Last updated: June 9, 2021
Place
The Wayne Stockade
Fran Maedel
Quick Facts
Location:
Corner of East Elm Ave. and North Monroe Street, Monroe, MI. 48162
MANAGED BY:
City of Monroe, Michigan
The Wayne Stockade was located on the east side of the intersection of North Monroe Street and East Elm Street in downtown Monroe, Michigan.
The Stockade and blockhouses were built in 1805 to serve as the southern defense and logistics hub for the Post of Detroit. In August of 1812, Captain Brush of the Ohio Militia reached Frenchtown with supplies for Detroit, but could not proceed further because the Native Confederation had blocked the military road. After three failed attempts to break through to Frenchtown from Detroit, the U.S. surrendered to the British on August 16, 1812.
All the troops in the Michigan Territory were included in the terms of surrender, including Brush’s. The next day, British Captain Elliot accompanied by a Wyandot Indian and a Frenchman, reached Frenchtown and approached the stockade. When the British officer made contact, he was blindfolded and brought into the stockade. Captain Brush refused to accept that General Hull had surrendered, accused Elliot of being a spy and placed him under arrest. The next day some of the Michigan Militia that had been present at the surrender made it to Frenchtown and verified the surrender. Instead of complying with the terms, Brush and his men immediately headed back to Ohio with as much as they could carry, leaving the helpless Elliot bound in the stockade.
Prior to the first Battle of Frenchtown, the British burned the stockade to prevent the U.S. from being able to use it.
After the war, the acre of land the stockade once stood on was purchased by the Hon. Charles Noble who built a house on it. During the interurban period, a large powerhouse that provided electricity to the rails was constructed on the property. Sitting at the end of the Monroe Street bridge, traffic had to turn left or right to get past it. In later years a gasoline station, a bank and a veterinary clinic have occupied the site. While not as pronounced today, north and south bound traffic still must maneuver around what was the location of the stockade. You can stand at the corner of East Elm Avenue and North Monroe Street and imagine the Wayne Stockade that once stood there.
The Stockade and blockhouses were built in 1805 to serve as the southern defense and logistics hub for the Post of Detroit. In August of 1812, Captain Brush of the Ohio Militia reached Frenchtown with supplies for Detroit, but could not proceed further because the Native Confederation had blocked the military road. After three failed attempts to break through to Frenchtown from Detroit, the U.S. surrendered to the British on August 16, 1812.
All the troops in the Michigan Territory were included in the terms of surrender, including Brush’s. The next day, British Captain Elliot accompanied by a Wyandot Indian and a Frenchman, reached Frenchtown and approached the stockade. When the British officer made contact, he was blindfolded and brought into the stockade. Captain Brush refused to accept that General Hull had surrendered, accused Elliot of being a spy and placed him under arrest. The next day some of the Michigan Militia that had been present at the surrender made it to Frenchtown and verified the surrender. Instead of complying with the terms, Brush and his men immediately headed back to Ohio with as much as they could carry, leaving the helpless Elliot bound in the stockade.
Prior to the first Battle of Frenchtown, the British burned the stockade to prevent the U.S. from being able to use it.
After the war, the acre of land the stockade once stood on was purchased by the Hon. Charles Noble who built a house on it. During the interurban period, a large powerhouse that provided electricity to the rails was constructed on the property. Sitting at the end of the Monroe Street bridge, traffic had to turn left or right to get past it. In later years a gasoline station, a bank and a veterinary clinic have occupied the site. While not as pronounced today, north and south bound traffic still must maneuver around what was the location of the stockade. You can stand at the corner of East Elm Avenue and North Monroe Street and imagine the Wayne Stockade that once stood there.