Archaeologist seeks grant for Fort site signs

FORT RECOVERY - Ball State University archaeologist Chris Thompson hopes to gain the support of several village organizations to boost her department's chance of winning a $50,000 federal grant to design interpretive signs detailing the historical battles waged in the area.

Thompson, a Fort Recovery native, spoke to the village council and school board at their regular meetings this week, explaining community support is paramount to obtaining the National Park Service American Battlefield Protection Program grant.

Officials endorsed the plan and agreed to write letters supportting the project.

If awarded the grant in July, Thompson said university officials would use the expertise of sign designers, graphic artists and other professionals to develop up to 15 signs to engage visitors in Fort Recovery's history and landscape.

Manufacturing and installing the signs, which would resemble those at national parks, would require additional funding possibly from state grants, she said. The signs would be installed in a few years but unfortunately not in time for the 225th anniversary of the village in June 2016, Thompson said.

"The big thing is it would give people an understanding of the battle when the museum is not open or when (museum director Nancy Knapke) is not around to give the big story," Thompson said.

Unlike text-heavy bronze signs - dubbed "books on sticks" - posted at various sites, the exhibits would be more user-friendly, by featuring images and graphics to better help visitors connect with and immerse themselves in the historic battles, according to Thompson.

"Typically they talk about the landscape and what happens. You can kind of look up and see what happened and you can kind of feel the battle more," Thompson said. "Maybe there'll be a sign that has a map and an image that looks across the Wabash River into Ambassador Park that talks about how the Kentucky Militia were camped there."

Past university research indicated many locals are aware battles took place in the area and were important, she said. What people are surprised about is how big the actual battlefields were - more than 630 acres.

"The two battles were the largest engagements between the U.S. Army and Native American forces in American history and their outcomes shaped the development of the young country," a university brochure states.

Village and school leaders supported the proposal, explaining it would help people better understand the village's past.

"If there's an opportunity for kids to be involved in some way, we would love for that to happen," Fort Recovery Local Schools Superintendent Shelly Vaughn said.

"Whatever we can do with that, I mean my students benefit from any kind of public outreach and we work with Nancy and the museum," Thompson said. "I can't even think about how many students have been exposed to (Fort Recovery)."

The grant, according to Thompson, would be a continuation of several years of research conducted at Fort Recovery by Ball State University's Department of Anthropology's Applied Anthropology Laboratories.

"We've received four National Park Service Grants that have ranged from $50,000 to $70,000," she said.

In the summer of 2011, a team of archeologists likely discovered the location of the east-west palisade wall of Fort Recovery's original fort built in 1793. The discovery was made by 15 Ball State University students completing a five-week field study.