What Is Hopewell Culture National Historical Park?
Hopewell Culture National Historical Park preserves six unique collections of ceremonial mounds of an ancient Native American culture we only know as the Hopewell!
What Makes It Historical?
The Hopewell people are shrouded in mystery! All we really know about them is that they were a major cultural and political power between 200 BC and 500 AD and that they ranged from Missouri to New York! The name we call them now comes from a local farmer named Mordecai C. Hopewell! They’re most famous for their grand mounds, some for burials, others for uncertain purposes, and these mounds are most highly concentrated in Ohio!
The Hopewell had an immense trade network, which brought copper from the Great Lakes, mica from the Carolinas, and obsidian from as far as Yellowstone! Plenty of arrowheads and carved figures have been found here among their mounds, some as offerings to the deceased, who were cremated then buried within some of the mounds. Sadly, many of these amazing structures are barely visible today after two centuries of plowing. The Mound City group, where the visitor center is located, is the only site that has been fully restored!
How Can I #HelpTheHelpers?
- Pay the entrance fee to help maintain trails, signs, structures, and other visitor services!
- Volunteer at Hopewell Culture National Historical Park!
- Donate to Hopewell Culture National Historical Park!
- Be a responsible visitor! Remember the old adages: Pack out what you pack in! Take nothing but pictures and leave nothing but footprints!
How Do I Get There?
Mound City Group:
- 16062 State Route 104
Chillicothe, Ohio 45601
Hopeton Earthworks:
- 990 Hopetown Rd.
Chillicothe, Ohio 45601
Hopewell Mound Group:
- 4731 Sulphur Lick Rd.
Chillicothe, Ohio 45601
Seip Earthworks:
- 7078 U.S. Route 50
Bainbridge, Ohio 45612
Spruce Hill Earthworks:
- 39 17’13.27″N 83 07’39.63″W
High Bank Earthworks isn’t open to the public.
(Take Me There!)
When Should I Visit the Park?
Most sites are open dawn to dusk, but the visitor center at Mound City is only open from 8:00 AM until 5:00 PM!
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