Hopewell Culture Administrative History

CHAPTER FIVE
Relations with the Community

Since the creation of Mound City Group National Monument, the people of Chillicothe, Ross County, and southern Ohio have demonstrated a strong proprietary interest in this small park area. For those keenly aware of the significance of the place, it represents a source of local pride that a key remnant of the Hopewell culture once flourished there. Likewise, those unaware of its significance have taken a similar pride in the site's anomalous landscape and beauty. More popularly referred to simply as "Mound City," local citizens in the late twentieth century considered Mound City Group National Monument an attribute to the region's tourism-enhanced, post-industrial economy.

From the onset of National Park Service administration, the national monument has taken its role as a member of the community seriously. Cognizant of its contribution to the area's economic viability as well as its mission to help enlighten young and old alike, managers have excelled at cultivating positive public relations. With its small staff and budget, park development and operations have benefitted from community partnerships to fulfill its congressional mandate, including those with other federal, state, and local agencies.

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