Jefferson Township near Zanesfield in Logan County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Wapatomica
Ohio Revolutionary Memorial Trail
Photographed by Dale K. Benington, June 4, 2009
1. Site of the Shawnee Village, Wapatomica Marker
Wapatomica
»»««
Destroyed in 1786 by General
Logan. Home of Chief Black
Hoof. Simon Kenton ran the
gantlet here in 1778. General
council of 7 Indian Nations
was held here in 1782.
Erected 1930 by Ohio Revolutionary Memorial Commission. (Marker Number C36.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Indigenous Peoples and Communities • War, US Revolutionary • Wars, US Indian. In addition, it is included in the Ohio Revolutionary Memorial Commission series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1786.
Location. 40° 18.509′ N, 83° 42.134′ W. Marker is near Zanesfield, Ohio, in Logan County. It is in Jefferson Township. It is on County Route 5 0.1 miles south of County Route 29, on the left when traveling north. This historical marker is located in Logan county, along County Road 5, where the roadway crosses a small stream that runs into the nearby Mad River, almost midway between the villages of West Liberty and Zanesfield. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 5099 County Rd 5, Bellefontaine OH 43311, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Ohio’s Till Plains. It is also in the American Midwest and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France, the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow
this page online
Another marker is no longer nearby. Underground Railroad Station (was approx. 2.1 miles away but has been confirmed missing).
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 border. Each of these military trails represented the routes, or trails, used by
Photographed by Dale K. Benington, June 4, 2009
2. Site of the Shawnee Village Marker
View of historical marker next to the stream that runs into the nearby Mad River.
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, but this particular marker, which is listed on page 72 of the ORMC 1931 Planning Report, is still with us (although it looks like it is in an advanced state of deterioration).
Regarding Wapatomica. In his book, "Buckeye Battlefields" (copyright 1999), author Edwin A. Kramb states the following regarding General Benjamin Logan's 1786 raid on Indian villages in Ohio:
"In the summer of 1786, General George Rogers Clark, at his home in Louisville, received an intelligence report that indicated a large Indian army with some British agents were to assemble on the upper Wabash
Image courtesy of the MidPointe Library System (www.MidPointeLibrary.org)
3. 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.
"Colonel Logan assembled approximately 800 militia troops at Limestone (Maysville). They crossed the Ohio River in the last days of September and moved north. They moved almost directly north from Limestone to the Shawnee village of Mackachack on the upper Mad River. Mackachack was located near the present-day town of West Liberty, Ohio. Logan's army arrived in the vicinity of Mackachack around noon on the 6th day of October. He had organized his troops into three columns. The left column was ordered to attack a smaller Indian village on the west bank of the Mad River opposite Mackachack. The center and right wing would attack Mackachack proper. The order was given, and the army charged quickly toward their objectives."
"Most of the Shawnee warriors were attending that large
Image provided by Ohio Revolutionary Memorial Commission publication, dated 1931., June 26, 2019
4. 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.
"The assault against the Shawnee villages by Logan's men continued for two days. Wapatomica, located about four miles east-southeast of the present-day city of Bellefontaine, Ohio and Wapakoneta, located at the present-day city of Wapakoneta, Ohio, were among those villages that were destroyed by Logan's army. At a cost of three men killed and three others wounded, Colonel Logan's raiders then reassembled for their withdrawal. They had killed 22 Indians, captured 33 prisoners who were mostly women, destroyed more than 8 villages, and burned a large amount of foodstuffs and fields of crops. Several of the Indian casualties, however, may be more accurately characterized as murder. For example, an old Shawnee chief by the name of Moluntha was killed by a member of Logan's army after the old chief had surrendered. The killer was a survivor of that ambush at Blue Licks which occurred more than four years ago, but he killed Chief Moluntha in revenge for that long ago disaster."
"On 8 October, Logan issued the order to withdraw back to Limestone. They arrived at the Ohio River in less than a week, and there the army disbanded. The raid on Mackachack was considered quite successful when compared to General Clark's main raid up the Wabash. Clark's army progressed only part way to their destination before supply problems, desertion problems, discipline problems, and other problems forced the General to withdraw back to Louisville without making any attack."
In some respects, Logan's raid on Mackachack and the other Shawnee villages had the opposite effect than that desired. In addition to being considered a retaliatory strike, many Americans had expected the raid would also intimidate the Shawnee and perhaps bring an end to the Indian raids on their settlements. But rather than intimidate, the raid caused the various groups of the Shawnee Tribe to join forces. They then became more aggressive and posed a greater threat to the American settlements than before Logan's raid. Life on the American frontier continued, then, to be quite a challenge for the Americans."
Also see . . .
1. Wakatomika (also known as Wapatomica). Wikipedia entry (Submitted on November 17, 2024, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
2. Chief Black Hoof. Find A Grave website entry (Submitted on November 17, 2024, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
3. Simon Kenton. Touring Ohio website entry (Submitted on June 9, 2009, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio.)
4. Ohio Revolutionary Memorial Trail System. A description of the Revolutionary Memorial Trail System developed by the state of Ohio in 1929 - 1930. (Submitted on April 19, 2016, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio.)
Credits. This page was last revised on January 5, 2025. It was originally submitted on June 9, 2009, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio. This page has been viewed 8,495 times since then and 244 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 9, 2009, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio. 3. submitted on April 19, 2016, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio. 4. submitted on June 27, 2019, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.
