Fort Loramie

The village of Fort Loramie is an original canal town along the Miami & Erie Canal. It was first established as a trading post by a French-Canadian fur trader Pierre-Louis de Lorimier (Peter Loramie). The indigenous Shawnee people used the post for attacks against the European settlers during the Revolutionary War. The post was burnt to the ground and abandoned in 1782, remaining vacant until 1795. After the victory of the Battle of Fallen Timbers, General “Mad” Anthony Wayne ordered a fort built at the site. The fort stood on the portage between St Mary’s River and Loramie Creek a half mile north of the present town. It was used as one of the demarcation points in the Treaty of Greenville in 1795.

When work started building the Miami-Erie Canal in 1836, German immigrants were the main labor pool building the canal. The immigrants then purchased land and became permanent settlers. The canal opened in 1841, bringing finished goods to the area, and taking farm and wood products back to the cities. The village was originally called Berlin. The town's name was officially changed to Fort Loramie in 1911. The canal system had diminished by this time, as a result of the railroad networks expanding in all directions. The canal, which ran through the center of town was cleaned up and turned into a community park.

An important feature remaining from the canal days is Lake Loramie, the feeder lake manually constructed to keep the canal filled with water. It is now a state park and a haven for fishing, boating, camping, and vacationers.