Stop #6 | Address: 28 Clay St., Tiffin
The Seneca County Museum is located in the Fort Ball Historic District near the site of the former Fort Ball. The Museum houses a number of items related to the War of 1812. There are oil paintings of both Fort Ball and Fort Seneca by local 19th century artist, Ed Lepper. A model of Fort Seneca displays what the fort would have looked like along the Sandusky River. There are a few pieces of weaponry that predate the War of 1812 and also date to that time period.
The docents at the Museum are available to share these items with you and also answer any questions you might have regarding the driving tour sites in Seneca County. The Museum is within easy walking distance of the Fort Ball historic marker site.
There are also other noteworthy points of interest along Frost Parkway related to the War of 1812. The Sycamore tree, that is said to have sprung up as a sapling from the decaying fort in the 1800s, is protected by wrought iron fencing. In 1906, a plaque of recognition of the Fort Ball site, from the Dolly Madison Chapter of the Daughter’s of American Revolution, was placed on the tree, which today would be over 200 years old.
The bronze Indian Maiden statue is located near the site of the spring that flowed into Fort Ball. The plaque on the base of the statue tells the legend of the maiden offering water to a pioneer traveler. The Indian Maiden was originally placed on the site of the spring in 1926, but in the 1990s she was moved to her current location when the park added the gazebo. The spring was located a few feet east of the gazebo.
The monument “island” at the intersection of Adams Street and Frost Parkway has at its center what is known as the Soldiers’ & Sailors’ Monument and was dedicated on July 3, 1885. This pays tribute to the men from Seneca County who served in the War of 1812 and the Civil War.
Visit the Seneca County Museum website for hours and other America 250 events. https://senecacountyohiomuseum.org
About “Tracking the Troops, Tippecanoe & Perry, Too!” This driving tour is a five-county collaborative project with Wyandot, Seneca, Sandusky, Wood and Ottawa counties that takes you on a self-guided driving tour following the military trail of General William Henry Harrison during the War of 1812. Harrison would later become the ninth president of the United States and has the shortest presidency, dying from pneumonia one month after having taken the oath of office.
