c. 1999 |
As with most communities in western Ohio, Fort
Seneca's very early settlers were Wyandot Indians that had migrated from
Canada to settle in this area. Eventually the French and English fur traders
entered the area around 1700. The first traders to the Sandusky Valley
were Frenchmen who came from Detroit in canoes loaded with trade goods.
Later the English came across the mountains from the British settlements,
leading trains of trade-bearing pack horses. Their destination was lower
Sandusky, now known as Fremont.
Prior to 1812, friendly relations with the Indians began to deteriorate when the British began stirring up trouble in the northwest area around Sandusky. When President Madison and the Congress declared war on England in 1812, the fighting raged heavily in this area. General William Henry Harrison established a fort near the present site of Old Fort School. The soldiers who served under General Harrison were so impressed with the great possibilities that awaited the lands of the Sandusky Valley that many migrated here after the was and established homes. By 1836, a small village was formed, just a few miles south of where the original fort has stood. On January 14, 1836 the town of Fort Seneca was surveyed and platted. It was known as "McNutts" named for A. McNirtt who settled the area in 1819. Later the town became known as "Swope's Corners" until it was renamed Fort Seneca. |