Fort Zumwalt
Fort Zumwalt State Park
O'Fallon MO
Reported: February 2008 (or earlier)
Team Lead: Michael A. Henry
Investigation currently at Level 4
Status: inconclusive
View Summary
View Surveillance. Report 08-1505-0001
Additional observation sessions are recommended.
the first log house built north of the Missouri river was built by Jacob Zumwalt, possibly as early as 1798. The house first saw service as fort and later in the war of 1812. It is located one mile south of the current city of O'Fallon Missouri.
Jacob's father, also named Jacob, and was of Dutch ancestry and settled in Pennsylvania, probably around the time of William Penn.
The first Mr. Zumwalt was married twice. by his first
wife his children were Henry, George, Dolly and Lizzy. By his second wife the
children were Christopher, Jacob, John, Adam, Andrew and Catherine.
The sons of his second marriage settled near what is now O'Fallon Missouri. it was this Jacob Zumwalt who built the log house aided by his brothers. The brothers later settled in various outlying districts Adam settled near where Flint Hill now stands
first brother Jacob was the owner of the Zumwalt house later referred to as for Fort Zumwalt. house consisted of three rooms on the ground floor, with a loft above. It had a one-story wing to the east, and another to the south. there were two chimneys, one on the east end, and the other in the center between the two main rooms. to floors were split oak, and the roof was oak shakes. the house was assembled with oak pegs.
originally built as a family dwelling, it was expanded and port holes were installed in the sides to be used in case of an Indian raid. as many as 10 families found shelter within its walls.
in 1817, major Nathan Heald came to Missouri and purchase the Zumwalt property. He and his wife, Rebecca, lived and died there and are buried near the house.
The stockade, which supposedly surrounded the cabin in
its early days, has completely disappeared. in addition, all traces of the old
cemetery, where Jacob Zumwalt buried his first wife, have vanished.
many other graves are there, bodies lie just as they were buried, but stones were moved to Mt. Zion cemetery when the property passed to other hands.
all that remains of the old fort is a single chimney standing near the crest of a gentle hill. the walls are gone and most of the stand of white oak trees that were used to build a house had been cut down.
currently the site is a state park just outside the modern city of O'Fallon Missouri.
Additional information available upon request
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