The spring trek to the Glenford Native American Fort is coming up Saturday, May 12th from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. While this Hopewell-Adena site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975, it has been rarely seen by the general public.
The Historical Society of Perry County and property owner Elizabeth Cooperrider are hosting a walking tour of the fort for people that would like to experience Ohio’s ancient past. The Glenford Stone Fort has been well known to archaeologists for nearly two hundred years as one of the best examples of a fortified hilltop enclosure in the state.
The hike begins at the Cooperrider farmstead at the foot of the Glenford Stone Fort Hill and passes through a beautiful mature growth forest before ascending to the plateau. After exploring the perimeter wall and the central ceremonial mound, the group will witness a Native American spirit welcoming ceremony and enjoy lunch featuring a Native American stew cooked over an open fire.
After lunch our guest lecturer will be Dr. Bradley Lepper. He is the Curator of Archaeology at the Ohio Historical Society. He will be giving us insights into the people and their culture that created this significant place.
The hike to the hill-top takes about 45 minutes. For anyone who is handicapped, we’ll have volunteers taking people up to the fort on a gator. Directions to the Cooperrider farm from Somerset are: Take St. Rt. 757 from Somerset towards Glenford. About a mile before you reach Glenford turn right on Township Rd 19. The Cooperrider farm is the first farm on the right; their two story house sits at the base of the hill. Park carefully along the gravel road so as not to block traffic.
The hike is limited to 200 people, so make your reservations early. Cost is a donation to be used to further the society’s preservation efforts. For reservations e-mail the Historical Society of Perry County website at pchs@perrycountyohiohistory.org or call Beth Santore 614 949-6027 prior to the day. The event will be held rain or shine, so wear comfortable shoes!
The fort consists of a mile-long stone wall that traces the perimeter of a hill enclosing the flat hill top area, which encompasses 26 acres and a stone mound in the center approximately 100 ft in circumference and 11 feet high. The following quotations from scholarly works help explain the fort’s importance to Ohio archaeology: “A “fortification” known as the Glenford Stone Fort, is one of the most interesting and important hill-top enclosures, because of its admirable location and the fact that its remains are still sufficient for its form to be easily traced and its construction to be understood”. 1908 by Emilius Oviatt Randall, Ohio Historical Society in “The Masterpieces of the Ohio Mound Builders.”
“Glenford Fort owes its remarkable state of preservation to having been in the hands of one family for close to two hundred years…the wall is probably much the same as it looked when Atwater first laid eyes on it in 1818.” 2008 by Norman Muller in “Glenford Stone “Fort” and Other Stone Construction in Ohio and Beyond.”
