New Greene County state park to honor Tecumseh, Shawnee history

ODNR to transform motel site into Ohio’s 76th state park
The memorial to Tecumseh will be preserved in a new Ohio state park in Oldtown, recognized as the largest Shawnee settlement and birthplace of Tecumseh in Xenia that is now the site of the Tecumseh Inn. The state will buy the half-acre property and transform it into the new park. CONTRIBUTED

The memorial to Tecumseh will be preserved in a new Ohio state park in Oldtown, recognized as the largest Shawnee settlement and birthplace of Tecumseh in Xenia that is now the site of the Tecumseh Inn. The state will buy the half-acre property and transform it into the new park. CONTRIBUTED
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Feb 23, 2021
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A new state park Greene County will honor Shawnee military and political leader Tecumseh.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on Tuesday announced the creation of the state’s 76th park at Oldtown — now the site of the Tecumseh Motel at 1575 U.S. 68 in Xenia — that is one of the largest known Shawnee settlements in Ohio and cited by historians as Tecumseh’s birthplace.

“Preserving this site gives us a unique opportunity to connect today’s generation of Ohioans with the past,” DeWine stated. “By protecting this property, we are preserving Tecumseh’s legacy and Ohio’s long, rich history.”

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The Ohio Department of Natural Resources will purchase the motel for $260,000 and transform the half-acre property, DeWine and ODNR Director Mary Mertz said in a release.

ODNR plans to work with the three sovereign and federally recognized Shawnee tribes — the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma, the Shawnee Tribe and the Absentee Shawnee — to preserve and highlight this important historical site, according to the release. The park will include an interpretive center and several markers noting historical events at Oldtown.

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Jen Roppel Balduf covers breaking news for the Dayton Daily News. She earned a bachelor of science in journalism degree from Ohio University and also writes for the Journal-News, Springfield News-Sun and Dayton.com.