With the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution approaching, descendants of revolutionary patriots are showing how Pickaway County played an important role in the start of the war for independence.
The Camp Charlotte chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) held an event Saturday to better explain the significance of events and places that are probably familiar to most Pickaway Countians, but they may not completely understand.
The SAR also explained new historical and archaeological research into the events and locations, and offered a Sunday bus tour of them.
The event at Ohio Christian University by the Camp Charlotte chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution.
Rick Hartinger, past president of the Camp Charlotte SAR, was a key speaker in the event. He explained his efforts to research, confirm, and correct history.
Hartinger said he has spent about 20 years on research, which started when he joined the Pickaway County SAR. It had been chartered with the name Camp Charlotte, but as “an avid student of history, born and raised here in Circleville / Pickaway County, I had never heard of Camp Charlotte.”
He looked into it deeply enough to find the original Treaty of Camp Charlotte that was thought to have been be lost. He says he found it online, but it apparently had not been recognized for what it was.
In 2017 Hartinger said he got a grant to make printed display copies of the treaty and other original documents, which were on display at the event. He says they will be installed in the undercroft display space under the Ohio Capitol builidng this winter.
Rick Hartinger, past president of the Camp Charlotte chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution.
He also described an archaeological investigation that confirmed the site of Camp Charlotte with ground-penetrating radar, finding about 20 “anomalies.” Most of those were probably campfires, and Hartinger says they hope to get carbon dates from their charcoal.
Saturday’s event was videorecorded by Circleville Cable (CGTV), but the Camp Charlotte chapter has not decided how to make the video available…yet.
A modern and 19th-century map of 1774 sites.
Learn more about the clarifications and corrections to the history, and snapshots of the event, in my next stories. Hear Hartinger in his own words in the interview video in my article on the Scioto Post.
Find more:
- Camp Charlotte Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution (Facebook page).
- Ohio Historical Marker on the “Treaty of Camp Charlotte” on “Clio: Your Guide to History.”
- Chief Logan, on Wikipedia.
- An early transcript of Logan’s Lament in the National Archives.
- Logan Elm State Memorial Park, owned by Ohio History Connection and managed locally by the Pickaway County Park District.
Kevin Coleman covers local government and culture for the Scioto Post and iHeart Media Southern Ohio. For stories or questions, contact Kevin Coleman or the iHeart Southern Ohio Newsroom.