The Old Log Building at Fort Hamilton

After all these years (nearly seventeen) that the lovely Robin and I have lived near Hamilton, Ohio, we finally made it today--on the Fourth of July--to a couple of the historic sites in the area.

Our first stop was at the "Old Log Cabin" on the site of Fort Hamilton, which was named for Alexander Hamilton, and build in 1791 and 1792 by General St. Clair and General "Mad Anthony" Wayne.

The 1804 cabin was moved there, however, from Rossville, the village across the river from Hamilton. It previously stood on the south side of Boudinot Street (now Park Avenue) between Second and Third Streets (now C Street and D Street). It was owned over the years by fifty-seven different owners and was discovered inside a larger building in 1964. It was donated to the Butler County Park District, was moved to its current site, and was dedicated on December 18, 1964,

It has been furnished with period pieces to evoke the pioneer spirit and lifestyle of the time in which it was built (our guide, pictured above, welcomed us warmly and offered interesting insights, including the oven embedded in one of the cabin's two stone fireplaces).

The cabin, a plaque in front, and the statues in the yard are intended to honor the strength and character of the earliest pioneers who settled in this area when the region was still untamed wilderness.