National Register of Historic Places

Brokaw Site

St. Clairsville, Belmont County, Ohio
Listed
June 16, 1976
Type
Site
Period
Listed
Ref No.
76001371

About this property

The Brokaw Site is located off of U.S. Route 40 in Richland Township, just west of St. Clairsville, Ohio. The site was added to the National Register on 1976-06-17. The site was once the location of a prehistoric village originally settled in the Archaic period and later by the Middle to Late Woodland people, as the discovery record has turned up projectile points and ceramics dating from those time periods. The main village site is located on the relatively flat top of a hill roughly about 1,240 feet (380 m) above sea level. The site is estimated to encompass 2-3 acres. The site during its occupation overlooked a roughly-hewn hunting trail, later used as the outline of the first roads and eventually becoming National Road. This vantage point, plus the presence of four springs which flow downstream into a feeder creek of the Ohio River, made this site ideal for settlement. The property was bought by John Brokaw, who settled into a homestead on a part of the same hilltop. It was during his ownership that several artifacts were found, resulting in Brokaw authorizing a dig site during the years from 1972-1974. After extensive study, the investigating team approached Brokaw about placing the site on the National Register. Brokaw informed the team that the site was directly above a large coal seam and had already given permission for the strip mining of the area. However, the mining activity was delayed indefinitely as the site was eventually placed on the Register by the National Park Service. The entire hilltop was cleared around the start of the 20th century as evidenced by the bordering Locust and cherry trees in the fence lines and has been used as pasture and cultivation land. Much of the surrounding area has been radically transformed, as an ongoing housing development is slowly encroaching on the site and a reservoir was dug out east of the site.

Location

St. Clairsville, Belmont County, Ohio

Categories

PREHISTORIC
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Everything a full report reveals about Brokaw Site

This page lists Brokaw Site. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
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Questions about this property

When was Brokaw Site listed on the National Register?

Brokaw Site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 16, 1976.

What type of historic resource is Brokaw Site?

Brokaw Site is classified as a site in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Brokaw Site?

The period of significance for Brokaw Site is recorded as the listed era.

Can I research the history near Brokaw Site?

Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Brokaw Site will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

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