The United States of America became a country nearly 250 years ago. But about two years before the Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence, a group of soldiers signed another important document in the middle of the Ohio Country.

The Fort Gower Resolves — written and signed in November of 1774 – is considered to be one of the earliest documents signaling support for American independence.

This weekend, 250 years after the document’s creation, historians are recognizing the moment’s importance with a conference at the Southeast Ohio History Center.

But just how did the Fort Gower Resolves come about? And what impact did they have? In case you missed this bit of Ohio history, Chris Matheney, the historic site manager of the Ohio Statehouse, joined the Ohio Newsroom to explain.

This conversation has been lightly edited for clarity and brevity.

What were Virginian soldiers doing in Ohio Country?

“Lord Dunmore [the royal governor of Virginia at the time] and an army of Virginians had marched into the Ohio Country trying to bring peace [as Native Americans resisted white settlers’ encroachment on their land as they moved west], ultimately through force of arms with the Native American tribes living there, like the Shawnee, the Seneca, the Ohio Seneca-Cayuga, the Delaware, the Lenape. It was a world war, in a way, right here in our Ohio Country.

“So that’s what brought the soldiers in. But what we’re talking about today is really what happened on the way back after peace was made at Camp Charlotte, which is near Circleville.”

What motivated the soldiers to draft the Fort Gower Resolves?

“As the soldiers returned, Lord Dunmore and his entourage returned to Virginia, leaving his army to follow at their own pace. While the army was at Fort Gower [initially built as a supply depot because of its location at the confluence of the Hocking and Ohio rivers], they received word that the First Continental Congress had convened in September of 1774, and the news was electrifying to them.

“What the Congress had decided to do was basically send a strong remonstrance back to England about the Intolerable Acts [which the British referred to as the Coercive Acts]. These were a number of acts that King George III and the Parliament took to curb American rebellions, things like the closure of the Port of Boston.

“The First Continental Congress so emboldened these officers and men at Fort Gower, there in this wilderness outpost, that they decided to make their own resolves for liberty. And these resolves, known as the Fort Gower Resolves, which were signed by the officers on November 5, 1774, have some of the first stirrings of what we call the defense, or resolve, for American liberty.”

What did the Fort Gower Resolves say?

“The first part of the resolves talks about their faithful allegiance to His Majesty, King George III. You know, we weren’t sure how this was going to end. We just knew that things needed to change. But — that’s a big word — part of the resolves say this:

“But as the love of liberty, an attachment to the real interests and just rights of America outweigh every other consideration, we resolve that we will exert every power within us for the defense of American liberty and for the support of her just rights and privileges, not in any precipitant, riotous or tumultuous manner, but when regularly called forth by the unanimous voice of our countrymen.” 

What’s the significance of the document in American history?

“The Fort Gower Resolves was signed by all the officers present, and they wanted to make sure that the word got back to the King and Parliament. So they had it published in the Virginia Gazette. They were published in five of the 13 original colonies or states, depending on how you want to call them. And they were read into the records of the House of Lords in London, where one member, after hearing this said, ‘Well, we may now know what to expect from the Virginia officers.’

“This was almost six months before Lexington and Concord, the shot heard around the world, and about 18 months before the Declaration of Independence.”

How have the Fort Gower Resolves influenced our democracy today?

“One of the ways: just being able to elect our own leaders. This is something that got started, in a way, in that very tumultuous year of 1774. [Voting] is something that we wanted to be able to do, but it was one of the things the Crown would not allow us to do.

“So I think it’s a direct trace. It’s something that we practice every year — being able to vote. And nothing could be more symbolic. November 5, 1774, is when those resolves were written here in the Ohio Country. And of course, November 5, 2024 — 250 years ago to the day, we had a [massive] turnout of voters.”

Gov. Mike DeWine’s phone is blowing up with calls over Ohio’s soon-to-be vacant U.S. Senate seat, but he’s not giving away who’s in line for the job.

Sen. JD Vance won the vice presidency Tuesday, just two years after he was first elected to the Senate. Per state law, DeWine will appoint someone to serve with Sen.-elect Bernie Moreno until 2026. Voters will then elect someone to fill out the remaining two years of Vance’s term.

Moreno defeated longtime Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown Tuesday, meaning Ohio will soon be represented by two brand new senators.

“It takes someone who really will focus on the state of Ohio, will focus on national issues, someone who will really work hard, someone who wants to get things done,” DeWine told reporters Thursday. “These are qualifications, I think, that are very important. It also has to be someone who could win a primary. It has to be someone who could win a general election, and then two years later, do all that again. So, this is not for the faint-hearted.”

DeWine’s appointee will assume the role when Vance resigns from his seat. A Vance spokesman did not respond to questions about his timeline, but new senators take the oath of office in early January.

Who might replace JD Vance in the Senate?

DeWine is expected to appoint a fellow Republican, but he declined to say with whom he’s spoken or who he’s considering. Among the names floating around are former Ohio Republican Party chair Jane Timken, Secretary of State Frank LaRose and state Sen. Matt Dolan, R-Chagrin Falls.

Speaking to reporters Thursday, Moreno said he wants to see someone who supports the GOP agenda and understands what it’s like to campaign across the state.

“This is the difference between inherited wealth and wealth that you had to build yourself,” Moreno said. “And I’m not a fan of inherited wealth people. They tend to be lazy. The person that had to work for it is person I want to see.”

Dolan and LaRose lost to Moreno in the March Republican Senate primary. An adviser for Dolan did not respond to a request for comment. In a statement, LaRose said he’s “always ready to answer the call of duty” but currently focused on certifying Tuesday’s election results.

One person appeared to rule out a Senate appointment: Attorney General Dave Yost, who is running for governor against Lt. Gov. Jon Husted.

“Look, I’m an executive,” Yost told reporters earlier this week. “I’ve never been a legislator, and I’m not ready to end my public service, but I can’t imagine going to Washington, D.C. and I would not accept that.”

DeWine said he’d be open to someone who, like Moreno, doesn’t have prior experience in office. One person in that vein is Vivek Ramaswamy, a Columbus-area entrepreneur and Cincinnati-area native who unsuccessfully ran for the GOP presidential nomination earlier this year.

Ramaswamy has also been rumored as a potential candidate for governor or appointee to President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet. An asset management firm started by Ramaswamy is moving from Columbus to Dallas, but he said he’s no longer involved with the company and plans to stay in Ohio.

“Not everybody has the same skills,” Ramaswamy told reporters Thursday. “I’m an executive by background. That’s served me well as an entrepreneur, and those are skills that I’d like to put to use, and I want to reflect on the biggest and best possible way that we can use that skillset as an outsider to hopefully transform this country.”

Statehouse bureau reporters Jessie Balmert and Erin Glynn contributed.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol is reminding motorists of the increase in deer-involved crashes during this time of year.

Since 2019, there have been 109,507 deer-involved crashes on Ohio roadways. While 95% of deer-involved crashes only resulted in property damage, 44 crashes were fatal and resulted in 45 deaths. Additionally, from 2019-2023, 47% of these crashes occurred in October, November and December, with 22% occurring in November alone.

The most crashes involving deer have happened in Stark (3,138), Richland (2,880), Hancock (2,725) and Defiance (2,560) counties. Combined, these four counties accounted for 10% of all deer-involved crashes. Additionally, more than 100 deer-involved crashes have happened in all but one Ohio county since 2019.

Simple tips to avoid an animal collision are: scan the road ahead, use high-beam headlights when able, be extra cautious at dawn and dusk and if a collision is unavoidable, brake – don’t swerve to stay in your lane.

A statistical map containing deer-involved crash information can be found here.