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Old Fort Steuben

Old Fort Steuben

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.

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