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The History of
Hills Fort
Hills Fort played
an important part in the opening of the Northwest
Territory, making the fort a significant part of our
heritage. The British made alliances with various Indian
tribes encouraging and supporting attacks on settlers. The
increasing hostilities on the vast frontier were a leading
cause of the War of 1812 with Great Britain, lasting until
February of 1815. With expansion of the settlements in the
Illinois Country it became necessary to build a string of
forts to serve as military stations to protect the scattered
settlers from Indian attacks. Three forts were built in Bond
County: Jones, Lindley, and Hill's Fort. Hill's Fort may
have been built as early as 1806 at the time of settler
arrival. Records indicate that it was in existence in 1808.
The fort location appears on an 1808 survey map by Capt.
Isaac Hill, leader of a team commissioned by Thomas
Jefferson to survey the Illinois Territory. The fort
consisted of a blockhouse and stockade enclosing two cabins.
Three separate Indian attacks are associated with Hill's
Fort. June 2, 1811, the Cox family cabin north of Pocahontas
was attacked, with one child killed and one kidnapped. In
August 1812, Henry Cox and his son were killed at their
cabin site on Beaver Creek. On September 9, 1814, twelve
Rangers were bush-wacked outside the fort. Four were killed
and two injured. In 1817, Bond County was created and named
for the first Governor, Shadrach Bond. The legislature fixed
Hill's Fort as the temporary county seat. At that time the
boundaries of Bond County were immense, including portions
of today's Clinton and Fayette counties south and east, and
north to the shores of Lake Superior. Earliest records are
preserved from Hill's Fort and include court and marriage
dockets. The Bond County seat was moved to Perrysville
later, and in 1821 to Greenville. No longer useful as a fort
or county seat, Hill's Fort was abandoned and fell into
ruin. The site was consequently lost over time. In 1918 the
Benjamin Mills chapter of DAR purchased land and placed a
memorial stone near the site. Ranger gravestones were set in
1988 by the Bond County Genealogical Society. In October
2001, a local archaeology student, Jenny Simpson, with U.S.
Corps of Engineers assistance, discovered the original
Hill's Fort site using a protron magnetron and radiometer. |
Current Projects
Building or Rebuilding a Fort....
ADOPT-A-LOG
Hill's Fort Society invites you to help make possible
the building of a cabin similar to the first cabin at Hill's Fort.
The American Farm Heritage Museum near Greenville has offered land
on their site for the construction of a fort. A cabin will be the
first building constructed, followed by palisade walls, blockhouse,
and smaller cabin. With your support, the fort will be in place to
teach the early history of bond County and Southern Illinois.
For each $100.00 donation we will imprint your
name on a log and give you a one-year membership in the Hill's Fort
Society.
Please make checks payable to the Hill's Fort
Society designated "Adopt-A-Log," and mail to :
Hill's Fort Society
P.O. Box 682
Greenville, IL. 62246 |
