Oldtown in Greene County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
A Vision of Oldtown
Photographed by Pete Skillman, June 26, 2025
1. A Vision of Oldtown Marker
Archaeological evidence suggests the Shawnee homes and the Council House of Oldtown were located on the higher ground in front of you. The fertile floodplain of the Little Miami River, just beyond the hills where the Shawnee grew their crops.
Imagine, as you gaze over these open fields in front of you, a bustling Shawnee community. You would see many clusters of homes, along with family garden plots, all surrounding the big central Council House. Smoke from cooking fires would slowly rise to the sky. In the distance. would be large fields of corn, and in the tree line beyond, bark canoes would float down the Little Miami River.
The picture on this panel shows an artist's idea of what the Shawnee village we now call Oldtown might have looked like on an early fall morning in the late 1770s. What details do you notice? How does this compare to what you think life was like in the Ohio Country during this time?
(Caption):
Illustration by Rob Wood
Wood Ronsaville Harlin, Inc.
Erected 2024 by Great Council State Park.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Settlements & Settlers • Waterways & Vessels.
Location.
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in Ohio’s Dayton Metro and in the Miami Valley. 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 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: The Sexton Point Marker (a few steps from this marker); The Bullskin Trail Marker (a few steps from this marker); Site of Old Chillicothe (a few steps from this marker); U Mkvwalamakufewa Tikvmfa / Memorial to Tecumtha (a few steps from this marker); Memorial to Tecumtha (Tecumseh) (a few steps from this marker); The Bullskin Trail (a few steps from this marker); Welcome to Great Council State Park (a few steps from this marker); Tecumseh (a few steps from this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Oldtown.
Photographed by Pete Skillman, June 26, 2025
2. A Vision of Oldtown Marker - wide view
Credits. This page was last revised on October 7, 2025. It was originally submitted on June 29, 2025, by Pete Skillman of Townsend, Delaware. This page has been viewed 233 times since then and 35 times this year. Last updated on October 7, 2025, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 29, 2025, by Pete Skillman of Townsend, Delaware. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
