Historical Features

Cross Mound

Location:  Cross Mound Park
11615 16th Rd SW; Stoutsville

Hours:  Open Year-Round, Dawn to Dusk

Description:  A truly unique ancient earthwork structure in the shape of a plus sign, or cross, of four identical arms each about 12′ wide, 3′ high, 45′ long.  The end of each arm is about 90′ apart.  In the middle of the cross is a circular-shaped depression that is 20′ in diameter and about 12″ deep.  The mound sits on a high point just west of Salt Creek, a tributary of the Scioto River.  Archaeologists have suggested its western arm was carved out of the surrounding landscape as opposed to the traditional approach of mounding soil to create a structure.  There are smaller stone mounds nearby.

See photos and read more about the history of Cross Mound.

Cruit House

Location: Smeck Park
7395 Basil Rd; Baltimore

Hours: Special Events & Educational Programs

Description: English immigrants, William and Hanna (Moon) Cruit, arrived in Fairfield County in 1829. They constructed this house in Section 24 of Greenfield Township. Jacob and Mary (Bryant) Wagner purchased the home in 1886. It remained in the possession of their descendants through the 19th and 20th centuries. Then, the Reef-Beck family owned and occupied the home for over one hundred years, until 2019 when it was relocated to this site at Smeck Park.

Fetter-Hood Barn

Location:  Smeck Park
7395 Basil Rd; Baltimore

Hours:  Open Year-Round, Dawn to Dusk

Description:  It is a very large double forebay (an area where one or more walls overshoot its foundation) Pennsylvania German-style banked barn, a common construction method in the 1700-1800s.  Fetter-Hood Barn was deconstructed in 2005-2006 from its original location just outside of Lancaster and put in storage.  Reconstruction at Smeck Park was to begin in 2015 but was delayed due to financial constraints.  The huge foundation walls are in place at the park and give viewers just an idea of how massive the barn is.  One corner stone is engraved with the words, “Thomas Fettr 1841”; there is no second E in Fettr.

Mambourg Nature Center

Location:  Mambourg Park
5531 Cincinnati Lancaster Rd NE; Lancaster

Hours:  Seasonal Hours Vary, see Calendar of Events
(The park is open year-round during daylight hours.)

Description:  The main feature of this park is Mambourg Nature Center, formerly a family’s private retreat. It was constructed in the early 1940s by Robert Mambourg. It is a wonderful example of mortise-and-tenon construction. Today, the lodge has been renovated to be used for nature education. One of the most captivating features of the building is the 90-ton, double-faced fireplace.

Ohio & Erie Canal Locks

Locks South 11, 12, 13

Location: Lockville Canal Park
5895 Pickerington Rd; Carroll

Hours: Open Year-Round, Dawn to Dusk

Description:  Construction of Ohio & Erie Canal was in the 1820-30s.  It was a 308-mile highway of water that connected Lake Erie at Cleveland to the Ohio River at Portsmouth.  By 1911, most of the southern portion of the canal was in disuse.  Just two years later, extensive flooding caused destruction of most locks.  Lock South 11 is shown here.  In the park you will find the remains of three locks – South 11, South 12 aka Tennis/Tennat Lock, and South 13 aka Rowe Lock.  Locks 14 through 17 remain on private properties.  The canal bed is dry but the towpath is easily discernible.

Rock Mill

Location:  Stebelton Park at Rock Mill
1429 Rockmill Place NW; Lancaster

Hours:  Open May-October
Sundays 1:00-4:00 p.m.
Wednesdays & Saturdays 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.

Description:  Built in 1824, Rock Mill was one of a dozen mills in the area whose power source was the Hocking River.  It was in operation as late as 1901.  For nearly 100 years, it sat vacant and in disrepair.  After 2003, a labor-intensive restoration was begun.  A replica of the 26′-diameter all-wood waterwheel was crafted and installed; it is the largest of its kind in the state.  In 2017, Rock Mill roared to life!  People from all over the U.S. and beyond visited to see the mill in action.  Each year, on Saturdays and Sundays from May through October, the mill is open for visitors to tour inside and experience a bit of history.

Stonewall Cemetery

Location:  Stonewall Cemetery Park
2375 Stonewall Cemetery Rd SW; Lancaster

Hours:  Open Year-Round, Dawn to Dusk

Description:  Nathaniel Wilson III “emigrated from Cumberland County Pa and settled near this place AD 1798, when all around was one continued and uninhabited wilderness.”  In 1817 he set aside land at the east side of his property in Hocking Township as a family burial ground.  To protect the site, he began construction of a sandstone wall in the shape of a dodecagon.  The wall is considered by many to be one of the best examples of dry-stone masonry in Ohio.  The entrance faces geodetic true north.  The park is open to the public but the gate to the cemetery’s interior is kept locked to help prevent further vandalism.

Windmill

Location:  Smeck Park
7395 Basil Rd; Baltimore

Hours:  Open Year-Round, Dawn to Dusk

Description:  The windmill is just short of 60′ high.  It has a 750-gallon water tank resting on a platform that is 30′ above ground.  It was built in the late 1800s by Stover Windmill Company of Freeport, Illinois, and was installed on the Roger Wolfe farm on Canal Road.  Most of it is original but a new fan and motor had to be built.  The fan is 10′ in diameter.  Water-pumping windmills can draw up water from hundreds of feet below the surface for storage in the elevated tank.  The average windmill powered by a 15-20 MPH breeze can pump about three gallons per minute.  The move and restoration was completed in 2016.

WPA Pedestrian Bridge

Location:  Cross Mound Park
11615 16th Rd SW; Stoutsville

Hours:  Open Year-Round, Dawn to Dusk

Other Names:  Salt Creek Pedestrian Bridge
Bridge Number:  35-64-84
Original Location:  Yes
Builder:  WPA (Works Progress Administration)