Caesar Creek Pioneer Village

 

On a resent trip to Waynesville for the Sauerkraut Festival
my daughter and I ran across this Pioneer Village at Caesar
Creek State Park in the area. At the time we were there they
were holding a Harvest Fest but it  closed at 5 P.M. so we
were too late to take the tour of the village but I did get
some pictures by walking around the perimeter of the village.
The village houses are only open on special events held there
but you may walk around it.

Caesar's Creek Pioneer Village is an collection of over 18 log cabins and other buildings from 1793 to 1812.
The village is located on the banks of Caesar Creek Lake in
Southwestern, Ohio.

 

The Bullskin Inn

The Bullskin Inn is named for the old animal and Indian trail from the Ohio River to Detroit. The trail went just east of Harveysburg and roughly followed present day Route 380, north to Xenia and Oldtown, then on to Detroit. It went south to Clarksville and on to the Bullskin creek, it then crossed the Ohio River and went on to the salt licks on the Licking River in Kentucky.  

    The trail was started by buffalo and other wildlife going to the salt licks.  The Native Americans also used the trail in their travels north and south. Both Simon Kenton and Daniel Boone are thought to have used the trail in their travels and in their escape from the Shawnee Indians at Old Chillicothe, Old Town.

     During the war of 1812 wagon trains full of supplies going to Admiral Perry on Lake Erie traveled the trace which had now become a road.  Since Pioneer Village is so close to this trail it seemed fitting to help retain the history of the Bullskin trail, therefore the Inn at the Village was "The Bullskin Inn".

 

 
Lukens House

   In 1807 Levi Lukens and his wife, Elizabeth Cleaver Lukens, immigrated to Warren County, Ohio, as part of the exodus of Quakers into the area. They shortly purchased 1,000 acres in Massie Township along the banks of Caesar's creek and constructed their first permanent dwelling.

Mills -Taylor House

The Mills-Taylor saddlebag house was built by a Mr. Taylor, possibly between 1795-1800. 
   Mr. Taylor may have been an indentured servant who had moved to Ohio from the South. This is one of only two saddlebag houses in the Village. A saddlebag is a house with two sections beside a common chimney, with a fireplace for each section. It differs from the Hawkins house in that it has a single level roof line, with one top sill log's spanning the entire length.

 

 Friends Meeting House

The Friends meeting house was built in 1849. It was preceded by two log buildings, the first of which was built in 1805.

 

Blacksmith House

Little was known about the Blacksmith House but it was
thought to have been an early resident house.

 

Rail Fence

I loved the old rail fence at the front of the village.

Caesar Creek Lake was also dressed up for the Harvest Fest
with some Fall Colors.

In-Coming!!!

The Gulls were enjoying the lake on a warm Fall
day.

It was fun to see some of the history in a different part
of our state and I so enjoyed the old log buildings and
the beauty of Caesar Creek State Park.

Until Next Time,
Lona