Wapakoneta
Wapakoneta is the County seat of Auglaize county has always been considered a place of honor. The Ottawa peoples considerate it so, but by 1798 the Shawnee had settled into the land. It was here, at the mouth of the Auglaize River, that Chiefs Blue Jacket and Black Hoof established themselves.
The Shawnee constructed a council house on the land which is today Wapakoneta. British agents used the location as a transport point for munitions arriving from Canada. These supplies were for distribution to Indian tribes fighting Americans throughout the Northwest Territory and Kentucky.
The council house saw historic chiefs like Blue Jacket and his son, James Blue Jacket, Black Hoof, Tecumseh, the Prophet, Peter Cornstalk, Little Turtle, Little Snake and Captain Logan come together and unite in the common cause of the destruction of the Americans.
After the Battle of Fallen Timbers and the signing of the Green Ville Treaty many of the tribes began to dissolve and move westward. The Shawnee were given a reservation of land around what would later become Wapakoneta. By 1820 there were close to 600 Shawnee living here.
Although the Shawnee expressed concerns over actively developing their land for fear that it would become too attractive to the Americans, they did begin accepting many of the Anglo-American ways including farming.
Under the guidance of a Quaker mission, the Shawnee built a sawmill, gristmill and a blacksmith shop. Although the Quakers were anxious to convert them to Christianity, the Shawnee were not eager to give up their traditional culture and the Quakers did not actively try to convert them. By the mid 1820s, Anglo-American settlers were putting pressure on the Shawnee reservation at Wapakoneta and about half of the Shawnee decided to leave with the promise of additional land in Missouri.
When Andrew Jackson was elected president in 1828, he began an active campaign to move all Native Americans further west. In 1830, the US Congress passed the Indian Removal Act that authorized the president to negotiate treaties that basically allowed for the promise of land west of the Mississippi for their homelands east of the Mississippi. Despite attempts by numerous leaders in the government to thwart their removal, President Jackson refused to budge on his goals of removing all Native Americans. The Shawnee and Senecas finally signed a treaty giving up their reservation for land in northeastern Oklahoma and the last of the Shawnee left the area in 1831.
Railroads & Space
The railroads brought commerce to the region and since the city was on the natural pathway from Detroit to Cincinnati, it became a hub for both industry and agriculture. Today Wapakoneta has the distinction of being the hometown of Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon.
Driving through the city you will be reminded of that 1969 moon landing with avenues and businesses like Apollo Drive, Astro Bowling Lanes and Apollo Travel. Wapakoneta, like its famous son, is friendly, quiet and unassuming.
Places of interest
The airport where Neil Armstrong received his first flying lessons, now named in his honor, located in New Knoxville: Take I-75 south to U.S. 33 west. Follow U.S. 33 to County Road 25A and turn left. Travel 4 miles to SR219 and turn right. The airport is approximately 7 miles from the intersection.
- Armstrong Family Home (private residence)
601 W. Benton St.
Wapakoneta - Armstrong Air and Space Museum
500 Apollo Drive
Wapakoneta - Wapakoneta Museum
206 W. Main St.
Wapakoneta (419-738-9328 - Call ahead) - Rhine and Brading Drug Store (Armstrong worked here while in High School)
26 E. Auglaize St.
Wapakoneta - Blume High School (Armstrong attended HS here, graduating in 1947)
407 Blackhoof St.
Wapakoneta - St. Paul United Church of Christ (Armstrong attended church here)
101 S. Perry St.
Wapakoneta - Historic Homes District
West Auglaize St.
Wapakoneta - Auglaize County Courthouse
Willipie St. at Pearl St.
Wapakoneta - Fort Amanda State Memorial
SR 198 (8 miles north of Wapakoneta) - Blackhoof Memorial
US33 at SR 65 (5 miles east of Wapakoneta)
Old Bones
Bones of Mastodons were located 3 times in Auglaize County before 1880. The 1st skeleton was discovered in the fall of 1870 in Clay Township, about 2 miles east of St. Johns, when laborers were excavating a ditch through the Muchinippi swamp. The swamp's depth at this point was about 8' with the upper 1/3 being of peat moss and the rest of clay. The bones were in a posture that indicated the mastodon had become trapped in the swampy muck and died. The head and tusks were reaching upward and the right forefoot thrown forward as if trying to climb out of a hole. The body was estimated to be about 19' long from where the tusks entered the cranium to the base of the tail. The tusks were 12', and its height was estimated to be 13' - 14'. In December, 1874, also in Clay Township, the partial skeleton of a larger Mastodon was found by another team of ditch diggers. A 3rd Mastodon was found by Mr. Samuel Craig in January, 1878, while surveying in Washington Township.
