Bolivar in Tuscarawas County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Cemetery
Fort Laurens
Photographed by Mike Wintermantel, March 15, 2015
1. Cemetery Marker
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. Marker has been permanently removed. It was located near 40° 38.385′ N, 81° 27.357′ W. Marker was in Bolivar, Ohio, in Tuscarawas County. It could be reached from Fort Laurens Road Northwest,
this page online
We have been informed that this marker is no longer there and will not be replaced. This page is an archival view of what was.
Regionally, this marker was in Amish Country. It was also in the American Midwest, in Appalachia, and specifically in Northern Appalachia. Globally, it was in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it found itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 7 other markers are within 2 miles of this location, measured as the crow flies: 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); Unknown Soldier (within shouting distance of this marker); In Commemoration of Our Patriot Ancestors (about 300 feet
Photographed by Mike Wintermantel, March 15, 2015
2. 7 Cemetery Marker
Other markers no longer nearby. Hospital (was a few steps from this marker but has been permanently removed); Tomb (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed); Excavation (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed); Introduction (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed); Northwest Bastion (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed); Barracks (was about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line but has been permanently removed); Blockhouse (was about 400 feet away but has been permanently removed); Canal (was about 500 feet away but has been permanently removed); Interstate 77 (was about 500 feet away but has been permanently removed).
Also see . . . Fort Laurens - Ohio History Connection. (Submitted on December 21, 2020, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.)
Additional commentary.
1.
Photographed by Craig Doda, April 26, 2020
3. Sign at the entrance of Fort Laurens Historic Site
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 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 October 13, 2026. It was originally submitted on December 21, 2020, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 585 times since then and 41 times this year. Last updated on October 13, 2026, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. 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. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
