Archeologist say the graves of American veterans could be locate where the original Fort Madison once stood and some in the city of Fort Madison are worried that a valuable historic site might be lost to development.
Historical records confirm the deaths of at least seven American soldiers at the fort from the time of its construction in 1808 to battles during the War of 1812 when the fort was attacked several times by Native Americans allied with the British.
Clinton Durr of the Southeast Iowa Military History Association believes the bodies of those soldiers would have been buried at or near the fort. Durr says the first priority is trying to find the bodies of those men and preserving the fort for future generations.
The site is currently private property and Durr says there’s only one way to save it. He says they would probably have to buy the property. Durr says taking over the property would benefit everyone.
"If something strange would happen, or a miracle would happen, and we got enough money to buy this property, we could even donate it to state or federal government and start a state or national park right there," Durr says. Durr says the first step is to break out the check book for a donation.
He says you can send a donation to Box 143, Fort Madison, Iowa, 52627. Durr says you can make the donations out to the Southeast Iowa Military History Association. The site is located not far from where the reconstructed Fort Madison was built along the Mississippi River and is where the old Shaefer Pen Company used to be located.