Whistler's Fort

Whistler's Fort. . , The last American fort to exist at the confluence of the St. Mary's, St. Joseph and Maumee Rivers was built during the years 1815-1816 by Major John Whistler. Prior to this, two other American forts had been constructed near the confluence, the first built by Anthony Wayne in 1794 and a second in 1800 by Colonel Thomas Hunt. Hunt's fort had withstood a Native-American siege in September 1812 but by 1815 was badly decayed. After gaining permission from the War Department, Whistler began construction of his new fort in the fall of 1815. , , Having earlier built Fort Dearborn at the present-day site of Chicago in 1803, Whistler utilized many of that fort's features in the new fort's design. These included shed roofs that sloped inward to prevent fires from flaming arrows, protective wall boxes on top of the blockhouses, and a gutter system to keep water out of the parade ground. Built to be garrisoned by 50-75 men, it was one of the best designed wooden forts in the United States when it was completed. , , Whistler's Fort was used as a military post until April 1819 and served as an Indian agency site until 1828. The path of the Wabash and Erie Canal necessitated the dismantling of several fort buildings in the 1830s. The fort's last building was demolished in 1852. , , Timeline , 1722 , First French fort is built at the confluence by this year , 1750 , Second French fort built , 1760 , French fort ceded to British , 1763 , British fort falls to Native-American confederation , 1794 , General Anthony Wayne builds first American fort , 1800 , Colonel Thomas Hunt builds second American fort , 1812 , Siege of Fort Wayne , 1815-16 , Major John Whistler builds third American fort , 1819 , Whistler's fort is demolished , 1852 , Last remaining building of Whistler's fort is demolished , , Acknowledgements: Three Rivers Federal Credit Union, National Archives, Randy and Angela Elliott, Tom Grant, Randy Harter, Jill Downs