COLUMBUS — The Ohio History Connection and its partners at the National Park Service will commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks’ inscription to the UNESCO World Heritage List on Sept. 19 at their sites in Licking, Ross and Warren counties.
Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks is the collective name for eight works of monumental landscape architecture built by Native Americans between 1,600 and 2,000 years ago in central and southern Ohio. Five of the earthworks sites are managed by the National Park Service, and three are managed by the Ohio History Connection.
The Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks sites were inscribed to the UNESCO World Heritage List on Sept. 19, 2023, by the 21 countries on the World Heritage Committee during a meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. There are 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. and the first and only one in Ohio.
“The first anniversary of the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks officially becoming a UNESCO World Heritage Site is such an important milestone,” said Megan Wood, Executive Director and CEO of the Ohio History Connection. “These masterpieces of ancient landscape architecture built by American Indians truly demonstrate the concept of outstanding universal value the World Heritage program recognizes across the globe.”
The commemoration for Fort Ancient Earthworks & Nature Preserve, 6123 State Route 350 in Oregonia, will begin at 3 p.m. Sept. 19 with a plaque-unveiling ceremony and guided tours and activities immediately following. The observance at Fort Ancient will continue for the next two days with a guided site tour at 1 p.m. Sept. 20 and an Ancient Wooden Architecture Presentation at 10:30 a.m. Sept. 21.
The commemoration for the Great Circle Earthworks and Octagon Earthworks is scheduled from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Sept. 19 at the Great Circle, 455 Hebron Road in Heath, and will include speakers and a plaque-unveiling ceremony. Interpretive and educational programs planned after the ceremony include guided tours of the Great Circle at 11:45 a.m. and 2 p.m., a Remnants Walking Tour from 1 to 4 p.m. and demonstrations of atlatl throwing and earthwork building through 4 p.m.
The commemoration for the five sites that are part of the National Park Service’s Hopewell Culture National Historical Park, 16062 State Route 104 in Chillicothe, will begin with a Ranger-led tour of Mound City at 3 p.m., Junior Ranger hands-on activities at the visitor center at 4 p.m., and a special screening of the extended version of the interpretive film “Mysteries of the Ancient Architects” followed by a staff Q&A at 6 p.m. Activities will end at 8 p.m.
Admission is free to all events, and no registration is required.
For more information about the events and the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks, go to hopewellearthworks.org/inscriptionanniversary/.
