Fort Loramie, OH

Fort Loramie is a Shelby County village along Loramie Creek, about 42 miles north-northwest of Dayton and 20 miles east of Indiana. The 2020 census counted 1,590 residents. The place began with Pierre-Louis de Lorimier's 1769 trading post and later took shape around the Miami and Erie Canal, which brought German canal workers and trade through the center of town. The former canal corridor is now a community park, and the Miami and Erie Canal Towpath continues north as part of a 40-mile trail.

Lake Loramie State Park keeps the old canal reservoir at the heart of the local map, with a 1,655-acre lake and 407 acres of parkland for boating, fishing, and camping. Summer brings Country Concert to Hickory Hill Lake south of the village, a three-day festival that draws thousands. Fort Loramie's village services, elementary and high schools, St. Michael's church, and community fire company sit within a place whose history is still visible in the canal, lake, and annual music crowd.