| Lady Liberty has link to this county |
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| Written by JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN Sentinel County Editor | ||
| Thursday, 24 May 2012 10:59 | ||
The base under the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor is the star-shaped Fort Wood. Name sound familiar? Wood County Commissioner Tim Brown was recently watching a documentary on American history when he heard a reference to Fort Wood. Being a history buff, the mention caught his attention, and he started his online research. "I just started Googling," Brown said. He wrote to the National Parks Service to find out if the fort could be connected to the namesake of Wood County. A couple weeks went by before he heard back. Brown was told two things. First, Fort Wood was indeed named for Col. Eleazer Wood, a hero of the War of 1812 who served during the siege on Fort Meigs, and the reason this county is named Wood. Second, he was told "welcome to the history geek club." When the Statue of Liberty was dedicated in 1886, the fort was a no longer used army base on Bedloe's Island, now called Liberty Island. The fort was originally constructed in sandstone, then later encased in granite. The structure, shaped like an 11-point star, was built between 1807 and 1811, and was officially named after Wood in 1814 after he was killed in action earlier that year at Fort Erie in Ontario. The Statue of Liberty, a symbol of freedom which was a gift from the people of France, is positioned to greet ships arriving in the New York Harbor. Brown, who has a replica of the State of Liberty in this office, was reluctant to make a big deal out of the Wood County connection, since local history experts had perhaps long been aware of that nugget of history. So he went to the best experts he knew - Wood County Auditor Michael Sibbersen and Wood County Historical Center Director Christie Weininger-Raber. Neither was aware of Wood's role in holding up the massive statue. "Our county has a connection to the Statue of Liberty that is relatively unknown," Brown said. "It gives Ohio a unique connection to what is one of America's most famous symbols of freedom." Sibbersen, who has a file on Col. Eleazer Wood, said the military leader was once a household name in the county. "He was a hero of the War of 1812," he said. But after 1820, his fame faded with time. However, this discovery of the fort's role in national history is a "very interesting connection," Sibbersen said. Kelli Kling, of the county historical center, also appreciated the linking of facts from the past. "That's what makes history so interesting, when you start connecting things you didn't know before," she said. "It's exciting." |
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Comments
Some of these same pieces of information can also be found on the old metal plaque commemorating Col. Wood located near the steps leading to the original front entrance of the Wood County Court House.
Wood County has a fascinating history and a beautiful court house. Everyone should take a moment to walk around the court house and examine its beautiful and historically significant features.
He has tried to make local people aware of it.
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