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Fort Meigs

Perrysburg · Wood County · Northwest Ohio

The War of 1812 fort that held against two sieges

National Historic LandmarkOne of America's largest reconstructed log forts

Visiting information you can trust

Check before driving — this site is seasonal, approximate, privately run, or otherwise uncertain. Confirm hours and access with the official source above.

Content last reviewed: September 2026 — this is when Field Notes Ohio's content was last checked, not a live status.
Primary official source: Official page
Location confidence: Verified entrance or visitor center
Fort Meigs (published coordinates)
Seasonal access: April to October: fort and museum Wednesday to Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday noon to 5 p.m. November to March: museum only, Wednesday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday noon to 4 p.m.; the reconstructed fort is closed.
Check current conditions: Official conditions or closures
Reservations or tickets: Tickets or admission info

Prices, hours, closures, campsite availability and trail conditions shown elsewhere on this page are not live — always confirm with the official source before you go.

A reconstructed War of 1812 log fort overlooking the Maumee River, with blockhouses, batteries and a museum.

Built: February to April 1813 under General William Henry Harrison
Named for: Ohio Governor Return J. Meigs Jr.
First siege: April 28 to May 9, 1813, by the British and Tecumseh's confederacy
Bloodiest day: May 5, when Colonel William Dudley's Kentuckians were ambushed
Second siege: July 1813
Site: 62 acres, a National Historic Landmark since August 4, 1969

The story

Ground was broken on February 2, 1813, on a bluff above the Maumee River rapids, under General William Henry Harrison's orders. Fort Meigs was meant as a base for invading Canada, but after a defeat at Frenchtown it became a defensive line, with seven blockhouses, five artillery batteries and about twenty cannon. In late April 1813 a British force under General Henry Procter and Tecumseh's confederacy, which was fighting to stop the settlement of Native homelands, laid siege to it and began bombarding it on May 1.

On May 5 reinforcements of 1,200 Kentuckians arrived, but a detachment under Colonel William Dudley that stormed the British batteries was drawn into the woods and cut down, and nearly 600 Americans were lost. American prisoners were in danger of being killed until Tecumseh is credited with stopping it. The fort held, and the British withdrew on May 9. A second siege in July also failed, and Tecumseh was killed at the Battle of the Thames later in 1813, after which his confederacy fell apart and the treaties and removals of the following decades began. After the war the fort was torn down, and the Ohio History Connection reconstructed it in the 20th century, with a museum, blockhouses, artillery batteries and the traverses troops used against cannon fire.

Related sites

The Fort That Held Twice

For two summers the fate of the Northwest hung on a log fort in a bend of the Maumee. In May 1813 the British bombarded it for days, and when a relief force from Kentucky stormed the enemy guns, the attack turned into a disaster in the woods.

Tecumseh, the story goes, stopped his own warriors from killing American prisoners. The fort held, and so did the American hold on the Ohio country.

Behind the legend

The dates, the roles of Harrison, Procter and Tecumseh, and the May 5 ambush of Dudley's Kentuckians are consistent across Wikipedia, the American Battlefield Trust and the fort's own history. Casualty counts vary: about 600 Americans lost on May 5 in one account, and 161 killed, 189 wounded and 627 captured in another. The National Park Service credits Tecumseh with saving American lives during the ambush. The reconstruction dates are given as the 1960s or 1970s with renovations in 2003.

If you go

Walk the blockhouses and batteries in the warm months and see the reenactment of the siege on a weekend.

Visiting

Status

Open seasonally

Managed by

Ohio History Connection

Hours

April to October: fort and museum Wednesday to Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday noon to 5 p.m. November to March: museum only, Wednesday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday noon to 4 p.m.; the reconstructed fort is closed.

Admission

Adults $12, seniors $10, students $7; members and children under 6 free.

Phone

See the Ohio History Connection

Please note

The fort is closed in winter.

Address

29100 W River Rd, Perrysburg, OH 43551

Official information →Directions Find trails nearby on AllTrails →

Hours and prices change. Confirm with the site before you go.