Fort Recovery Historic Building Plaques
Scroll down for information on 39 historic buildings in Fort Recovery. The Historic Building Plaque project is a joint effort by Project Recovery and the Fort Recovery Historical Society. After having plaques on three buildings for a number of years, a total of 39 plaques were created and placed on historic buildings in 2025.
The QR codes on the plaques and "More Building History" documents were created by Cora Pearson, as part of her 2026 Girl Scout Gold Award "History In the Making”.
Content for both the plaques and the "More Building History" is from Fort Recovery Businesses Then Now: 225 Years of Adventure! by Helen LeFevre (2016).
Web site design and building photos by Christine Thompson (2026), on behalf of the Fort Recovery Historical Society.
100 East Boundary Street, 1928
Plaque Text: This building was built in 1928 by Wilbur Snyder as the Snyder Service Station. Wilbur and son Dale ran this station for many years, with a radio repair shop in the back. Ben Schuh set up a barbershop in the back of the gas station in the 1960's. Lowell Zimmerman LP Gas also used this location. This property was purchased by the Fort Recovery Historical Society in 1997. Project Recovery restored it back into the look of the 1928 Shell Station, providing a Visitor Center and restrooms for tourists.
101-103 North Wayne Street, 1883
Plaque Text: Built in 1883, this opera house was the center for social and cultural life. First owned by Dr. James Adams and later Russell M. Morvilius, many plays, lectures, and all forms of entertainment and enlightenment were held here. It was the site for Fort Recovery commencements and class plays for over 40 years, until the school auditorium was built in 193. From 1883 to 1972 two businesses operated on the first floor. The first businesses were Schneider Saloon and Adam's Drug Store. In 1972, it became one large store. The upstairs opera house survivied throughout the years.
In 2021, the building was purchased by the Friends of the Opera House, a non-profit organization. The two entrances and opera house were restored.
105-107 North Wayne Street, circa 1870
Plaque Text: Known as the Berkheimer Building, two businesses were here. In 1906 the two businesses were The Porterfield-McDaniel Bank, later known as Fort Recovery Banking Co., and the Meinerding Hardware. The two-story building was destroyed by an explosion when a gun discharged into a box of dynamite in the hardware store. Five people were killed and the back of the building completely destroyed. Almost every window in town was broken. After the explosion, the bank rebuilt the building and operated on the south side until they moved down the street in 1922.
Numerous businesses called the south side home including Amy Bower's Dinner Bell and Cattell's Restaurant. Fort Recovery Radio began their operations here. At one time, the telephone exchange was located on the second floor. Later a fire in an upstairs apartment destroyed the second story. The north side remained a hardware store. In 1935 it became a restaurant/tavern operated by various owners. In 1998 it became Thienman's Bar & Grill and later Brick Street Tavern.
109 North Wayne Street, circa 1888
Plaque Text: Adam Schneider, a highly esteemed citizen of Fort Recovery, was born in Germany. He came to America in 1881, where he joined his three brothers Charles, Frederick and Peter, who were engaged in business in Fort Recovery. He entered into several businesses with his brother. In 1888, he erected this large brick building, which bears his name. The Mercer County Atlas of 1888 described him as a dealer in imported wines, cigars, and tobacco.
200 North Wayne Street, 1879
Plaque Text: Before 1879, Jacob Anthony, Sr. operated a harness shop in a frame building here. This building was erected in 1879 to house John Adams Drug Store which operated until 1917. Zimmerman Drug Store was then in business until 1929. The store included a pharmacy, sundries, and soda fountain, with dances held in the hall above.
In 1929, Ted Sauer operated Sauer's Drug Store until 1970. The upstairs apartment was his family's home for many years. After 1972, the space was renovated for the Knights of Columbus, and was used until the early 2020's.
206 North Wayne Street, 1912
Plaque Text: Prior to 1912, grocery stores, a well drilling shop, plumbers, implement storage, and a hotel operated at this stie. In 1900, John H. Zehringer purchased the hotel, demolished it, and built the Zehringer Building to house the Old Fort Hotel, with a saloon and restaurant. The hotel changed names and owners several times.
In 1947, Kroger's moved to the Zehringer building, with Pinky Gebele as manager. Jerry and Catherine Adams built an addition to the north and in 1969, began Wayne IGA. It has operated as Ole Fort IGA and then again as Wayne IGA since then.
101 South Wayne Street, circa 1858 / 1939
Plaque Text: John Cring built a 2-story building circa 1858 for his drug store followed by doctors’ offices, druggists, a gas office, then many grocery stores, including Anthony Brothers. In 1928, the Business and Professional Women’s Club established a Reading Room, the town’s first library.
In 1939 the original building was razed and a one-story building housed Frank’s undertaking and furniture making business. Pool rooms followed until 1972, then a laundromat until 1980. In 1984, Tom and Tess Kaup remodeled the building and operated Forget Me Not Florist for almost 40 years, followed by Be You Floral and Apparel.
103 South Wayne Street, 1881
Plaque Text: This landscaped lot is the former location of the Porterfield McDaniel Bank building, which began in 1881. In 1898, the bank moved to North Wayne Street. This building then housed cobbler Peter Schlimbecker's shoe repair shop, and various meat markets. Later Reinhard Barber Shop and Agnes Fisher Faller's beauty shop (Keep-U-Neat) did business here. In 1970, this building was torn down.
105 South Wayne Street, 1898
Plaque Text: Dr. Milligan first occupied this building in the 1890's, along with a dentist and a millinery shop. In 1907, next door was a tin and stove shop. Charlie Scheid had a tin metal shop in the 1930's-40's. William King, tinsmith, came after that, and then Philip Dearworth Shoe Repair opened for business.
In the 1960's, Fort Recovery Electric and later Jenkins TV & Appliance Shop occupied this building. Denise Theurer remodeled and in 1998 opened a deli called The Tin Cupboard. Gail Tobe and then JoAnne Glentzer owned and operated Tin Cupboard.
107 South Wayne Street, 1896
Plaque Text: W.H. May ran May's Undertaking and Furniture six years before he built this building in 1896. Furniture was on the first floor, caskets on the second floor, with a basement workshop. May started with a horse-drawn hearse with the table east of the building. Donald Riffle became a partner in 1937, then known as May and Riffle.
In 1950, Cy Brockman bought into the business, and the name changed to Riffle-Brockman. After Riffle retired in 1963, it became Brockman Furniture, eventually owned by son Joe. Since the early 2020's, A Simple Touch has occupied the building.
1 Fort Site Street, 1938
Plaque Text: The Fort Recovery library was built by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1938, on a site adjacent to the original fort replica. This project was completed through the combined efforts of the Fort Recovery Welfare Association and the Fort Recovery Business and Professional Women’s Club. The library occupied the first floor with a second floor museum displaying battle artifacts.
In 1968, the Ohio Historical Society (now Ohio History Connection) purchased and renovated the building, establishing Fort Recovery Museum which provides interpretation, exhibits, and artifacts from St. Clair’s Defeat and the Battle of Fort Recovery.
