Mifflin Township near Ashland in Ashland County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Frontier Violence During the War of 1812
Photographed by Christopher Light, June 24, 2007
1. Frontier Violence During the War of 1812 Marker
Tensions between Native Americans and Euro-American settlers remained high on the Ohio frontier during the War of 1812. Grievances mounted rapidly following the removal of the Greentown Delawares to Piqua in the late summer of 1812. On September 10, British-allied Indians attacked and killed the Frederick Zimmer family and neighbor Martin Ruffner one mile north of here. Five days later, on September 15, Reverend James Copus and three militiamen - George Shipley, John Tedrick, and Robert Warnock - were killed while defending Copus family from a raiding party one mile south of this site.
Although several Indians were reported killed and wounded during the Zimmer and Copus incidents, no accurate count of Native American casualties survives.
In 1882, a reported 6,000 spectators converged in this area to participate in dedicating two monuments over the graves of the fallen settlers and soldiers. Tradition holds that Johnny Appleseed raced throughout the region warning others of impending attack following these incidents. His name was included on the 1882 Copus memorial, the earliest known monument erected to his memory and legend.
Erected 2000 by The Johnny Appleseed Heritage Center, Inc. and The Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 2-3.)
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Location. 40° 44.326′ N, 82° 21.6′ W. Marker is near Ashland, Ohio, in Ashland County. It is in Mifflin Township. It is on Johnny Appleseed Historic Byway (Ohio Route 603) north of Local Highway 2256, on the right when traveling north. The marker stands near the the playground on the grounds of the Charles Mills Lake Dam. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 9 Johnny Appleseed Historic Byway, Lucas OH 44843, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Amish Country. It is also in the American Midwest. 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 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: The Flood of 1913 (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); Charles Mill Dam (about 700 feet away); a different marker also named Charles Mill Dam (approx. 0.2 miles away); Site of Copus Massacre Monument
Photographed by Christopher Light, June 24, 2007
2. Reverse side
Also see . . . Perrys Victory and International Peace Memorial. Located on the Lake Erie Islands, this park commemorates the War of 1812 and the American Victory on Lake Erie. (Submitted on September 27, 2007, by Christopher Light of Valparaiso, Indiana.)
Photographed by Christopher Light, June 24, 2007
3. Frontier Violence During the War of 1812 Marker
Photographed by Christopher Light, June 24, 2007
4. Charles Mills Lake Dam
Credits. This page was last revised on May 15, 2026. It was originally submitted on June 26, 2007, by Christopher Light of Valparaiso, Indiana. This page has been viewed 4,494 times since then and 101 times this year. Last updated on May 15, 2026, by Raquel Mack of Oberlin, Ohio. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on June 26, 2007, by Christopher Light of Valparaiso, Indiana. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
