The Need for the Friends of Fort Laurens Foundation
In 1915, legislation was introduced in the Ohio General Assembly which required the state “to purchase for the state the lands upon which Fort Laurens is located, and such additional lands adjacent thereto as may be necessary to properly restore said fort and works...” The legislation passed the Ohio General Assembly and was signed into law by then-Governor of Ohio Frank B. Willis.

Nearly 100 years have passed and Fort Laurens is still not properly restored, despite the clearly stated intent of Ohio’s legislature and Governor Willis. Ohio has an obligation to meet that original goal and to honor the wishes set forth by the state’s leaders.

Members of the Friends of Fort Laurens Foundation recognize that intent and the critical need to restore this piece of Ohio history. By raising private sector funds for Fort Laurens, state authorities and those entrusted with the site’s preservation will be encouraged to move ahead with the original directive — to reconstruct Fort Laurens. A rebuilt Fort Laurens will enable present and future generations of Americans to understand, appreciate and support the historical significance it holds and the role that the fort played in history.

Further, the Foundation’s leaders are confident that a rebuilt Fort Laurens will promote economic growth and development for the northeast region of Ohio. It will encourage progress in Ohio’s other heritage communities and will provide assistance to other significant historical and cultural regionally based sites.

The Friends of Fort Laurens Foundation
The Friends of Fort Laurens Foundation, Inc. is an IRS-recognized 501(c)(3) non-profit educational and historic preservation foundation, incorporated in Ohio in 1994. The Foundation’s charter is organized to promote the charitable, educational, archaeological, scientific and historic preservation purposes of Fort Laurens. Specifically, the Foundation seeks to promote the general awareness and educational importance of Fort Laurens, its role in both Ohio’s and America’s history, and to raise public and private contributions for the reconstruction of Fort Laurens.