Johnston legend lives at farmhouse
By Ken Canfield
Staff Writer
John Johnston's life was one of adventure and accomplishment.
Born in Ireland in 1775, as a boy he crossed the ocean with his family to settle in Pennsylvania.
As a teenager, he drove an army supply wagon for Gen. "Mad" Anthony Wayne.
An Indian agent for the government, Johnston and his family moved to the Piqua area in 1811. When the War of 1812 broke out, he was put in charge of all the neutral tribes in the area.
Johnston was canal commissioner for the Miami and Erie Canal, which was important to the development of the Miami Valley. He oversaw a large portion of the canal and decided on its route through Dayton.
He wasn't just a local figure. Johnston was an honorary pallbearer for Daniel Boone and also was included in the funeral procession for George Washington.
Johnston lived until the ripe old age of 85, which was amazing for the times.
The folks at the Piqua Historical Area can tell you even more about the life and times of John Johnston.
Johnston's two-story farmhouse, which once temporarily served as Gen. William Henry Harrison's frontier headquarters, remains much as it was in the early 1800s. Visitors also will see a double-penned log barn, which was built in 1808 and is said to be the oldest and largest of its type in the state.
A museum, built to resemble the early supply post known as Fort Piqua, has artifacts and exhibits about the Eastern Woodland Indians and the canal era. Outside, there's a mile-long section of the old Miami and Erie Canal, which stretched from Cincinnati to Toledo, and a ring-shaped Adena mound built more than 2,000 years ago.
The Ohio Historical Society's 200-acre park is open weekends through October.
Contact Ken Canfield at (937) 225-2259.
HOW TO GO
- What: Piqua Historical Area.
- Where: 9845 N. Hardin Road, Piqua, 33 miles from downtown Dayton. Make a map
- Hours: 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday through October.
- Admission: $6 for adults, $2 for children ages 6-12. Free for children 5 and younger. Free for Ohio Historical Society members.
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Information: (937) 773-2522, (800) 752-2619
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