Fort Ancient. 83 



FORT ANCIENT 



By Warren K. Moorehf.ad. 



(Read September 3, 1889.) 



On one of the highest plateaus in central Warren County, Ohio, 

 overlooking the beautiful valley of the Little Miami River, is situ- 

 ated the greatest pre-historic earthwork in this country. This 

 earthwork is divided by two deep ravines into two parts, which are 

 known as the Old and New Forts. The ravines which separate 

 the fortification into two portions extend parallel north and south 

 for about a quarter of a mile. At one part of the fortification they 

 come within fifty feet of each other. It is at this point that the 

 embankments are made large and strong, and rounded somewhat 

 after the shape of a mound. This mound-shaped extension is 

 known as the Great Gateway. About three hundred feet north 

 from this Great Gateway, there runs out from the embankment on 

 each side, a crescent-shaped wall, which, in the absence of a better 

 term, has been named the Crescent Gateway. The ends of the 

 crescent walls come within twelve feet of each other, and the road 

 along the top of the ridge runs between the Crescent Gateway and 

 on through the Great Gateway. It is hardly necessary for me to 

 say that this long narrow ridge, thus cut up by ravines, is called- 

 the Isthmus. The portion which lies north of the Crescent Gate 

 way is named New Fort, for the reason that it has the appearance 

 of being more recent than the rest of the fortification. That part 

 of the fortification lying between this Crescent Gateway and the 

 Great Gateway is designated as the Middle Fort; and that portion 

 of the structure lying south of the Great Gateway is known as the 

 Old Fort. 



The walls of Fort Ancient have an average height of about ten 

 feet on the inside, while their height on the outside of the extension 

 next to the ravine reaches an average of thirty feet in altitude. 

 The wall is very massive at the base, being about forty-five to forty- 

 six feet in average diameter. In many places there is a layer of 

 large flat limestones on the bottom of the wall, and lying on the 

 original surface of the plateau. These were evidently designed to 



