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Historic Fort Steuben was
built in 1786 by the First American Regiment for the
protection of surveyors who had been sent by the Continental
Congress to map the Northwest Territory . At this time the
Indians in the area were hostile.
The site was selected as most desirable for a military
defense since it was bounded on the east by the Ohio River
and lay on a slope of land that was uniform and drained
toward the river with hills to the west which formed a
natural amphitheater around the perimeter. It was on this site that
Captain John Francis Hamtramck of the First American
Regiment built a small blockhouse for the protection of his
provisions while he and his men constructed the fort.
By February 1787, Hamtramck and his men had completed
construction of the fort and named it after Friedrich
Wilhelm von Steuben, a Prussian army officer who had ably
assisted General Washington in the Revolutionary War. The
town that subsequently developed on the site still carries
his name.
In 1989, nearly 200 years
later, with the help of numerous volunteers, the first
building of the new Fort Steuben went up on the original
site on South Third Street .
Today, the reconstructed Fort Steuben is open to the public.
The blockhouses for the enlisted men, the officers’
quarters, the quartermaster and the artificer’s shops, and
the newly opened hospital depict the daily life of the men
who helped open up the new territories to settlement.
Fort Steuben now includes a park with the Veterans Memorial
Fountain and a Visitors Center which houses a Museum Shop
and Exhibition Hall. Construction of the Louis Berkman
Amphitheater which will host concerts and plays will begin
in the near future. From May through October, the Fort hosts
tours, school field trips, and special programs. Contact us
for more information on any of these events at
info@oldfortsteuben.com.
DIRECTIONS FROM PITTSBURGH , PA
(EAST): Route 22 West to Route 7 South. Go about ½ mile on
Route 7 South. Turn right on Washington Street . Turn left
on Third Street . One block on left.
DIRECTIONS FROM EAST
LIVERPOOL , OH (NORTH): Route 7 South to Washington Street .
Turn right on Washington Street . Turn left on Third Street
. One block on left.
DIRECTIONS FROM CADIZ , OH
(WEST): Route 22 East to Route 7 South. Go about ½ mile on
Route 7 South. Turn right on Washington Street . Turn left
on Third Street . One block on left.
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