Glenford Fort

Reawakening Ancient Landscapes

Campaign #5 Glenford Fort Earthworks in Perry County

Magnetic Attraction. Glenford Fort lies roughly forty miles east of Columbus, five miles east of Buckeye Lake, and seventy-nine miles away from our Highland Nature Sanctuary headquarters. If you are thinking, “This must be one seductive property to take the Arc so far from home” you would be right!

But whenever we can create a new nature preserve and help save a major ancient earthworks at the same time, we think that’s the best of two worlds.

Enigmatic Ridgetop Enclosures. Prior to European immigration, native peoples transfigured Ohio’s landscape by building over 10,000 mounds and 600 earthwork enclosures. As mentioned earlier, only three dozen or so of the earthworks were large elaborate geometric complexes built on the floodplain terraces of major waterways. Steel and Junction are actually on the smaller end of this class of mega-earthworks. Much more common in Ohio were simple, often solitary, ceremonial enclosures in the shape of circles and squares.

The Hopewell built one additional class of earthworks. These were irregularly shaped walled enclosures on the bluffs of flat ridgetops that overlooked the waterways below. Although sometimes quite large in size (Spruce Hill enclosed 150 acres), they did not always enclose mounds. Ridgetop earthworks are

suspected to have been built - just like the lower elevation earthworks - for ceremonial purposes. The idea that they were primarily forts for community defense no longer seems as likely.

Ridgetop earthwork enclosures were not a particularly common Hopewell construction. To our knowledge, only fourteen of them were ever built in the Hopewell heartland,

and few outside it. Because most ridgetop enclosures lie on poor agricultural soils in rural locations, they have survived much better than their sister sites on the floodplains.

The names of some of the ridgetop enclosures that have been successfully protected may be familiar to the reader, including Fort Ancient, Fort Salem, Pollock Works, Fort Hill, and Spruce Hill. The Arc of Appalachia manages two of these sites: Fort Hill on behalf of the Ohio History Connection;

and Spruce Hill, the latter in partnership with Ross County Park District and Hopewell Culture National Historical Park.

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Help Glenford Fort become the 9th ridgetop Hopewell enclosure to be saved in Ohio - the ninth out of only fourteen that were ever built.

Left Page: A modern day aerial view of Glenford’s hilltop. Thumbnail photo lower left: Pollock Earthworks ridgetop enclosure, provided by CERHAUS.

Hilltop Conflagrations. A striking and enigmatic characteristic of at least four of Ohio’s ridgetop enclosures is the evidence of extreme heat. When Frederic Putnam from the Peabody Museum studied Foster’s Crossing in 1879, a hilltop enclosure near the Little Miami River, he described the wall construction as follows:

“...behind and over these stones a mass of clay was burnt to all degrees of hardness, from that only slightly burnt to great masses of slag, showing that the clay had been subject to very high heat, in places forming a vitreous surface over the slag which resembles that from a blast furnace.”

Discovery of similarly burned ground at Pollock Works and other ridgetop enclosures led to many bold speculations among history enthusiasts, including the theory of Vikings or Celts operating iron forges. However, careful archaeological investigations at Pollock Earthworks by Dr. Robert Riordan, an archaeologist with Wright State University, suggest the heat source at Pollock was likely common timber and ordinary fire - just lots of wood and very large fires. Riordan’s research showed that the Hopewell had built, and later burned, a massive timber stockade above the earthen walls at Pollock. The stockade was made out of horizontal posts lashed to upright timbers, the uprights ranging from 8 to 18 inches in diameter.

Imagine what a dramatic scene the burning of an entire ridgetop stockade must have been, whether it was part of deliberate ceremony, planned deconstruction, or fires lit by unwelcome vandals or marauders.

Singularity of Glenford. Although there are no signs of burned walls at the Glenford Fort site, there are notable features associated with the site. The walls that encircle the 24.4 acre interior are unusual in that, like those of Spruce Hill, they are made entirely of stone. Glenford Fort’s one mile of walls averages 20 feet in breadth and 3-6 feet in height. Being mostly intact, they are readily apparent to even the casual eye.

In earlier years the most arresting feature at Glenford Fort was a stately stone mound that rose from the interior enclosure, its footprint still marked by a canopy of trees as can be seen in modern day aerials. In addition to the mound and walls were two additional features: a squircle enclosure (rounded off square) directly in front of the main gateway, and in front of the squircle, a small mound.

The only accurate map ever made of Glenford Fort was by James and Charles Salisbury in an 1860’s, now archived at the American Antiquarian Society. Notice the well-documented gateways, small mounds, and main gateway; also the squircle enclosure and the smaller mound in front of the main gateway. According to Dr. Jarrod Burks, Archaeologist, “James is remembered for his medical research and his creation of Salisbury steak. While it is probably a good thing that James did not invent more TV dinner dishes, it’s too bad he did not map more earthwork sites. The Salisbury maps are some of the best of the 19th century.”

Photo Above: Heartland Earthworks Conservancy board members stand on top of the nearly intact section of the massive stone wall at Glenford Fort.

Glenford Fort

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Adena points excavated from the stone mound at Glenford Fort. Photo courtesy of Richard Moats.

78 Years Later, Its Time Has Come. When the 65 acre property including the south flank of Glenford Fort, came up for sale, the archaeological community all over in Ohio, as well as the local residents, were all worrying about the same thing, “What will happen to the critical south end of the earthworks?”

Much of Glenford Fort’s enclosure has been in the hands of one family, the Cooperriders, ever since 1831. Each generation of the Cooperriders has faithfully continued the family tradition of guarding and protecting the earthworks and, fortunately, their strong commitment continues forward in time.

The Glenford Fort land that was coming up for sale was not the Cooperrider’s, but rather the estate of their neighbor, James Dutcher, recently deceased. Dutcher owned some of Glenford Fort’s most important features: a portion of nearly intact stone wall, the fort’s main entrance, a dramatic side-entrance through a natural cleft in a rock wall, and the west half of the squircle enclosure that lies right in front of the main entrance. Unfortunately, the eastern boundary of the Dutcher tract cuts right through the exact center of the squircle enclosure. Dutcher’s half had survived; the other half ended up in a farm field and is no longer apparent today. The smaller mound that once stood in front to the squircle enclosure is similarly off the Dutcher property and is no longer visible.

Stone Mound Excavation. In 1987, the same James Dutcher, an avocational archaeologist and history enthusiast, received permission from the Cooperrider family to excavate the large stone mound on the Cooperrider property in an attempt to reveal

its contents and try to date the structure. Dutcher uncovered a collection of Adena spear points, many pottery sherds, a copper bracelet, pipe fragments, and postholes, the latter revealing the previous existence of an oval building at the base of the stone mound. Radiocarbon dating placed the structure’s age at 280 B.C., near the end of the Adena era, indicating that the mound was likely several centuries older than the stone wall and the squircle enclosure which are of classic Hopewell design. Since most archaeologists now consider the Hopewell to be the cultural descendents of the Adena in Ohio, it is not necessarily surprising to have both cultures in evidence at one site. The Cooperriders have expressed hope that a carefully researched reconstruction plan may prove to be a feasible future development.

Scenic Glenford. Glenford Fort is not only a historic site, but an exceedingly attractive natural area. Below the upper elevation of the earthworks is a healthy Appalachian forest dominated by oaks and hickories, some of impressive girth. The upper hillsides are studded with moss and handsome fern-covered sandstone outcroppings. Glenford Fort looks over a tributary of Jonathan’s Creek, which in turn is a tributary of the Moxahela, which flows thence to the Muskingum River.

The Plan. The plan is to purchase the 65 acre Dutcher tract and develop the land into a preserve with hiking trails, parking lot, pedestrian bridge over a roadside stream, and interpretive signage. The goal is to open the preserve to the general public every day of the year, without charge.

Interest in Perry and adjoining counties on behalf of the preservation of Glenford Fort is wide-spread. The plan to publicly acquire the area has been endorsed by the Perry County Historical Society, by numerous bodies and groups, and by scores of citizens. The public demand on behalf of the movement seems to amply warrant any effort to acquire the area.

By H. R. McPherson, Curator of Parks, Ohio State Museum, Columbus, Ohio. January 21, 1937

Wilson Mound

Stone Mound

Glenford Fort Earthworks

New 65 Acre Acquisition

A Chance to Create an Even Larger Preserve. The Glenford Fort region has a lot of potential for a growing nature preserve. Coming up for auction sometime in 2016 is roughly 350 acres that is nearly adjacent to Glenford Fort. The land is owned by Premier Silica, a company that has mined glass rock for manufacturing in the region for over 100 years. The extensive forests on the Silica tract contain stunning rock formations, deep ravines, and the historic Wilson Mound.

Jonathan Creek

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future public boat launch

future public boat launch

Like most Arc projects, saving Glenford Fort involves many worthy partners. This project would never have gotten off the ground without the support and enthusiasm of the Perry County Historical Society, a group who has been trying to save the site since 1937 and led more recently by John McCaughey. Nor would it have materialized without Tom Johnson, the Mayor of Somerset, whose determination to leave no rocks unturned managed to surmount every obstacle, and there were many obstacles to overcome.

Perry County Soil and Water District will be the long term owner and daily preserve manager for the site under the unfaltering leadership of Ben Carpenter, Program Administrator. Ben has been actively using the Clean Ohio fund to provide new eco-tourism attractions in his home county, including three new canoe launches on Jonathan Creek which Ben hopes to have ready for public access sometime in 2017.

Photos: Top Left: Views of copper bracelet excavated in the stone mound. Photo by Richard Moats. Top right: a side gate into the enclosure through a dramatic natural cleft in the rock is part of the acquisition. Photo by Brad Lepper. Middle: Wilson Mound on the Silica lands. Wilson Mound, built between 100 B.C.-200 A.D. The mound is currently protected by a 99 year lease with The Archaeological Conservancy. From its vantage point one can see the adjacent Glenford Fort and nearly ten miles in any direction. Bottom right: healthy Appalachian forest on the 65 acre acquisition.

Mark your calendars!! A Tour of Glenford Fort will take place on July 9, 2016, from 11 -2.

Pre-registration required.Sponsored by the Perry County Historical Society and cosponsored by the Arc of Appalachia. A warm lunch will be served - $10.00 donation suggested. Sign up for program details & announcements at www.arcofappalachia.org

Perry County has the fifth highest number of American Indian earthworks in Ohio, with over 100 features documented. Glenford Fort will be the first to be preserved that will be open to the general public.

Ancient LandscapesNewark

Earthworks

Flint Ridge

GlenfordFort

Buffalo Lick SwampNow Buckeye Lake

Granville

The same sandstones that provided the raw material for Premier Silica, create impressive rock formations in the Glenford region when left to the natural forces of erosion. This photo of Arc Director Nancy Stranahan was taken on the Silica lands on a fascinating tour led by the local manager, Douglas Snider. Hard hats are a required safety accessory, and for liability reasons, Silica is not open to the general public.

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