Mr. Rex Spencer |
Mr. Spencer will talk about the reason for the construction of Fort Meigs, its importance in American history, and his experiences when he worked on the archaeology of the area.
According to the Fort Meigs website, “Fort Meigs, named after then Governor of Ohio, Jonathan Meigs, Jr., was first built as a reaction to British attacks on American Forts in the Northwest Territory during the War of 1812. It was built in what is now Perrysburg, Ohio, on a bluff overlooking the Maumee River rapids. Ground was broken on February 2, 1813 under the orders of General William Henry Harrison, who wanted to fortify the region. Throughout the next three months professional soldiers and militiamen alike perservered through cold winter weather and mud that would at times be knee-deep. Despite horrid weather and disease in the camp, the American army was able to complete Fort Meigs by the end of April, 1813, just in time for a British attack.”
Rex Spencer is a graduate of Versailles High School and Defiance College. He received his Master’s degree in American and European History from Ball State University. Between 1974 and 1978, Spencer worked with Defiance College in Field Archaeology excavating Fort Meigs. He also studied in the Doctoral program in American History and Anthropology (Historic Archaeology) at Ball State. He spent his carreer teaching at Ansonia High School.
The Sunday, March 16, 2014, free Garst program on Fort Meigs begins at 2:00. Admission to the program is free and open to the public, however normal admission fees apply to tour the entire museum.
Support for the Garst Lecture Series comes, in part, from the Harry D. Stephens Memorial Trust, Inc.
The Garst Museum is located at:
2205 North Broadway
Greenville, OH 45331
Phone: 937-548-5250 / Fax: 937-548-7645
http://www.garstmuseum.org