In the 1990s, Dr. G. Michael Pratt, an archaeologist and professor at Heidelberg College, argued that “although no fortifications or earthworks were established, the location and extent of the Fallen Timbers Battlefield may be determined by contemporary descriptions of the terrain and an examination of the tactical maneuvers involved.”

Dr. Pratt’s research relied on primary accounts from officers and men of the Legion of the United States, the Kentucky Militia, the British Department of Indian Affairs, the Fort Miamis garrison, and Native Americans. Pratt’s analysis of these primary documents indicated that the 1794 Battle of Fallen Timbers took place on the high bluffs overlooking the Maumee River rather than on the flood plain where the monument is located.

Upon completion of the archaeological dig in 1995, the abandoned farm field produced significant material culture linking the site to the 1794 Battle of Fallen Timbers – specifically, buttons from the official uniforms of the Legion of the United States. However, the battlefield was threatened by development. 

General Growth Properties, which owned the property adjacent to the battlefield, announced plans to build the area’s largest shopping mall. 

Local volunteers, preservationists, and historians headed by the Fallen Timbers Battlefield Preservation Commission fought to curb those development plans and protect this historically important land.

Click through the virtual tour below to learn more about the site and the events that took place during the battle.