There is a unique park in Beavercreek, Ohio that showcases historical structures from the early 1800s.
When the U.S. Congress passed the Northwest Ordinance in 1787, it specified how territories and states were to be formed from the land gained by the United States as a result of the Revolutionary War. The Northwest Territory was bounded by the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers and the Great Lakes. The ordinance also encouraged public education and outlawed slavery within the territory.
With the signing of the Treaty of Greenville in 1795, the Shawnee and Miami tribes who had lived in the area ceded all their rights to land in Southern Ohio. At that time, approximately, half-dozen pioneer families had settled in Beavercreek Township.
Here are some of the structures from the early settlers of Beavercreek Township.
Ankeney House (circa 1828)
Samuel Ankeney, 22-year-old eldest of David and Elizabeth Ankeney’s nine children, was sent by his father to acquire farmland for the family in Ohio. He purchased this two-story log home along with 210 acres of land in 1830 for $946.66
Philip Harshman House (circa 1804)
Philip Harshman arrived in Beavercreek Township from Maryland in 1803 to stake his claim to 400 acres and cut timber for his log house. He returned to Maryland and married Frances “Fannie” Durnbaugh in 1804. The newlyweds then undertook a two to three months of arduous journey which took them across Appalachian Mountains, down the Ohio River to Cincinnati, followed by a six-day ride in a covered wagon to Beavercreek.
Peter Tobias-Zimmer Barn (circa 1858)
From the plain style of the barn, it is thought that the carpenters may have been Shakers or perhaps Shaker-trained. The barn space in its early days was generally used for threshing wheat, storing corn and hay, and housing animals.
Squirrels were known to destroy corn crops. An 1807 Ohio law required men to present 100 squirrel scalps annually; for every scalp minus 100, he was penalized 3 cents.
The George Jarusiewic Cabin (circa 1805)
The history of the Jarusiewic Cabin can only be documented back to 1850, but it is believed to be older. The original builder is unknown. The cabin was crudely constructed with large logs weighing 800 to 900 pounds.
John Nicodemus Cabin (circa 1811)
It is believed that this cabin may have had a sleeping loft, as one-inch diameter removable wooden pegs still exist inserted in one of the inside walls. These pegs may have been used to support a ladder or a foot in a climb to the loft.
See the Wartinger Park in 360 degrees.
Where to find it?
Address: 3080 Kemp Rd, Dayton, Ohio 45431
Google Map Link
What is the entrance fee?
Nothing. This is a free for all park!
What are other attractions nearby?
See more travel search tags: Ohio Travel, Ohio, Western Ohio, Travel Western Ohio, Nature Preserve, Wright Brothers, Ohio Attractions, Things to See in Ohio, Unique Things To See in Ohio, Places to See in Ohio, Parks in Ohio
Credit: Wartinger Park
