Our Weekly Adventure

I try to plan at least one trip out of the house each week, that isn't errand related. I think it's important for both me and Jonah. Usually it's the zoo or the library depending on the weather. Today, however, I decided to try something new that is right down the street from our house. Well, the site itself isn't new; it's been around since 1813. But we have never been there before or learned much about it, even though we drive past it any time that we leave the house.

I took Jonah to Ft. Meigs, a historical fort that played a pivotal role in the war of 1812. Between the fort and the naval efforts of Commodore Perry on the Maumee river, the British and Canadian Army was stopped from entering the US further south. The war of 1812 played a huge role in the establishment of this little town that we moved to this year, which is why it is named Perrysburg after Commodore Perry.I'm sure that the fort has a lot more to learn from on days that they do historical reenactments. Today was kind of a boring day as far as that goes, but on a day with such beautiful weather it was the perfect outdoor activity. When we first walked into the welcome center, I didn't quite know what to expect. There was a large museum in the welcome center, and a nice woman gave us maps of the fort, telling where there were blockhouses turned into small museums along the walk. I decided to go out into the fort first, because I didn't want to spend such a beautiful day stuck inside a history museum. Walking up to the fort is pretty impressive.

Once inside, I realized that it is very different than what I expected. I'm not exactly sure what I expected the inside of a fort to look like, but this wasn't it. It seemed so... empty. It was a huge field, with massive mounds of earth and grass strewn throughout. I was guessing that the mounds were to hide behind during battle. Later in the walk I found that this was the case, and that the soldiers had actually dug into them and hid inside the earth. Navigating a stroller around these mounds was a little tough, but a good workout. I had thought about taking the sling or our new carrier, but I thought Jonah might enjoy the stroller for this trip. It took us about two hours to walk around the whole fort. It kind of gave me the creeps to be honest, thinking about all of the battles that took place along the very paths that we were having a leisurely walk. I've always been a little sensitive to places where someone's spirit has left them, but historic battle grounds seem to effect me the most. War creeps me out in general. But I still think that it's important to visit such places and learn the history. I think that it definitely makes history more real, and not just some story that we hear about what happened long ago. That is important for preventing war, I think, so this is the first of many historic battle grounds that Jonah will visit.
Although the history of the site was grim, today it was beautiful and serene offering many wonderful views of the Maumee river. Jonah and I enjoyed being at the fort pretty much alone, enjoying the sunshine and nature, and learning the history of the place that we now call home.