Description: Caption reads: "Fort Washington monument, East Third Street, Cincinnati, Ohio. Photo by Federal Writers' Photographer, District #12. June 10, 1937." The Fort Washington Monument was originally erected on June 14, 1901 by the Patriotic Societies of Ohio to commemorate Fort Washington, a bulwark against the Indian menace during the 1790's. From Fort Washington, Generals Harmar and St. Clair planned expeditions against the Indians that ended in disaster; not until "Mad Anthony" Wayne defeated the Indians at Fallen Timbers was the Indian danger allayed. Ini 1803 the garrison moved to Newport, Kentucky on the south side of the Ohio River. In 1808 Fort Washington was torn down, as it was no longer needed, and the reservation divided into town lots. The monument 9' tall memorial, made from Ohio stone, was made to look like one of the old fort's blockhouses, and was placed at the center of East Third Street, near the intersection with Ludlow Street. The monument was surrounded with a chain railing, with four old cannons serving as fence posts. The west face of the monument displayed two bronze plaques, the lower of which was an outline map of the main portion of the fort, showing the streets which intersected it and the immediate area. The upper tablet bore an inscription, surrounded by 13 stars, which read: "This Tablet erected by the Patriotic Societies of Ohio, Marks the Location of Fort Washington, Built 1789, Demolished 1808, MDCCCC." Though much effort was taken in 1900 to determine the exact location of the old fort before the monument was placed, in 1952 construction workers found actual remains from the fort's powder magazine a short distance away, and archeologists determined that this was the true location of Fort Washington. In 1998, partially due to the expansion of Interstate 71, the monument was moved to this new found site on Arch Street, just south of East Fourth Street. A new plaque, placed on the monument for the re-dedication reads: "Forth Washington, 1789 - 1808. This monument stands at the site that served as a major military base for the Northwest Territory. The stone replica of a blockhouse was originally dedicated on June 14, 1901. Rededicated at present site November 11, 1998. Cincinnati Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution." View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B04F02_33_01
Subjects: Cincinnati (Ohio)--Buildings, structures, etc.; Fort Washington (Ohio); Monuments--Ohio
Places: Cincinnati (Ohio); Hamilton County (Ohio)