest corner of this intersection, very near
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the Greenville municipal building. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Greenville OH 45331, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Veterans Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); Treaty of Greeneville (within shouting distance of this marker); "Dick and Jane" (within shouting distance of this marker); Treaty of Greene Ville 1795 (within shouting distance of this marker); Darke County Veterans Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); Signing of the Treaty of Greene Ville (approx. 0.2 miles away); Water Street Cemetery (approx. 0.2 miles away); a different marker also named Darke County Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Greenville.
 
More about this marker. This historical marker is part of the Ohio Revolutionary Memorial Trail series (type C) which was put in place in 1930 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Ohio's Revolutionary War era Battle of Piqua, by the Ohio Revolutionary Memorial Commission.

In order to accomplish this, in 1929 the state of Ohio created the Ohio Revolutionary Memorial Commission, and then in 1930 this commission created 22 military trails, throughout western Ohio, between Cincinnati, Ohio on the state's southern border and Toledo, Ohio on the state's northern
Site of Fort Greene-Ville Marker image. Click for more information.
Image courtesy of the Ohio History Connection, March 25, 1938
2. Site of Fort Greene-Ville Marker
For additional information at the "Ohio Memory" records
regarding both Fort Greene-Ville and this marker,
Click for more information.
border. Each of these military trails represented the routes, or trails, used by military leaders during either the Revolutionary War, the Indian Wars of 1790 to 1795, or the War of 1812. Each of these military routes connected various related historical sites, that were marked with Ohio Revolutionary Memorial Commission (type C) markers, along each of the military trails.

The routes of these military trails were in turn marked by type A and type B Ohio Revolutionary Memorial Commission markers that served as directional (type B) and distance (type A) markers.

Originally, back in 1930, there were erected 70 some of these Ohio Revolutionary Memorial
Commission, type C, markers. To date, there are only 20 some of them that have been located and posted on the Historical Marker database. A number of them are presently missing, and presumed to be permanently lost.

Of the 20 some original markers that have been included in the historical marker database only a small number of them have the original art work, sometimes referred to as silhouettes, across the top of the historical marker. This is a feature that makes these markers quite unique from most other historical markers. This "Fort Greene-Ville" marker is one of those very few markers.
 
Regarding Fort Greene-Ville. In his book, "The Forts of Ohio" (published
Fort Greene-Ville Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Dale K. Benington, June 5, 2009
3. Fort Greene-Ville Marker
View of historical marker in the right foreground and Greenville municipal building in the left-center background.
2005), author Gary S. Williams states the following about Fort Greene Ville:

"Fort Greene Ville was really not a fort as much as it was a military city. In fact, it was more often referred to as Camp Greene Ville or just Greene Ville. But regardless of name, this post was large enough to host over 2,000 American troops and more than 1,100 Indian guests, which made it the largest city for miles around."

"Anthony Wayne had Fort Greene Ville built in 1793 as a winter quarters for his entire army. The new American commander had been recruiting and training his troops for over a year, and he wanted an advanced self-sufficient fort to launch a campaign from in the spring...."

"The Americans passed through Fort Jefferson on October 14, and advanced six miles farther north, where they found an excellent camp site. The spot featured a high level ground near a creek confluence on one side and overlooking a broad prairie on the other. St. Clair had camped on the spot after leaving Fort Jefferson, and would no doubt have used that spot for a fort had he seen it first."

"Though Wayne wanted to attack, he did not want to rush into battle this late in the year, like St. Clair did. After a convoy train was attacked on October 17, Wayne decided to fortify his spot and use it as a springboard the next year."

"Having to house the entire army required
Ohio Revolutionary Memorial Trail Map image. Click for full size.
Image courtesy of the MidPointe Library System (www.MidPointeLibrary.org)
4. Ohio Revolutionary Memorial Trail Map
A view of an original Ohio Revolutionary Memorial Trail Map, from 1930. For a better view double click on this picture.
a stockade that was about 900 by 1,800 feet and covered over 50 acres of ground. Wayne ordered eight temporary buildings constructed to house troops during the building process. These buildings later were used as council houses during negotiations for the Greene Ville Treaty. The northern and western walls of the fort were irregularly shaped due to the proximity to creek and the contours of the plateau the fort was built on."

"The interior of the fort was designed as a military city sufficient to sustain over 2,000 men. The layout featured a city block-type setup. There were gardens, blacksmith shops, houses for both Generals Wayne and Wilkinson, even a slaughterhouse and tannery. On November 21, 1793, Wayne christened the new post Greene Ville, in honor of his Revolutionary comrade Nathaniel Greene...."

"When spring finally arrived in 1794, Wayne wanted to take the offensive but felt he needed to strengthen his supply system and wait for reinforcements. On July 26, General Charles Scott arrived with 1,500 mounted Kentucky militia. Two days later, Wayne's army marched out of Greene Ville to inaugurate the campaign that culminated in the defeat of the Indians at Fallen Timbers. On November 2, the army returned in triumph to their winter quarters. They were greeted by a 24 gun salute from Greene Ville cannon...."

"Today, this spot is covered by much of
Fort Green-Ville Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By J. Wesley Baker, June 3, 2016
5. Fort Green-Ville Marker
The boulder with the Treaty of Greeneville plaque on it can be seen in the background, to the right of the bench (partially blocked by a tree).
downtown Greenville. While markers such as the one in front of city hall are at certain locations, the exact site of the fort was unknown for a long time. However, in 2002 an archaeological expedition uncovered the site of one of the eight blockhouses that were later used as council houses. this discovery will make it easier to find the exact location of other parts of Ohio's largest fort."
 
Also see . . .
1. Fort Greene Ville. This link is published and made available by, "Ohio History Central," an online encyclopedia of Ohio History. (Submitted on June 12, 2009, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio.) 

2. Treaty of Greeneville (1795). This link is published and made available by, "Ohio History Central," an online encyclopedia of Ohio History. (Submitted on June 12, 2009, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio.) 

3. Ohio Revolutionary Memorial Trail System. A description of the Revolutionary Memorial Trail System developed by the state of Ohio in 1929 - 1930. (Submitted on January 16, 2010, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio.) 

4. A picture of the marker when it was mounted at the front entrance to City Hall. This March 25, 1938 photograph was taken for the Ohio Federal Writers' Project. (Submitted on February 2, 2011.) 

5. Site of Fort Green-Ville, O.R.M.C. Marker, C-15. This is a link to information provided by the "Ohio Memory" records. (Submitted on March 17, 2016, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio.) 
 
Ohio Revolutionary Memorial Commission Marker Types image. Click for full size.
Image provided by Ohio Revolutionary Memorial Commission publication, dated 1931.
6. Ohio Revolutionary Memorial Commission Marker Types
View of the three types of markers used by the Ohio Revolutionary Memorial Commission. The marker on the left is a type A marker, the marker in the middle is a type C (just like our featured marker), and the marker on the right is a type B. For a better view double click on this picture.
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on April 29, 2022. It was originally submitted on June 12, 2009, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio. This page has been viewed 2,506 times since then and 79 times this year. Photos:   1. submitted on June 12, 2009, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio.   2. submitted on March 17, 2016, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio.   3. submitted on June 12, 2009, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio.   4. submitted on September 8, 2014, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio.   5. submitted on December 8, 2018, by J. Wesley Baker of Springfield, Ohio.   6. submitted on June 26, 2019, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.

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Mar. 19, 2024