The city park in Greenville, Ohio, is rooted firmly in history; this land once was the site of Fort Greene Ville. The fort, according to historical records, was built on the orders of Gen. "Mad" Anthony Wayne, whose army was fighting the native Americans. It was in Fort Greene Ville, too, that Wayne signed the Treaty of Greene Ville with the chief of 12 allied Indian tribes, bringing peace to the area and opening the Northwest Territory for settlement. The major tribes represented at the treaty signing on Aug. 3, 1795, were Chippewa, Ottawa, Pottawattomi, Shawnee, Delaware, Miami, Wayndotte, Eel River, Wea, Piankeshawa, Kickapoo and Kaskaskia.
     Fort Greene Ville was one of a series of 10 Indian Wars forts that extended from Fort Washington in Cincinnati to Fort Wayne Indiana. The fort, built on 50 acres, was enclosed by a wooden stockade and blockhouses. The fort was named in honor of Wayne's Revolutionary War co-patriot, Gen. Nathanael Greene.
Today, remnants of the fort remain, as does a monument to commemorate the signing of the treaty. Encompassing more than 100 acres, the Greenville City Park today includes seven fishing lakes, a public swimming pool and a stone suspension bridge that spans the Greenville Creek.
     Just around the bend from the park is the Garst Museum, which houses a number of historic artifacts related to the Treaty of Greene Ville and Native Americans. The museum also honors three of Greenville's most famous sons and daughters: Renowned radio broadcaster Lowell Thomas, Zachary Lansdowne, naval commander of the USS Shenandoah, and Phoebe Ann Moses (better known as Annie Oakley). Annie and her husband, sharpshooter Frank Butler, are buried in Brock Cemetery a few miles outside of Greenville near her childhood home.