Warren County Local
History by Dallas Bogan |
Contributor: |
Dallas Bogan on 28 July 2004 |
Source: |
Dallas Bogan, Warren County, Ohio and Beyond (Bowie Maryland: Heritage Press, 1979) page |
Return to Index to see a list of other articles by Dallas Bogan |
In a previous article Carlisle Fort was mentioned as being a prehistoric find
within the confines of Warren County. As was mentioned it was located in the
extreme northwestern part of the County, a portion in Warren and part in Montgomery
Counties. Carlisle Fort, or Big Twin Works, is a hilltop fortification which
lies on the west bank of Big Twin Creek, about 2 1/2 miles south of Germantown
and about one mile west of Carlisle. The creek empties into the Great Miami
River about four miles to the south. C.E. Blosser suggested
the name of the fort in regards to its location near Carlisle. Hilltop fortifications
were thought to be of a later time than the mounds and hilltop enclosures. The
ancients, to whom these works are attributed to, are the Hopewell Indians who
lived within the bounds of Ohio nearly 2000 years ago.
Carlisle Fort was thought to have been built from AD 1 to AD 300. Historians
thought this type of defensive fortification was a reflective measure concerning
a declining cultural race. The first survey of the site was by S.H.
Binkley and C.E. Blossom in 1835. They returned to
the site in 1875 for further examination.
Carlisle Fort is different in respect to other earthworks located along the
Scioto, Ohio, Great Miami, and the Muskingum Rivers, because of its location
along a secondary waterway. The actual site is located on the peak of a hill
a short distance west of Big Twin Creek. On the north and south side of the
hill are deep ravines; on the east of the extensive bluff is a sharp declining
drop of from one hundred and twenty-five to two hundred feet. On the east of
the bluff is a terrace leading to Big Twin Creek.
J.P. MacLean, an early archaeologist, writes in 1885 in regards
to the layout of the fort:
"The terrace is separated in two parts, an upper and lower, formed in the
direction of the stream. On the west the hill is connected with the level lands
by a broad peninsula. The wall is not accompanied by a ditch, and is situated
on the brow of the hill, except on the northern side, where it occurs a little
below. The wall, for the most part, is made of surface material although limestone
is found in the southwestern gate. On the west, where the enclosure is most
exposed, are discovered three walls. The entire length of the wall on the direct
line of the middle wall, is three thousand six hundred and seventy-six feet,
and encloses an area of from twelve to fifteen acres. The length of the wall
on the Twin bluff is eleven hundred and ten feet."
Within the enclosure two stone mounds and one stone circle was originally located,
the circle being near the center of the enclosed area. The stones within this
enclosure were of such great abundance that when the first white settlers first
saw the enormity of this find, they hurriedly made a makeshift road. With many
hundreds of wagons they removed the stone contents, which were used in building
dwellings, houses, barns, wells, etc., leaving only depression marks where the
stone and circle mounds once stood.
S.H. Binkley wrote in 1889 that the Hopewell Indians for building
a shelter might have laid out the stones previously mentioned. He explains a
method of five lines of posts being erected, regarding height, notched for a
reception of plate, and being securely fastened to the posts. The posts were
to be held together by pole ties and rafters, secured by thongs, tough bark
or cordage of a type. Binkley suggests that the outer lines of posts were low,
probably not extending more than six feet from the ground, while a height of
fifteen feet would be enough for the central line. To preserve the structure
in its upright form, the great ridge of stone was heaped around the low posts
as a support. (The Lake-dwellers of Switzerland practiced this method in early
times.) Binkley also suggests that the construction of a roof in which would
be waterproof could have possibly been made from thatch.
The Indians used bark as a roofing material for their huts, but its tendency
to roll up at the sides would make it impractical on a large scale. Carlisle
Fort was in the headlines in early 1990 concerning the installation of a 36-inch
natural gas pipeline from Indiana to Lebanon, Ohio, by the American Natural
Resources Pipeline Company. The Miami Valley Council of Native Americans made
claims that the pipeline would interfere with the Indian burying sites. An agreement
was made to install the pipeline at least 600 feet outside the Carlisle Fort
border. (The boundaries of the fort consist of two areas, one fifteen and one
twenty-two acres.)
Carlisle Fort was added to the National Register of Historic Places concerning
its safekeeping for future generations and further study.
NOTICE: All documents and electronic images placed on the Warren County OHGenWeb site remain the property of the contributors, who retain publication rights in accordance with US Copyright Laws and Regulations. These documents may be used by anyone for their personal research. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the submitter, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed Warren County OHGenWeb coordinator with proof of this consent.
This page created 28 July 2004 and last updated
28 September, 2008
© 2004 Arne H Trelvik
All rights reserved