Discovering Ohio's Ancient Past
Pre-columbian Native Culture Sites in Ohio
The best preserved geometrical earthwork remnants of the Hopewell Culture is located at Newark Earthworks near Granville, east of Columbus. A fully reconstructed enclosure and mound system known as Mound City earthworks can be found at Hopewell Culture National Historical Park just north of Chillicothe. The earthworks complex and an interpretive museum at Mound City is operated by the National Park Service.
In addition to Fort Hill, another hilltop enclosure is preserved at Fort Ancient, located near present-day Lebanon. This is a particularly well-preserved and large-walled earthwork complex built by the Hopewell Culture, but inhabited later by the Fort Ancient Culture. Museum displays are part of the public offering.
Seip Mound, a few miles west of Chillicothe, features an impressively large mound, a remnant of what was once part of a large Hopewell Culture earthworks complex in scenic Paint Valley.
Sunwatch Village is a re-created Native American Village in Dayton, representing the later Fort Ancient Culture.
The internationally renowned earthworks of Serpent Mound lies only 15 minutes away from Fort Hill. Although no one knows for certain who originally engineered the Serpent Mound earthworks, the strongest evidence to date suggests this impressive effigy mound was built by the Fort Ancient Culture. However, neither the Adena nor the later Hopewell Culture have been conclusively ruled out by the relatively scant archaeological evidence. Regardless of the identity of the original architects, most likely Serpent Mound was a sacred ceremonial site serving many tribes over successive cultural eras, possibly in active use (if you include modern day) for as long as three thousand years. The earthworks at Serpent Mound is more easily accessible and visually discernable than the earthworks at Fort Hill, so including both sites on a day trip is recommended. Serpent Mound is operated by the Arc of Appalachia Preserve System on behalf of the Ohio Historical Society, and includes an interpretive museum.