Ready to really go back in time? How about a couple thousand years for starters? The first Ohioans left incredible clues in the earth to tell us their story. Check out our archaeology sites to discover more about their hidden treasures.
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Fort Ancient
- Have you ever piled up sand to hold water back at the beach? Or built a snow fort to hide behind during a snowball fight? Picture yourself building 18,000 feet (3 1/2 miles!) of earthen walls - without a modern shovel!
- That is what the prehistoric Hopewell people did 2,000 years ago. To get soil for these walls, they dug up the earth with shoulder blades of deer, antlers from elk, clam shells, and digging sticks. Then they carried the soil in huge baskets to the place where they built the walls. You can see these awesome walls and the remains of prehistoric mounds at Fort Ancient State Memorial.
- The museum just reopened with terrific interactive exhibits that tell the story of Native Americans who lived in the Ohio Valley over the last 15,000 years.
LOCATION:
- Fort Ancient is seven miles southwest of Lebanon, in Warren County. Exit I-71 at Wilmington Road (Exit 36) and take Middleboro Road south to State Route 350, turn right into the park.
TELEPHONE NUMBER:
- 513-932-4421. Please call for hours and admission information.
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Inscription Rock
- Want to see some really old pictographs of animals and people?
- Take a look at what is left of the drawings of prehistoric Native Americans at this site. They carved these pictures into limestone rock more than 3,000 years ago.
LOCATION:
- Inscription Rock is located on Kelley's Island, in Lake Erie, eight miles north of Sandusky. Ferries leave from Marblehead. Call the Neuman Boat Line at 419-626-5557 for ferry schedules.
TELEPHONE NUMBER:
- 419-797-0425. Please call for hours and admission information.
Story Mound
- If Story Mound could talk, it would tell an interesting story about the round wooden building constructed here 2,500 years ago by the Adena people.
LOCATION:
- Story Mound is in northwestern Chillicothe, in Ross County, just off of Allen Avenue, on Delano Street.
TELEPHONE NUMBER:
- 800-686-1535. Please call for hours and admission information.
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Miamisburg Mound
- Everything about Miamisburg Mound is BIG.
- That is why it is the largest cone-shaped burial mound in Ohio.
LOCATION:
- Miamisburg Mound is on Mound Avenue, one mile south of State Route 725 and three miles west of exit 42 off I-75, in Montgomery County.
TELEPHONE NUMBER:
- 937-866-4532. Please call for hours and admission information.
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Ohio Historical Center
- Wow! Talk about history. Also archaeology and natural history.
- This place has loads of it - more than any other site in Ohio. It includes a big museum with tons of exhibits about Native Americans and other Ohioans. Also, it has lots of information about Ohio plants and animals. If you want to know ANYTHING about Ohio, you are sure to find it at the Ohio Historical Center.
LOCATION:
- Ohio Historical Center is located just off the interchange of 17th Avenue with I-71 (Exit Number 111), north of downtown Columbus, in Franklin County.
TELEPHONE NUMBER:
- 614 297-2300. Please call for hours and admission information.
Flint Ridge State Memorial
- Flint, how important was it to Ohio's prehistoric Indians? They couldn't live without it!
- They used the stone to make tools, light fires, and carve weapons for hunting wild animals. Many Indians traveled miles to Flint Ridge to collect the best samples of this precious stone. Today Flint Ridge is only a car drive away!
- Make your first stop at the museum, which was actually built around an original flint pit dug by prehistoric Indians. Most of the exhibits explain the geology of flint and the techniques of mining and chipping it. Outside, you can see more flint pits as you follow scenic nature trails through the area.
LOCATION:
- Flint Ridge is located four miles north of I-70, three miles north of Brownsville, on Co. 668 in southeastern Licking County.
TELEPHONE NUMBER:
- 614 728-2476. Please call for hours and admission information.
Adena Mound
- The Adena Culture (800 B.C. - A.D. 100) is named for the Adena Mound, which was formerly located at the base of the hill on which Thomas Worthington's home is built.
- During the excavation, archaeologists found many facinating artifacts, including spear points and the famous Adena Pipe.
- Please note that the Adena has undergone a complete restoration of the house, and has completed construction of an exciting new museum.
LOCATION:
- Adena is located at the south end of Adena Road, off Pleasant Valley Road, which is the first road west off of State Route 104, just north of the U.S. 35 interchange at the north edge of Chillicothe in Ross County.
TELEPHONE NUMBER:
- 740-772-1500. Please call for hours and admission information.
Fort Hill
- If you like rocks, you'll love Fort Hill.
- You'll see plenty of them, as well as natural arches and bridges formed by rocks. Fort Hill also has one of the best-preserved Indian hilltop enclosures - including two buildings the Hopewell people used for ceremonies about 2,000 years ago.
- Be sure to stop by the museum to learn more about the geology and archaeology of the area.
LOCATION:
- Fort Hill is located off State Route 256, five miles north of Sinking Springs and three miles south of Cynthiana in Highland County.
TELEPHONE NUMBER:
- 937-588-3221. Fort Hill is open all year during daylight hours.
Seip Mound
- Seip Mound is 240 feet long, 130 feet wide and 30 feet high! It is definitely worth the trip!
LOCATION:
- The mound is located 14 miles southwest of Chillicothe and 2 miles east of Bainbridge, on U.S. Route 50, in Ross County.
TELEPHONE NUMBER:
- 800-686-1535. Open all year during daylight hours. Admission is FREE.
Newark Earthworks
- Egypt may have its pyramids ... but Ohio has its Hopewell Earthworks!
- The prehistoric Hopewell Indians skillfully turned mounds of dirt into impressive animal and geometric shapes, which often covered acres of land.
- So grab your safari hat and head to Newark to check out these mysterious mounds! The Moundbuilders' Great Circle Earthworks is approximately 1,200 feet in diameter, with grass covered walls that reach eight feet in height! How DID they do it?? The museum tells of the ancient artifacts left behind by the Hopewell and other prehistoric Indian cultures. It's a fascinating site ... AND much closer than Egypt!
LOCATION:
- Newark Earthworks is located on the south side of Newark on S.R,. 79 at the Heath Corporation limit, in Licking County.
TELEPHONE NUMBER:
- 800-600-7178. Please call for hours and admission information.
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Serpent Mound
- A snake in the grass. That's what this giant prehistoric earthwork looks like!
- See for yourself in this Site Safari adventure to Adams County.
- There, you will see a mound of earth nearly a quarter mile long that looks like a snake or serpent in the act of uncoiling. An oval mound near the end of the mound looks like the open mouth of the serpent. Archaeologists think that maybe the prehistoric Adena Indians built it thousands of years ago. But what does it mean and why was it built? No one knows for sure, but stop in at the museum on the site and study the models showing the mounds' construction and look at the displays of flint and pottery artifacts that came from some of the mounds on the site. Maybe YOU can help solve the mystery!
LOCATION:
- Serpent Mound is located on S.R. 73 in Adams County, on the east bluff of Brush Creek, 6 miles north of S.R. 32.
TELEPHONE NUMBER:
- 800-752-2757. Please call for hours and admission information.
Leo Petroglyph
- The Fort Ancient Indians carved 37 drawings of humans, animals and their footprints on this sandstone rock 2,00-3,600 years ago! These drawings are called "petroglyphs" and they're still here!
Check 'em out.
- See for yourself in this Site Safari adventure to Jackson County.
LOCATION:
- Leo Petrglyph is near the village of Leo, five miles northwest of Jackson, in Jackson County. Turn off of U.S. Route 35 on County Road 28, then left in Leo on Township Road 224.
TELEPHONE NUMBER:
- 800-686-1535. Open all year during daylight hours. Admission is FREE.
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