Hopewell Culture National Historical Park

The early morning sun casting several long shadows on the mound group

NPS / Tom Engberg

Quick Facts

Location:

Chillicothe, Ohio

Significance:

2,000 Year Old Earthworks

Designation:

National Historical Park

Amenities

16 listed

Cellular Signal, Gifts/Souvenirs/Books, Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Information, Information - Maps Available, Information - Ranger/Staff Member Present, Information Kiosk/Bulletin Board, Parking - Auto, Parking - Bus/RV, Picnic Table, Recycling, Restroom, Restroom - Accessible, Scenic View/Photo Spot, Trash/Litter Receptacles, Water - Bottle-Filling Station

Are you ready to step back in time over 2,000 years ago to experience a prehistoric culture that created enormous earthen monuments and crafted intricate artwork out of exotic natural materials that paid homage to their own? Well, you won’t need to arrange a trip to the ancient pyramids of Egypt or the preserved ruins of the Roman Empire in Italy. Look no farther than the heartland of the United States; Ohio. Hopewell Culture National Historical Park protects the remains of a dynamic social and ceremonial phenomenon that once flourished in the woodlands of eastern North America.

Long before the first Europeans ever set foot on the continent, American Indians were constructing earthen mounds and embankments that enclosed hundreds of acres of land throughout the south-central Ohio area. Burial mounds to mark the locations of their dead and earthworks formed into huge geometric patterns, like circles, squares, and octagons, were the signatures of this ancient culture. The people now known as the Hopewell built these ceremonial places and gathered at them for feasts, funerals, and rites of passage.

When you come to the park’s visitor center at Mound City Group, you walk in the footprints of American Indians who constructed these sites from about 200 B.C. to A.D. 500. As you walk among the burial mounds, you can read about their significance and what was discovered by archeologists who tell us the story through their research. Taking a tour inside the visitor center, you’ll witness pieces of ancient, priceless artwork crafted by American Indian hands. Effigy birds crafted from copper brought from the Lake Superior region, earspools made of silver from southern Ontario, and a spear point blade fabricated from obsidian brought from Wyoming, more than 2,000 miles away!

As your tour at the Mound City Group comes to an end, journeying to the park’s other sites will leave you equally astounded and in awe of the accomplishments of the Hopewell culture. The grand scale of the geometric earthworks is enough to tire out visitors, figuratively and literally. Trails at each of the park’s sites will take you on journeys that will have you counting your steps in miles, not feet. A small jaunt at any of the sites is enough to make us appreciate the engineering, manpower, and skill involved in creating these ancient monuments.

Located in Chillicothe, Ohio, the park’s visitor center at Mound City Group offers an award-winning 19-minute orientation film and a world-class museum filled with exquisite artifacts that are over 2,000 years old. The park is less than 60 miles south of Ohio’s capital, Columbus, and is only 77 miles southeast of Dayton and 105 miles northeast of Cincinnati. Find more information to plan your trip, including directions, and maps.