Decorative drawing: a nineteenth-century public building. Not a photograph of this place.

Nomination for Big Bottom Massacre Site

The case file that argued this property on to the National Register: 1,893 words across 14 pages, filed in 1970. Read by 4 independent recognisers, of which at least 3 had to agree before a line was published.

Source document Held by the National Archives in Record Group 79 as reference 70000512, where it exists only as a scan with no text layer. The words below were read off that scan by 4 independent recognisers at two resolutions. Only lines that at least 3 of them returned identically appear below; where they disagreed, the line is withheld rather than guessed, so some of the form's furniture is missing. Spelling is never corrected, so a stray character that all the readers agreed on is the recogniser's and the typewriter's.. Nothing is summarised, corrected or written by this site. See the catalogue record, or return to the property.

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

Form 10-300 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE - County NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM FOR NPS USE ONLY ENTRY NUMBER (Type all entries - complete applicable sections) (State Memorial) APR 13 1971 AND/ OR HISTORIC: Ohio Route 266 CITY OR TOWN: TO THE PUBLIC - In Process - Preservation work - Comments - Other (Specify) OWNER'S NAME: LOCATION OF LEGAL DESCRIPTION COURTHOUSE, REGISTRY OF DEEDS, ETC: REPRESENTATION IN EXISTING SURVEYS TITLE OF SURVEY: DATE OF SURVEY: - Local DEPOSITORY FOR SURVEY RECORDS: 039 115 Morgan CLASSIFICATION ACCESSIBLE Site LOCATION CATEGORY Commercial Religious DATE Both Government STATE Restricted Private Military Transportation District OWNERSHIP STATUS Unoccupied Columbus Agricultural NAME Museum Entertainment CODE Structure Industrial Building Park Educational Yes: Scientific Federal Ohio Public Private Residence Being Considered Object COMMON: Public Acquisition: The Ohio Historical Society Big Bottom Massacre Site OWNER OF PROPERTY STREET AND NUMBER: 1982 Velma Avenue (Check One) (July 1969) PRESENT USE (Check One or More as Appropriate) 1 mile southeast of Stockport, on the Muskingum River NATIONAL DESCRIPTION Excellent [] Good X Ruins - Unexposed - Unaltered - Moved [X Original Site constructed blockhouse and a small cabin located about 20 rods above it, a little back from the Muskingum River.
A description found beech logs, rather open, and not well filled in between them. This job complete the work, the general interest was lost in that of the large, open fireplace, and when the day closed, all came in, and. .- The Indians, after the massacre, set the blockhouse afire, but since site was acquired by The Ohio Historical Society in 1905, 1934 and APR 13 1971 CONDITION consumed. Deteriorated NATIONAL REGISTER commenced cooking and eating their supplies. Fair it was built of green beech logs, only the floors and roof were memorial park. in the manuscripts of Colonel Barker, and recorded in Hildreth's Today no trace of the blockhouse or cabin remains.The Big Bottom There were originally only two structures at Big Bottom:an ill- convenience of each individual....At one end of the house was a (Check One) DESCRIBE THE PRESENT AND ORIGINAL (if known) PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

Description of the property

was left for a rainy day, or some more convenient time. They had also neglected to inclose their house with palisades, and ceasing to 1935. A monument of stone has been erected and the site is now a Pioneer History, states that "it (the blockhouse) was built of large, Good - 16th Century SPECIFIC DATEIS) (Il Applicable and Known) January 2, 1791 - Prehistoric - Engineering - Industry - Invention - Science - Architecture - Landscape - Sculpture - Commerce - Literature - Communications - Music STATEMENT OF

Statement of significance

The Ohio Company, based in Marietta at the mouth of the Muskingum River, had adopted as one of its policies the granting of donation lands to actual settlers within the Company's boundaries. As a result, several new settlements sprang up in 1790. A company, or association, composed "Big Bottom" because of its size, which was 4 to 5 miles in length. The land was very fine. Hildreth states that on the first or low bottom, a few rods from the left bank of the river, the men erected a blockhouse of the largest size. The settlers were young, unmarried men and little acquainted, apparently, with of 1791, but they chose to ignore this advice and erected the blockhouse during the summer, were well aware of the locations of earlier cabins in the area and set out during a slight thaw in December, 1790 to destroy them.
It is thought that they were unaware of the station at Big Bottom and caught sight of it by chance from the high ground on the west side of The Choates and two others were taken prisoner at the cabin, while 12 occupants of the blockhouse were killed and one taken prisoner. The bodies were piled on the floor of the blockhouse and set afire. The occupants of another nearby cabin fled to Wolf Creek Mills to warn of but because a guard was on watch, did not attack. When news of the attack reached the downriver settlements of Beverly and Marietta, preparations were quickly made for defense, blockhouses and palisades strengthened and men and arms readied.
The attack at Big Bottom thus awakened the settlers to the dangers of the Indians Transportation losophy Aboriginal SIGNIFICANCE Agriculture Education Pre-Columbian Political Social/Human- itarian Conservation Religion/Phi- on the Muskingum about 35 miles above Marietta.The area was called palisades and did not set up a regular system of defense. divided into two groups for the attack:one to storm the blockhouse The had been hunting about the settlements on the Muskingum the river.From that ridge they had an excellent view of the bottom and APR 13 1971 and served as the beginning of the Indian Wars in the Old Northwest. of the autumn of 1790,begana settlement at Big Bottom,1ocated PERIOD (Check One or More as Appropriate) AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE (Check One or More as Appropriate) E Urban Planning Indian warfare or military rules.
They were cautioned not to go out in the fall and advised to remain (presumably at Marietta) until the spring could see that the settlement was practically defenseless. The Indians and one for the newly-constructed cabin of Francis and Isaac Choate. REGISTER Theater Art

The rest of the file

Bibliography, boundary description, and the people who prepared and reviewed the nomination.

MAJOR BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES Hildreth, S. P. Pioneer History, an account of the first examinations GEOGRAPHICAL DATA DEFINING A RECTANGLE LOCATING THE PROPERTY DEFINING THE CENTER POINT OF A PROPERTY OF LESS THAN TEN ACRES APPROXIMATE ACREAGE OF NOMINATED PROPERTY: FORM PREPARED BY CITY OR TOWN: 2. STATE LIAISON OFFICER CERTIFICATION I hereby certify that this property is included in the tional Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (Public Law 89-665), I hereby nominate this property for inclusion Chief, Office of Archeology and Historic Preservation 039 Local Seconds LONGITUDE Degrees LATITUDE Minutes ORGANIZATION DATE Name Title ATTEST: STATE REGISTER NATIONAL COUNTY Judith Kitchen Columbus CORNER 3/15/71 CODE Massacre, pp. 429-439. Ohio The Ohio Historical Society RECEIVED Degrees Minutes Seconds National Register.
LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE COORDINATES level of significance of this nomination is: NATIONAL REGISTER VERIFICATION evaluated according to the criteria and procedures set As the designated State Liaison Officer for the Na- NAME AND TITLE: in the National Register and certify that it has been STREET AND NUMBER: 1982 Velma Avenue N 39 W 81 of the Ohio Valley and the early settlement of the Northwest Territory. Cincinnati,Ohio: H.W. Derby G Co,1848.Account of the Big Bottom REGISTER NATIONAL APR 13 1971 526.70.6 RECEIVED 6121 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE LOCA TION 1 mile southeast of Stockport, on the Muskingum River DATE OF PHOTO: March, 1971 NEGATIVE FILED AT: Columbus, Ohio DESCRIBE VIEW, DIRECTION, ETC. LOC.
115 Morgan Title: COUNTY NAME STATE NATIONAL CODE NPS Number PHOTO REFERENCE Judith Kitchen COMMON: PROPERTY OF THE NATIONAL REGISTER The Ohio Historical Society Ohio ENTRY NUMBER PHOTO CREDIT: PROPERTY PHOTOGRAPH FORM NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES 039 AND/OR HISTORIC: CITY OR TOWN: 1982 Velma Avenue IDENTIFICATION (Type all entries-attach to or enclose with photograph) 70-11-39-0011 FOR NPS USE ONLY DATE Ohio Route 266 Big Bottom Massacre Site STREET AND NUMBER: DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR GEOLOGICAL SURVEY UNITED STATES REGISTEF STOCKPORT, OHIO STOCKPORT QUADRANGLE STATE OF OHIO REGISTER PROPERTY MAP FORM I nile southeast of Steckport, on the Muskingum River Morgan REQUIREMENTS NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES April 8, 1971 801 - 19th Street, N.W. LHarrison, William H., Tomb Vonio Company Land Office / Fort Jefferson site Fort St.
Clair site DRP/eg Sincerely, Putnam House Buckeye Furnace Buffington Island Rankin House Director National Register Miamisburg Mound McCook House Big Bottom Stowe House REGISTER Glendower Historical Society-owned prehistoric and historic landmarks, which State NATIONAL Fort Amanda site National Register of Historic Places forms and attachments for 3l state/ohio UFriends (Quaker) Meeting House Tarlton Cross Mound Fort Recovery site Flint Ridge Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation Campbell Mound IGnadenhutten Massacre site Fort Hill Daniel R. Porter Memorials were provisionally added to the National Register November 10, 1970. Our House VAdena Fort Laurens site VLeo Petroglyph McKinley, William, Tomb Indian Mill Hanby House Interstate 7l and 17th Avenue Seip Mound Vw. P. Snyder, Jr., steamboat Dear Dr. Bill: Dr. William J. Murtagh, Keeper Washington, D.C.
20006 Schoenbrunn site NOV 1 0 1970 Mr. Daniel R. Porter Columbas, Ohio 43211 Dear Mr. Porter: explaining the National Register is enclosed for the property a carbon copy of the Congressional correspondence. Chief, Office of Archeology 10/27/70 SMarusin:naf Enclosures Ernest Allan Connally BASIC FILE RETAINED IN HR Wa are pleased to infora you that the historic properties listed on and Historic Preservation Sincerely yours: appropriate Representatives have also bean notifled. A leaflet Director owner.Please withhold any publicity on this until you have received The ohio Historical Society Ohio Historical Center H30-HR Morgan County, Ohio Meigs County, Ohio Franklin County, Ohio Washington County, Ohio Ohio Co. Land Office Auglaize County, Ohio Highland County, Ohio Darke County, Ohio Mercer County, Ohio Fort St.
Clair Site Preble County, Ohio Jefferson County, Ohio Warren County, Ohio Hamilton County, Ohio Wyandot County, Ohio Carroll County, Ohio Stark County, Ohio Montgomery County, Ohio Gallia County, ohio Brown County, Ohio W. P. Snyder, Jr. Steamboat Fairfield County, Ohio Glendower Indian Mill Rankin House Adena Buckeye Furnace Big Bottom Our House Buffington Island Tarlton Cross Mound Fort Jefferson Site Fort Hill Leo Petroglyph Miamisburg Mound Properties added to the National Register of Historic Places Putnam House Schoenbrunn Site Seip Mound Fort Amanda Site Hanby House Fort Recovery Site Licking County,Ohio McCook House Fort Laurens Site Campbell Mound William McKinley Tomb Stowe House William H. Harrison Tomb Jackson County, Ohio Tuscarawas County, Ohio Ross County, Ohio Gnadenhutten Massacre Site Flint Ridge Friends (Quaker) Meeting House NOV 2 7 1970 Sincerely yours, GEORGE B.
HARTZOG, JR. Mr. Melvin cc: Mr. Daniel R. Porter, Directox, The Ohio Historical Society, Ohio Historical Center, Columbus, Ohio 43211 10/27/70 SMarusinsnaf Buclosures Director Properties added to the National Register of Historical Places Morgan County, Ohio Meigs County, Ohio Washington County, Ohio Ohio Co. Land Office Gallia County, Ohio W. P. Snyder, Jr. Steamboat Fairfield County, Ohio OHIO Putnam House Tarlton Cross Mound Buckeye Furnace Buffington Island Big Bottom Leo Petroglyph Our House Jackson County, Ohio NOV 1 0 1970 GEORGE B. HARTZOG, JR. Mr. Melvin Ohio Historical Center, Columbus, Ohio 43211 Washington, D. C. United States Senate Duplicate letter sent to: Fon. William B. Saxbe 10/27/70 SMarusin:naf Morgan County, Ohio Meigs County, Ohio Franklin County, Ohio Ohio Co.
Land Office Licking County, Ohio Auglaize County, Ohio Highland County, Ohio Darke County, Ohio Tuscarawas County, Ohio Mercer County, Ohio Fort St. Clair Site Preble County, Ohio Friends (Quaker) Meeting House Warren County, Ohio Wyandot County, Ohio Carroll County, Ohio Stark County, Ohio Montgomery County, Ohio Gallia County, Ohio Brown County, Ohio w. P. Snyder, Jr.
Steamboat Fairfield County, Ohio Rankin House Adena Buffington Island Buckeye Furnace OHIO Tarlton Cross Mound Flint Ridge Fort Jefferson Site Stowe House Leo Petroglyph Fort Amanda Site Campball Mound Putnam House William H.Harrison Tomb Hanby House Seip Mound Fort Laurens Site Gnadenhutten Massacre Site Miamisburg Mound Properties added to the National Register of Historic Places McCook House Fort Recovery Site Jackson County, Ohio Jefferson County, Ohio Ross County, Ohio Glendower Big Bottom William McKinley Tomb Hamilton County, Ohio Our House Schoenbrunn Site Washington County, Ohio Indian Mill