Fort Ancient hosting World Heritage Week events through this weekend

The Native American earthworks site in Warren County is part of the only UNESCO World Heritage site in Ohio
Fort Ancient Earthworks and Nature Preserve in Warren County, is part of the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks which was designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. CONTRIBUTED/OHIO HISTORY CONNECTION

Fort Ancient Earthworks and Nature Preserve in Warren County, is part of the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks which was designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. CONTRIBUTED/OHIO HISTORY CONNECTION
Local News
By Ed Richter
April 18, 2024
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Today is World Heritage Day, and this week the Ohio History Connection and its partners at the National Park Service have organized special events at the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks, Ohio’s first and only UNESCO World Heritage site.

The Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks is the collective name for eight examples of monumental landscape architecture built by Native Americans between 1,600 and 2,000 years ago in Licking, Ross and Warren counties. Five of the earthworks sites are managed by the National Park Service, and three are managed by the Ohio History Connection.

This weekend, special events will be held at Fort Ancient Earthworks and Nature Preserve, 6123 Ohio 350, in Oregonia, east of Lebanon.

The Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks were inscribed to the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Culture Organization) World Heritage List on Sept. 19, 2023, by the 21 countries on the World Heritage Committee. There are only about 1,200 World Heritage Sites around the globe, and the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks is just the 25th World Heritage Listing in the U.S.

ExploreFort Ancient, other Ohio Hopewell Earthworks sites, named to World Heritage List

“We’ve seen a great deal of interest and attendance since the inscription,” said Neil Thompson, Ohio History Connection spokesman. “This network of sites are extraordinary examples of monumental landscape architecture built 2,000 years ago. The scale of human creative genius is enormous.”

Thompson said hilltop enclosure at Fort Ancient covers 110 acres and these sites were constructed for ceremonial purposes. The other sites in the network are geometric earthworks and feature precise steps and angles with solar and lunar alignments. At Fort Ancient, there is an alignment with the summer solstice.

Sunrise Between the Mounds of Fort Ancient Earthworks

Credit: Fort Ancient

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Credit: Fort Ancient

“The precision in these places are absolutely amazing,” he said. “This was built 2,000 years ago using clamshell hoes, sharpened sticks and moving one basket of dirt at a time.”

ExploreFort Ancient recognition may increase Warren County visibility, historical awareness

The National Park Service’s five Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks locations are at Hopewell Culture National Historical Park in and around Chillicothe. The Ohio History Connection’s locations are in Heath, Newark and Oregonia. For details about all eight locations of the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks, go to hopewellearthworks.org.

Explore7 reasons why Fort Ancient is one of the most fascinating places in our area

Here is the list of activities this weekend at Fort Ancient:

  • Today, April 18: Natural History Tours at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. Organized hourly natural history tours throughout several miles of hiking trails at this nature preserve.
  • Friday, April 19: Archaeological Tour at 1 p.m. Take an archaeological tour of the grounds of the largest hilltop enclosure in North America.
  • Saturday, April 20: Gardening and cooking demonstrations from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. all day in the interpretive garden behind the museum.
  • Sunday, April 21: Gardening and cooking demonstrations from noon to 5 p.m. in the interpretive garden behind the museum.
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About the Author

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Ed Richter has been a working journalist for 38 years, with the last 34 years working in various capacities covering Butler and Warren counties as a reporter and an editor. Richter covers local news and governments in Warren County focusing on Springboro, Lebanon, Franklin, Carlisle and Waynesville.