Piqua Historical Area

Day 2: Two Cultures Coexist at Piqua During Early Days of Statehood

At the Piqua Historical Area, visitors can view examples of both early American and Indian culture at one location. John Johnston’s farm is the focal point of the property. Johnston owned the farm from 1804 to 1849 and was Indian Agent for western Ohio from 1812 to 1830.

John Johnston, Indian Agent

Born in 1775 in Ireland, Johnston’s family moved to Pennsylvania while he was a young child. In 1812, President James Madison selected Johnston as the Indian Agent overseeing the native reservations in western Ohio. His office was located in Piqua. Johnston faced numerous difficulties in helping the natives. First, the state and the federal governments only minimally assisted the Indians. While all levels of government hoped that the natives would adopt the lifestyle of white people, few serious attempts were made to teach them these customs. Many white Ohioans preferred that the Indians leave the state. Several of these people profited from selling alcohol to the Indians and some illegally settled on the natives’ land. Johnston also helped negotiate the Treaty of Upper Sandusky in 1842. This treaty resulted in the Wyandot Indians selling their land and moving west of the Mississippi River.

Johnston played an important political and social role in Ohio as well. He was a strong advocate of the Whig Party. In 1844, he was one of Ohio’s delegates to the Whig Party national convention in Baltimore, Maryland. He delivered impassioned speeches in favor of Henry Clay, the Whig candidate, from Piqua to Baltimore. With his wife, Johnston formed the first Sunday school in Miami County. He helped found Kenyon College and also served on the board of trustees of Miami University. Johnston also published one of the earliest histories of the Native Americans that once called Ohio home. He died in 1861 in Washington, DC.

Lots to Do At the Piqua Historical Area

The Ohio Historical Society now maintains John Johnston’s farm as a state memorial.

The brick farmhouse and outbuildings, including the large barn, have been restored. A restored section of the Miami & Erie Canal runs through the site. Visitors may ride the reconstructed canalboat, General Harrison, which is pulled by two mules. The museum features the history of Ohio’s historic Indians from 1760 to 1860. The site of an 18^th-century English trading post, Pickawillany, has recently been added to the property and will be incorporated into the interpretation of the site over the next few years.

Over 16,000 people visited the site in 2008, including 3,684 school children from schools throughout western Ohio and eastern Indiana. Its diverse history enables the site to address many of the benchmarks identified by the Ohio Department of Education. Already in 2009 the site has hosted approximately 2,500 students this spring. The Piqua Historical Area also serves Miami County as the host site for the Piqua Heritage Festival, which brings an additional 80,000 – 100,000 visitors here each Labor Day weekend.

The Piqua Historical Area is on North Hardin Road, just of State Route 66, 3.5 miles northwest of Piqua in Miami County.

This Place Matters!

The Piqua Historical Area State Memorial celebrates two thousand years of Ohio’s rich history from prehistoric Indians to Ohio’s canal era. Help keep this historic site open to the public by contacting your legislators today! Let us show you how.

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