11/16/2023
Great news to hear!
We've had the opportunity to do in-depth research and explore these various Native American sites in Ohio, including those used by the Shawnee Tribe, while creating a new visitor center film for the state parks of Ohio.
In September, Ohio's Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks was designated as the nation's newest UNESCO World Heritage Site!
Nearly 2,000 years ago, Native Americans built dozens of monumental mounds and earthen enclosures in what is now the state of Ohio. These earthwork complexes were ceremonial landscapes used for feasts, funerals, rituals and rites of passage created by people, now referred to as the Hopewell Culture.
The Earthworks include Hopewell Culture National Historical Park, including the Mound City Group, Hopewell Mound Group, Seip Earthworks, High Bank Earthworks, and Hopeton Earthworks, as well as Ohio History Connection's Octagon Earthworks and Great Circle Earthworks in Newark and Fort Ancient Earthworks.
Visitors who walk quietly through the enclosure and among the mounds experience a sense of what it may have been like to gather at a Hopewell ceremony. Please be mindful that the Mound City Group is still considered a sacred place by many people, so please treat the earthworks with respect. Visitors are welcome to stroll reverently amongst the mounds, but please do not walk on the mounds or earthen walls.
Photo by Tom Engberg / NPS