A Visit to the (new) Old Fort Wayne

Fort Wayne as it appeared in 1812, according to Benjamin Lossing's mid-19th century Fieldbook.

This Sunday I traveled to Fort Wayne, Indiana to visit family. It was also a rare (for me) opportunity to do a little historical sightseeing as well. We took a brief detour from the old Lincoln Highway to visit the reconstruction of the 1816 Fort Wayne. This stockade replaced two earlier structures built nearby. 

The earliest outpost dated from Anthony Wayne's campaign of 1794. A larger stockade was built in 1798, and following the War of 1812 another fort was built in 1816. In 1819 it was abandoned. Another Fort Wayne was built in 1842 on the site of the Indian village of Spring Wells just south of Detroit, and replaced the original Fort Detroit. I believe that the site of all three earlier Fort Waynes was on the south side of the Maumee River overlooking the confluence of the St. Marys and St. Josephs Rivers, which meet to form the former waterway. 

A large gate in the stockade. 

The main barracks of the stockade, which features a double gate and a sheer back wall with loopholes.

The other barracks buildings. 

A close-up of the reconstructed corner blockhouse.

The front of the main barracks, facing towards the parade.

Another blockhouse.

We found ourselves very confused as to where the entrance to the park was, and drove onto a pedestrian trail by mistake. Another sightseer had made the exact same mistake! Close up of the double gate. 

Some outbuildings and a bake-oven.