Fort Loramie is a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...

in Shelby County,

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

, United States, along Loramie Creek, a tributary of the

Great Miami River The Great Miami River (also called the Miami River) (Shawnee: ''Msimiyamithiipi'') is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accesse ...

in southwestern Ohio. It is 42 mi. northnorthwest of

Dayton Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Da ...

and 20 mi. east of the Ohio/Indiana border. The population was 1,478 at the 2010 census. The village was founded in 1837 near the former site of a colonial fort of the same name.

History

Fort Loramie was established as a fur trading post in 1769 by '' Pierre-Louis de Lorimier'' (usually anglicized to Peter Loramie), a French-Canadian fur trader, British Indian agent and Shawnee agitator, and his father. The Shawnee used the trading post as a staging area for attacks against Americans during the Revolutionary War. During a raid on the Shawnee by George Rogers Clark in Nov. 1782, the trading post was attacked by a detachment of 150 men under Col.

Benjamin Logan Benjamin Logan (May 1, 1743 – December 11, 1802) was an American pioneer, soldier, and politician from Virginia, then Shelby County, Kentucky. As colonel of the Kentucky County, Virginia militia during the American Revolutionary War, he was s ...

and burned to the ground. Lorimier escaped and fled west across the Mississippi. The site remained abandoned until 1795. After victory at

Battle of Fallen Timbers The Battle of Fallen Timbers (20 August 1794) was the final battle of the Northwest Indian War, a struggle between Native American tribes affiliated with the Northwestern Confederacy and their British allies, against the nascent United State ...

in Aug. 1794, which ended the Northwest Indian War, General "Mad"

Anthony Wayne Anthony Wayne (January 1, 1745 – December 15, 1796) was an American soldier, officer, statesman, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He adopted a military career at the outset of the American Revolutionary War, where his mil ...

ordered a fort built at the site as a supply depot for

Fort Adams Fort Adams is a former United States Army post in Newport, Rhode Island that was established on July 4, 1799 as a First System coastal fortification, named for President John Adams who was in office at the time. Its first commander was Capta ...

, Fort Defiance, and Fort Wayne. It was originally a stockade, but Wayne decided that a blockhouse and storage buildings were more vital. Construction was completed in Dec. 1795. The fort stood on the portage between St. Mary's River and Loramie Creek a half mile north of the present town. It was used as one of the demarcation points in the

Treaty of Greenville The Treaty of Greenville, formally titled Treaty with the Wyandots, etc., was a 1795 treaty between the United States and indigenous nations of the Northwest Territory (now Midwestern United States), including the Wyandot and Delaware peoples ...

Aug., 1795. The site was also mentioned in the Treaty of Fort Meigs 1817. During the War of 1812, Fort Loramie served as a supply depot for forts in northern Ohio, and as a waystation for expeditions against the British in Michigan and Canada. The last officer who had command there was a Capt. Butler, a nephew of Gen. Richard Butler who died at St. Clair's Defeat in 1791. In 1815, the United States sold the fort to James Furrow, who constructed a post office and tavern out of the buildings. The business had closed by 1820, but a small settlement had grown up around the site. The site today is a farm belonging to the heirs of James Furrow. Nothing remains of the fort or trading post. Later, a town was laid out nearby and surveyed by Jonathan Counts in 1837. Lots were sold at auction, and the name Berlin was given to the town. Most of the early settlers were German. In 1911, the name of the town was changed to Fort Loramie. Between 1836 and 1841, the Miami and Erie Canal was built intersecting the town. Canal boats hauled the limestone for the foundation of St. Michael’s Church, built by German Catholic settlers starting in 1849. A log church building from 1838 had preceded the stone and brick church. It was rebuilt again in 1881. The settlement languished in the early years: the first flour mill and a general store, Willman's, were built in 1858. Other early businesses were Bruckens and Vogelsang's Cafe. With the encroachment of railroads, the canal ceased operation in 1909. One relic is Loramie Lake, the reservoir used to keep the canal filled with water. A large part of the town was destroyed in the

Great Flood of 1913 The Great Flood of 1913 occurred between March 23 and March 26, after major rivers in the central and eastern United States flooded from runoff and several days of heavy rain. Related deaths and damage in the United States were widespread and ext ...

Geography

Fort Loramie is located at (40.348043, -84.370600). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

, the village has a total area of , all land. The village is at an elevation of above sea level.

Demographics

2000 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2000, there were 1,344 people, 480 households, and 358 families living in the village. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was 1,848.7 people per square mile (710.9/km²). There were 494 housing units at an average density of 679.5 per square mile (261.3/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 99.70%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, and 0.30% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 0.37% of the population. There were 480 households, out of which 40.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.3% were married couples living together, 4.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.4% were non-families. 22.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.35. In the village, the population was spread out, with 31.0% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 31.2% from 25 to 44, 16.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 95.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.4 males. The median income for a household in the village was $54,750, and the median income for a family was $65,089. Males had a median income of $39,934 versus $27,039 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the village was $19,602. About 0.9% of families and 1.4% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 0.2% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 1,478 people, 530 households, and 396 families living in the village. The

was . There were 564 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 99.7%

, 0.1%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.1% Asian, and 0.1% from two or more races.

of any race were 0.4% of the population. There were 530 households, of which 40.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.8% were married couples living together, 6.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 25.3% were non-families. 22.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.32. The median age in the village was 35 years. 31.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.1% were from 25 to 44; 21.7% were from 45 to 64; and 14.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 49.0% male and 51.0% female.

Major events

Fort Loramie is known for its annual three-day-long festival in the summer, the Country Concert, which attracts thousands of people from around the United States and Canada. Its singers include such popular country stars as Luke Bryan and

Lady Antebellum Lady A (formerly known as Lady Antebellum) is an American country music group formed in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2006. The group is composed of Hillary Scott (lead and background vocals), Charles Kelley (lead and background vocals, guitar) ...

. The yearly concert fest is located at Hickory Hill Lake located south of the village near the neighboring rural community of Newport.

Education

Fort Loramie has one public high school,

Fort Loramie High School Fort Loramie High School is a public high school in Fort Loramie, Ohio in Shelby County. It is the only high school in the Fort Loramie School district. The high school is located at 600 East Park Street. This building houses students in grade ...

, and one public grade school, Fort Loramie Elementary. The school also allows students to enroll into Upper Valley Career Center, a trade school in

Piqua, Ohio Piqua ( ) is a city in Miami County, southwest Ohio, United States, 27 miles north of Dayton. The population was 20,522 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area. It was founded as the village of Washington in ...

. Fort Loramie has a public library, a branch of Shelby County Libraries.

Recreation

Lake Loramie State Park Lake Loramie State Park is a public recreation area located on the northeast side of Fort Loramie, Ohio. It occupies on Lake Loramie and is operated by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) ...

is just north of town and offers fishing and boating on the 1655 acre lake and 407 acre grounds.

Notable people

Jared Hoying Jared William Hoying (born May 18, 1989) is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers and Toronto Blue Jays. He also played for the Hanwha Eagle ...

, Professional Baseball Player * Nick Ruhenkamp, Reoccurring Crew Member on

The Late Late Show With James Corden ''The Late Late Show with James Corden'' (also known as ''Late Late'') is an American late-night talk show on CBS. It is the fourth and current iteration of '' The Late Late Show''. Airing in the U.S. from Monday to Friday nights at 12:37:28a ...

Media

Fort Loramie is served by local daily newspaper, the '' Sidney Daily News'', along with a few weekly newspapers.

References

External links

FortLoramieChamber.com

Fort Loramie Local School District

Wilderness Trail Museum

FortLoramie.com
{{authority control Villages in Shelby County, Ohio Villages in Ohio Portages in the United States Populated places established in 1769 French-American culture in Ohio German-American culture in Ohio