A Southern Ohio Phenomenon

Evidence of the Hopewell Culture stretches from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico. Never the less, there are far more of their giant geometric complexes in Ohio than anywhere else.

Specifically, they appear to have been built mostly in Southern Ohio, as well as across the borders into northern Kentucky and eastern Indiana. This region is known as “The Hopewell Heartland” and is the primary focus of the Heartland Earthworks Conservancy’s efforts.

Even more amazing is the awesome concentration of the major earthworks complexes in one county of Ohio, Ross County. That is why Hopewell Culture National Historical Park is located here, on the outskirts of Chillicothe, Ohio.

Beginning about 2,000 years ago, Ross County, Ohio, was clearly one of the most important ceremonial centers in what is now the U.S.A. for hundreds of years. Was the Chillicothe area the site of a powerful religious phenomenon 2,000 years ago? Is there something about the way the rivers leave the plains and flow into the Appalachian foothills here? What is it about Ross County Ohio that inspired these people to create one of most glorious sets of monuments in North America?