WEST LAFAYETTE − The Old Stone Fort was previously said to the oldest standing building in Ohio, dating back to the 1670s. While research in the past few years has put that into question, it still has historical significance and a unique charm dating back to the pioneer area.
Its origins were once shrouded in mystery, but research by Coshocton native and historian Scott Butler has shed light on when and why it was built. He can’t explain the confusion around the date it was built, but said it is part of the property’s interesting backstory.
“It is a very nice example of an old fort. It’s really very nice. It has really nice construction,” Butler said. “It’s worth seeing and knowing about just on its own merits.”
Technically, the Old Stone Fort is a blockhouse
The sandstone block building is approximately 14.5- by 14.5-foot with 22-inch thick walls. It’s technically not a fort, but rather a blockhouse. Such structures were used as strongholds by settlers to gather for protection during raids by Native Americans. Usually such blockhouses were made of wood, so being sandstone makes it special, said Butler…