Bolivar in Tuscarawas County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Cemetery

Fort Laurens

Photographed by Mike Wintermantel, March 15, 2015

1. Cemetery Marker

Inscription. Twenty-one men died at Fort Laurens and were buried here, the fort cemetery. Several remains were in single or double burials, but a mass grave of at least 13 individuals is the resting place of an ill-fated wood-gathering party who were ambushed by Indians besieging the fort in February 1779. The graves were excavated in 1973, 1984, and 1986, when this photo was taken. It shows the juxtaposition of the cemetery, hospital and museum. Except for the soldier in the grave uncovered in 1973, who lies in the nearby tomb, the others rest in a crypt inside the museum.

Erected by The Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 7.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Forts and Castles • War, US Revolutionary. In addition, it is included in the Ohio Historical Society / The Ohio History Connection series list. A significant historical month for this entry is February 1779.

Location. 40° 38.385′ N, 81° 27.357′ W. Marker is in Bolivar, Ohio, in Tuscarawas County. It can be reached from Fort Laurens Road Northwest. Located on the grounds of the museum. Touch for map. Marker

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is at or near this postal address: 11607 Fort Laurens Road NW, Bolivar OH 44612, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Amish Country.

It is also in the American Midwest,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Northern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Hospital (a few steps from this marker); Fort Laurens Continental Outpost of the Ohio Frontier / Survival on the Frontier (within shouting distance of this marker); Fort Laurens (within shouting distance of this marker); Tomb (within shouting distance of this marker); Unknown Soldier (within shouting distance of this marker); Excavation (within shouting distance of this marker); Introduction (within shouting distance of this marker); Northwest Bastion (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map

7 Cemetery Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mike Wintermantel, March 15, 2015

2. 7 Cemetery Marker

of all markers in Bolivar.

Also see . . . Fort Laurens - Ohio History Connection. (Submitted on December 21, 2020, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.)

Additional commentary.
1. Fort Laurens Cemetery/Fort Laurens Museum Cemetery
This cemetery located near the museum at the Fort Laurens historic site has been erroneously named Fort Laurens Cemetery and also referred to as Fort Laurens Museum Cemetery. The legal and historically accurate location of Fort Laurens Cemetery (an active public cemetery) is located across the street from the Fort Laurens Historic site and is owned by the Lawrence Township Trustees.

For unknown reasons (to be determined), the Veterans Administration has named these two cemeteries erroneously in their records as such: Fort Laurens Cemetery (the current and active public cemetery legally recognized as Fort Laurens Cemetery) is now being referred to as the Lawrence Township Cemetery by the VA which is incorrect and the original burial place of the Revolutionay War soldiers who died at the Fort Laurens outpost is now referred to as the Fort Laurens/Fort Laurens Museum Cemetery which

Sign at the entrance of Fort Laurens Historic Site image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Craig Doda, April 26, 2020

3. Sign at the entrance of Fort Laurens Historic Site

has never been recorded with the State of Ohio as a cemetery.

— Submitted June 20, 2025, by George Baumgardner of Bolivar, Ohio.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 26, 2025. It was originally submitted on December 21, 2020, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 569 times since then and 25 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on December 21, 2020, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 3. submitted on January 27, 2021, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio.