STOP 13: INDIAN HILLS
401 Glenwood Road
One of Rossford’s most remarkable historical sites is outside the downtown area.
If you have time, consider visiting this site after exploring Eagle Point Colony.
Your destination is 401 Glenwood Road, known as Indian Hills.
Today, it’s a peaceful, wooded area.
But its history goes back much farther than Rossford itself.
Most recently, this was the site of Indian Hills Elementary School, which has since been demolished.
For many longtime residents, this area was once known as Crane’s Woods.
It was a popular place for community gatherings, including Libbey-Owens-Ford Old-Timers picnics and VJ Day celebrations.
Then, in 1963, something unexpected happened.
A group of Boy Scouts digging in the woods discovered Native American arrowheads.
That discovery led to an archaeological investigation by the University of Toledo.
And what researchers found was remarkable.
Long before Rossford existed—and long before the glass factory—this area was home to a thriving Native American village.
Canoes traveled through nearby creeks, the Great Black Swamp and the Maumee River.
Trade took place here, and the village was protected by palisaded walls.
At its peak, about 1,000 Native Americans lived here.
Families lived, worked and built their community on this land.
Archaeologists also discovered four burial pits containing the remains of more than 100 Native Americans.
The discoveries provided a powerful glimpse into the people who lived here long before European contact.
Further research showed just how significant the site was.
It is now recognized as one of the largest—and possibly one of the last—Native American villages in the region before European contact in the early 1600s.
Think about that.
What began with a few arrowheads discovered by curious young scouts helped reshape our understanding of the history of this area.
Today, the site where Indian Hills Elementary School once stood is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Its story is an important reminder that Rossford’s history didn’t begin with the glass factory.
It goes back centuries.
