MANSFIELD, Ohio — The Mansfield Blockhouse has witnessed much of the nation's history, and the community members who care for it say it is a special place that needs to be preserved.
The structure dates to the War of 1812, when settlers in the area sought protection from the conflict with Great Britain.
"The settlers decided they needed protection, so they petitioned the governor, and he sent up troops from Chillicothe," Kevin Wappner, president of the Richland Early American Center for History, said.
They built two blockhouses in the town square, and they served as a military outpost for the U.S. Army. One stood near what is now the gazebo in downtown Mansfield, at the corner of Park Avenue and Main Street.
While the war lasted until 1815, the conflict quieted in the area by 1813. The surviving blockhouse then became the first Richland County Courthouse and jail.
"It was the first public building in Mansfield and when it wasn't used as a courthouse they used it as a church and school," Wappner said.
The building was later moved to a location nearby, where it remained for decades until the city's 100th birthday in 1908.
"They dismantled the upper half and slid out Park Avenue and placed it over here in the park," Wappner said.
At South Park, the blockhouse became a tourist attraction and a meeting place for local Boy Scouts in the 1930s, who used it for more than 50 years. By 2008, the structure needed a total restoration.
"If we didn't take it down, it was going to fall down," Richland County Genealogical Society member Sunda Peters said.
Peters gathered a group of volunteers who wanted to help bring a part of Mansfield's history back to life. Peters said the community's investment gives reason for pride and hope.
"I'm very proud of the community that put in money and put in time to keep this together, and I hope that that can continue long after I'm gone," Peters said.
Today, the blockhouse is one of three historical buildings at South Park. The goal was to create a village setting alongside an original early 1800s log cabin and a blacksmith shop.
“You can learn about this information in textbooks, but if you have events here with reenactors, it brings it all to life. They can see how a one-room cabin was used, they can experience 18th-century cooking in the cabin and experience a blacksmith shop,” said treasurer Cherryl Reddick.
As America celebrates 250 years, Peters reflected on the age of the materials that make up the blockhouse itself.
"One of the larger logs on the bottom section is estimated to be over 300 years old when it was cut down, something that was growing when Columbus was crossing the Atlantic. There's a great reverence for that," Peters said.
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