Fort Minear

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Just to the east and slightly south of North Bend Mills is the area known as Fort Minear. Named after the German immigrant and his son who helped establish the mills and originally scouted the area, the old fort along the river had been a trading post for settlers as opposed to anything regarding the military. The fort itself sat atop a nearby hill overlooking the waterway started as a series of tents with small wooden barricades that would eventually evolve into walls of tall wooden timbers buried halfway into the ground. Given the out of the way location of the town, it was virtually overlooked during every war and aside from a small contingent of militia during the Civil War there was never really any troop presence. Merchants and tradesmen slowly began building more permanent places to make and sell their wares which met up with the growing population at the mills. The two neighborhoods came together to form one town called Foxhill Downs in 1794. While the original fort rotted away and decayed it was rebuilt in the 1980’s when there was a resurgence of pride for their history in town and has stayed open as a history museum and local landmark since.

Fort Minear is the shopping and commercial heart of the city with two malls residing in the area; one indoor and one outdoor. The indoor mall is called the Fort Minear Shopping Center which features several major retailers as well as a few smaller local businesses within. Built in the 1980’s it’s exterior reflects the town’s heritage as opposed to the style of the decade and is actually smaller than one might expect from most malls. The outdoor mall is called Fort Minear Shopping Village and it too features several major retailers but is much more focused on local products and cuisine. Built in the 1990’s it is a series of well-lit and decorated streets with brick buildings and accents which call back to the rustic and folksy nature of the area. Few residential homes can be found nearby, though there are some shops which boast apartments for rent in the floors above but at a steep price.