Fort Loramie is a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

in Shelby County,

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

, United States, along Loramie Creek, a tributary of the Great Miami River in southwestern Ohio. It is 42 miles north-northwest of

Dayton Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...

and 20 miles east of the Ohio/Indiana border. The population was 1,590 at the 2020 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 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 Indigenous peoples of North America, Native American tribes affiliated with the Northwestern Confederacy and their Kingdom of Gre ...

in Aug. 1794, which ended the

Northwest Indian War The Northwest Indian War (1785–1795), also known by other names, was an armed conflict for control of the Northwest Territory fought between the United States and a united group of Native Americans in the United States, Native American na ...

, General "Mad"

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

ordered a fort built at the site as a supply depot for Fort Adams, Fort Defiance, and

Fort Wayne Fort Wayne is a city in Allen County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 at the 2020 United S ...

. 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, also known to Americans as the Treaty with the Wyandots, etc., but formally titled ''A treaty of peace between the United States of America, and the tribes of Indians called the Wyandots, Delawares, Shawanees, Ottawas ...

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 St. Clair's defeat, also known as the Battle of the Wabash, the Battle of Wabash River or the Battle of a Thousand Slain, was a battle fought on 4 November 1791 in the Northwest Territory of the United States. The U.S. Army faced the Northweste ...

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 The Miami and Erie Canal was a canal that ran from Cincinnati, Ohio, Cincinnati to Toledo, Ohio, Toledo, Ohio, creating a water route between the Ohio River and Lake Erie. Construction on the canal began in 1825 and was completed in 1845 at a co ...

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.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, 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 (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 1,344 people, 480 households, and 358 families living in the village. The population density was . There were 494 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 99.70%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, and 0.30% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino 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 Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

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 average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

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 ...

, 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

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing 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 geog ...

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 known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

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

or Latino 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

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.

Culture

Fort Loramie is home to an annual three-day-long festival in the summer, Country Concert, which attracts thousands of people from around the United States and Canada. The yearly concert fest is located at Hickory Hill Lake located south of the village near the neighboring rural community of Newport.

Recreation

Lake Loramie State Park is located just north of town and offers fishing and boating on the 1655 acre lake and 407 acre grounds.

Education

Fort Loramie has one public high school, Fort Loramie High School, 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, Ohio, United States, along the Great Miami River. The population was 20,354 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located north of Dayton, Ohio, Dayton, it is part of the Greater Dayton, Dayton metro ...

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

Media

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

Notable people

* Jared Hoying, professional baseball player

References

External links

FortLoramieChamber.com

Fort Loramie Local School District

Wilderness Trail Museum

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