Hopewell Culture National Historical Park ⓘ

Many Hopewell earthworks seem to be aligned to astronomical events. High BankWorks appears to aim toward 12 exact points on the horizon. A desire to align works accurately may be one reason why the Hopewell built their earthworks so enormous and with such precise geometry. High Bank Works consists of multiple earthen features spread over 197 acres on a terrace above the Scioto River. A circle and octagon, each measuring approximately 1,000 feet in diameter, are major features of this site. On the interior of the octagon were eight small mounds that correspond to the eight intersecting points of the outer walls. Six of the intersecting points form gateways, and one to the north forms an entrance into the large circle. The large circle has one gateway to the east and is opposite a smaller circular enclosure 250 feet in diameter. Beyond the southern most point of the octagon were two small circles, each 300 feet in diameter, with single gateways. They were connected to the larger forms by two nearly parallel embankments extending southwest for almost 2,000 feet. Three small conjoined enclosures were located at the far end of the parallel embankments. High Bank Works' walls and gates are thought to be aligned to the eight points of the complicated 18.6 year lunar standstill cycle. The earthworks also appear to mark the four solstices. But unlike the sun's solstice cycle, the moon does not always stop at the same northern or southern extreme before "standing still" and reversing directions. Just marking the maximum and minimum of the moon's movement would have required many generations of study. The circle and octagon at High Bank form a remarkable pair with the Octagon Eathworks of Newark, the only other such combination the Hopewell ever built. High Bank’s main axis is at exactly 90 degrees to Newark’s, and the cross-axis of its octagon points to the moon’s northernmost rising at this latitude. Other features align to rise and set points of the sun, as well as the moon. In the mid-1800s, the walls of High Bank’s octagon were measured as equivalent to Hopeton’s –— 12 feet high and 50 feet wide.

This site is a research preserve and is open to the public only for scheduled events. For more information contact us at 740-774-1126. High Bank Works was not immune to the decades of farming and plowing that took its toll on earthwork sites. As a result of the multiple years of agricultural degredation, the site has not been restored to show any earthworks, unfortunately. If you wish to view the size of some of these incredible monuments, please visit Hopeton Earthworks and Seip Earthworks as the park has begun interpretive mowing so that visitors can actually see the immense size and shape of these collosal earthen monuments. Important Note: Launching, landing and operation of any type of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV / drones) is not permitted within National Park Service boundaries at any time. It is not restricted to just park operating hours. This is a 24/7 regulation, every day of the year. All sites and areas of Hopewell Culture National HIstorical Park (even parking lots) are included. Please report violations to a ranger or by calling us or emailing us . Read more about Unmanned Aircraft in the National Parks .

Two thousand years ago, American Indians of the Hopewell culture gathered in the Scioto River and Paint Creek valleys to build enormous geometic earthworks. For the next half millennia, the Hopewell culture flourished in the area creating spectacular earthen architecture and finely crafted objects. The Hopeton Earthworks complex includes a 7.3 hectare circle, a 7.86 hectare square, at least two small circles and parallel walls. The architecture of the Hopeton Earthworks is dominated by two immense geometric enclosures--a large, irregular square with rounded corners and a slight outward curvature in its northeastern face, and a more nearly perfect circle slightly overlapping it. These two figures have nearly equal areas, and together encompass 15.16 hectares (37.5 acres). Smaller circular structures also join the square at various points, and linear parallel earthworks extend westward toward the river for about 730 meters from the northwest corner of the square. Quicklinks for information and maps on visiting the site today.

The Hopeton Earthworks complex was constructed on a grand scale. The walls of the square were 3.7 meters high and 15.2 meters wide. The Great Circle’s diameter was 320 meters, with walls 1.5 meters high. The parallel walls ran for at least 730 meters and were 45.7 meters apart from each other.

The construction of the earthworks was purposeful. For instance, the parallel walls were constructed to align with the sunset on the winter solstice. In addition, the American Indians that built the walls of the enclosure carefully selected the type of soil they used. Red clay soil was used on the exterior of the walls and yellow clay soil was used on the interior walls. Even more remarkable, the Great Circle’s diameter of 320 meters was repeated at four other earthworks sites: Circleville, High Bank, Newark, and Seal.

Hopeton Earthworks was one of the first places in North America where the principles of scientific archeology were applied, and National Park Service archeologists continue this research today. A carefully measured map was first published in 1809. In 2012, archeologist used laser technology (LiDAR) to produce an elevation map of the earthwork surface accurate to +/-3 inches. Archeologist recently used global positioning systems (GPS) to map the precise location of almost 14,000 individual artifacts. This mapping effort also provided distribution information showing Hopewell artifacts widely scattered outside the earthworks, with very few inside the enclosures. This is further evidence that these spaces were set aside for sacred purposes. Most recently, an international team used state-of-the-art magnetic survey methods to detect buried archeological features across the entire Hopeton landscape. One remarkable discovery was that a row of monumental wooden posts spaced at 6 meter intervals once marked the outline of the Great Circle, forming a gigantic “Woodhenge.” Back to Top

Unfortunately, this fabulous earthwork complex fell victim to the same fate that claimed nearly all of the many renowned earthwork complexes of southern Ohio. Two centuries of plowing gradually leveled the sloping earthen embankment walls leaving them barely visible today. The famous team of pioneering archeologists Ephraim Squier and Edwin Davis surveyed and mapped this site in 1846. Even then they noted that the Great Circle “ has been much reduced of late years by the plough.” With the advent of mechanized agriculture in the 20 th century, the rate of erosion increased rapidly.

This site was also threatened by the gravel quarry that can be seen to the west. Fortunately, Congress authorized the National Park Service to acquire the Hopeton site in 1980 and provided funds for its purchase in 1988. Back to Top

Archeological Resources are nonrenewable and irreplaceable. In the 19 th and 20 th centuries, archeological sites suffered greatly from looting and damaging excavation methods. It was also common practice to excavate burial sites and place artifacts and human remains on display, with little regard for American Indian beliefs. Over time, archeological methods and respect for indigenous cultures have evolved, moving towards a greater emphasis on preservation and cultural understanding.

Today, archeological investigations are conducted in consultation with Indian tribes and focus on non-burial areas in an effort to gain a more complete understanding of the Hopewell culture. Laws now protect archeological sites from unauthorized ground disturbances or artifact collecting on public properties, such as park lands. As a unit of the National Park Service, Hopeton Earthworks has been placed in the public trust so that this generation and future generations can appreciate this priceless national treasure. Back to Top

Hopeton Earthworks was officially reopened to the public on August 25 th , 2016. It is now accessible for visitors during daylight hours. There are no restroom facilities at the site. From the parking lot, Hopeton Earthworks has a 1.1 mile trail (round trip) that leads to an overlook area for viewing the earthwork remnants. See trail map below for layout of trail and parking lot access. The parking area at the trailhead is located on Hopetown road, about 1/3 mile west of North Bridge Street (S.R. 159). Scroll down this page for a detailed driving map to get to Hopeton Earthworks. Important Note: Launching, landing and operation of any type of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV / drones) is not permitted within National Park Service boundaries at any time. It is not restricted to just park operating hours. This is a 24/7 regulation, every day of the year. All sites and areas of Hopewell Culture National HIstorical Park (even parking lots) are included. Please report violations to a ranger or by calling us or emailing us . Read more about Unmanned Aircraft in the National Parks . Back to Top

Earthwork outline in map: United States of America (2022). “Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks, Ohio, United States of America. Nomination to the World Heritage List by the United States of America." Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks - Documents - UNESCO World Heritage Centre.

Two thousand years ago, people of an advanced culture gathered here to conduct religious rituals and ceremonies related to their society. At this site, they built an enormous earthwork complex enclosing 55.34 hectares (about 130 acres). An earthen wall extended for over four kilometers (over 2 miles), surrounding an immense sacred space that included 29 burial mounds. Astounding quantities of finely crafted art made of exotic materials were buried here as part of elaborate mortuary ceremonies. The 300-acre Hopewell Mound Group is the type site for the Hopewell culture. Early archeologists named the site for its owner, M. Cloud Hopewell. The general shape of the Hopewell Mound Group is a parallelogram 1,800 feet long on the east and the west sides and 2,800 feet long on the north and south. Archeologists estimated that the walls were originally 35 feet wide at the base and enclosed an area of 111 acres. A smaller square enclosure with sides 850 feet long is connected to the east side of the parallelogram. Remnants of the east, west, and north walls are visible. Two earthworks features are located within the parallelogram, one circular and one D-shaped. Three of the seven mounds in the D-shaped enclosure are joined. Their original size is estimated to be 500 feet long, 180 feet wide, and 30 feet tall. This is the largest known mound constructed by the Hopewell culture, and a remnant of it is visible today. This site is accessible for visitors during daylight hours. Hopewell Mound Group has a 2.5 mile interpretive trail and a portion of the Rails-To-Trails bike path. Bikes are only permitted on the bike path, not on the interpretive trail. This site contains restrooms and a covered picnic shelter. Information on visiting the site today.

The culture discovered at this site was new to the science of archeology in the late 1800’s. Newly described cultures are usually named after the place where they are first discovered. Therefore, the culture was named after this farm field, which happened to be owned by a local businessman in the dry goods business named M. Cloud Hopewell at the time.

The true tribal names of these people were lost over the millennia, but the ancient American Indians who built this sprawling structure were part of a cultural golden age that flourished in this region from A.D. 1 to 400. The monumental architecture and artifacts of the Hopewell culture reflect a pinnacle of achievement in the fields of art, astronomy, mathematics and engineering, the likes of which was seldom seen again in eastern North America. Back to Top

Even when compared to all of the other astonishing prehistoric earthworks in the Chillicothe area, Hopewell Mound Group stands out in many regards. This complex included the largest single earthen-walled enclosure constructed by the Hopewell – encompassing over 110 acres. Within its walls was the largest burial mound the Hopewell people ever built: Mound 25 was 500 feet long and 33 feet high. Ephraim Squier’s dramatic 1848 engraving (seen above) pictures this enormous triple peaked mound surrounded by the low earthen wall that formed a smaller D-shaped enclosure within the great enclosure.

This site provided the greatest set, both in quality and quantity, of artistic Hopewell objects ever discovered. Many of the most famous images of the Hopewell culture are from the objects found at this site: the mica bird claw the copper bear paw, and the mica hand with its elongated fingers stretching upward. The artifacts were often made of exotic materials not found in Ohio. A vast trade network appears to have thrived during this period. Huge ceremonial blades made of obsidian from Yellowstone National Park were discovered here. In fact, the total amount of obsidian here was the largest ever found east of the Mississippi River.

While most Hopewell complexes seem to have been used for less than two centuries, evidence suggests that Hopewell Mound Group remained an important ceremonial center throughout the entire era of the Hopewell Culture in Ohio, a period of about four hundred years! All of these extraordinary features support the idea that Hopewell Mound Group was possibly the most important ceremonial center of all the earthworks in southern Ohio. Back to Top

Unfortunately, this fabulous earthwork complex fell victim to the same fate that claimed nearly all of the many renowned earthwork complexes of southern Ohio. Two centuries of plowing gradually leveled the sloping earthen embankment walls until they are barely visible today. The mounds that were too large to plow were excavated to below ground level by archeologists in the early 1900’s and never reconstructed. Sadly, the great earthen monuments of this sacred site are now all but invisible to the casual visitor’s eye. However, with some effort, the keen-eyed observer can still find signs of prehistoric grandeur here.

The interpretive trail meanders past some of the site’s significant features. Paralleling the trail on the northwest side of the great enclosure, lies an intact, six-foot-high section of the original 2,000-year-old embankment wall. Use the key on the below map to locate the other visible remnants of the Hopewell Mound Group earthworks. Back to Top

When Europeans first came to this area in the late 1700’s they were amazed to find so many giant earthworks in the Chillicothe area. Eventually, word spread about the intriguing phenomenon and archeologists arrived to study the earthwork and its burials. The current theories about Hopewell Mound Group and its builders are founded on the scientific conclusions of archeologists who have studied this site over nearly two centuries.

1820 : Caleb Atwater draws the first map of these earthworks. Atwater assumes the site had been built for defense. He names the earthworks “Clark Fort” after the owners of the farm field. 1848: Ephraim Squier and Edwin Davis draw the most famous map of the site and include it in their groundbreaking work Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley, the first book ever published by the Smithsonian Institution. They name the complex “North Fork Works,” due to its proximity to the North Fork Paint Creek. 1891-92: Warren Moorehead excavates to find artifacts for the 1893 “World’s Columbian Exposition” in Chicago. By this time, Mordecai Hopewell owns the land. Moorehead partially excavates several of the mounds, including about a quarter of the largest mound, Mound 25. The abundance and exquisite craftsmanship of the artifacts enthralls visitors at the exposition and the concept of the “Hopewell Culture” is born. After the exposition, all the artifacts are stored and displayed in Chicago’s newly created “Field Museum.” 1922-25: Henry Shetrone and William Mills of the Ohio Historical Society excavate all the mounds of what is now called “Hopewell Mound Group.” By this time, many of the mounds and the walls of the square have disappeared under the plow. None of the excavated mounds are reconstructed. Today, the discovered artifacts are stored or displayed at the Ohio Historical Center in Columbus. 1980: Archeologist Mark Seeman of Kent State University accurately relocates most of the mounds through aerial photography and surface survey. By this time, the only part of the earthworks left intact is the wall and adjacent ditch on the north side of the great enclosure. 2001: Using magnetometry, archeologists from the National Park Service and OSU find no evidence of long term settlement within the earthen walls. They also discover a new 90-foot diameter circular earthwork within the great enclosure (the smaller circle on the map between Mounds 2 and 23). Back to Top

Hopewell Mound Group is one earthwork site that is part of the Hopewell Culture National Historical Park and is located at 4731 Sulphur Lick Road, Chillicothe, OH 45601. Park grounds are open every day during daylight hours. Facilities at Hopewell Mound Group include restrooms, a picnic shelter and a two-mile self-guided interpretive trail. The Tri-County Triangle Trail, a paved bike trail which traverses the site, runs for over thirty miles between Chillicothe and Washington Courthouse. See map below for layout of trail and parking lot access. The parking area at the trailhead is located on Sulphur Lick road, just west of Maple Grove road and the North Fork Creek. THERE IS NO VISITOR CENTER located at Hopewell Mound Group. The park's visitor center is located at Mound City Group 16062 State Route 104, Chillicothe, OH 45601. Please be mindful that guests in the picnic shelter are not permitted to erect any signs, balloons, or other displays. Additionally, any kind of fire (including charcoal and gas grilling) are NOT permitted in the picnic shelter or on any park grounds at any time. Reservations are not allowed at the picnic shelter--it is first-come, first-served only. Important Note: Launching, landing and operation of any type of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV / drones) is not permitted within National Park Service boundaries at any time. It is not restricted to just park operating hours. This is a 24/7 regulation, every day of the year. All sites and areas of Hopewell Culture National HIstorical Park (even parking lots) are included. Please report violations to a ranger or by calling us or emailing us . Read more about Unmanned Aircraft in the National Parks . Back to Top

Mound City Group is the only fully restored Hopewell earthwork complex. As such, it is a national treasure. Here, visitors who walk quietly through the enclosure and among the mounds can still experience a sense of what it may have been like to gather at a Hopewell ceremonial site two thousand years ago. The monument consists of 25 mounds of varying sizes surrounded by a low, earthen wall. The wall forms a slightly irregular square with rounded corners, and very gently flaring sides, about 260 meters across and with an area of 6.81 hectares (16.8 acres). The height of the earth walls of the enclosure is about 1.2 meters in height and 4.5 meters at its base. It is interrupted by two gateways in the centers of its eastern and western sides. The circular mounds within the enclosure include both spherical and conical forms, varying from 0.91 to 5.45 meters in height, and from 7.62 to 30.48 meters in diameter. Mounds 12 and 13 are a conjoined pair , and cover the reamians of a connected double struture. In the approximate center of the enclosure stands the largest mound in this ensemble, Mound 7 or the "Central Mound" with a precise conical profiles and a rounded top. Immediately to the east of the Central Mound is Mound 3, an oblong, loaf-shaped mound also called the "Elliptical Mound;" it is 42.67 meters long and 12 to 15 meters wide. There are two additional mounds just outside the enclosure. All of the mounds and walls visible at Mound City today are modern restorations based upon intact base layers, and an extensive record of documentary and field research stretching back more than 150 years. One of the mounds (Mound 15) remains unrestored, with short wooden posts marking the floor plan of its submound structure. Information on visiting the site today.

During World War I the Mound City Group site was occupied by a military training center known as Camp Sherman . In the early 1920s after Camp Sherman was razed, the Ohio Historical Society excavated the site and began reconstruction of the Hopewell earthworks and mounds.

This wonder of the ancient world was constructed by Native Americans over many centuries between A.D. 1- 400. Mound City Group’s walls enclose at least two dozen mounds in an area larger than ten football fields. Never the less, compared to the many giant complexes located around the Chillicothe area, Mound City Group is a relatively small Hopewell earthwork. There is no evidence that people lived within this enclosure full time. In fact, the Hopewell people did not even live in large villages. No more than three Hopewell homes have ever been discovered in one place. They may have lived in single extended family units scattered along the waterways of the great forest. Yet, even with this relatively simple social organization, the Hopewell people created immense public works that required complicated engineering. These walled complexes were likely the gathering places of people who wanted to form community even though they were not living together in villages. The reasons for their gathering here could have been both religious and social, but many important ceremonies were conducted here. Back to Top

The mounds of Mound City Group are so much more than just heaps of dirt. The process by which these American Indians established a burial mound is long and complicated. Many visitors are surprised to learn that where each burial mound is seen today, there once stood a building. The first step in the mound building process was to construct a large ceremonial building of poles and bark with a plastered clay floor. Inside, fires burned in clay basins and ceremonies were conducted. When the ceremony was a funeral, the Hopewell cremated the body. The ashes were entombed on the floor of the building beneath a small mound of clay. About one hundred cremated remains were found at Mound City. At some point, the building would be purposely dismantled. Then the mound construction began. Mound building may have occurred stage by stage over many gatherings, because the mounds consist of many layers of earthen materials, often alternating clay and sand. The borrow pits outside of Mound City’s walls may have been the source of some of this material. Back to Top

The Ohio History Connection funded the reconstruction of Mound City Group in the 1920’s. The reconstruction was based on the maps of Squier and Davis in order to be as accurate as possible. One mound was left unreconstructed so that visitors could appreciate the underlying structure of the ceremonial building. President Warren G. Harding declared the site Mound City Group National Monument in 1923. In 1992, four more of Chillicothe’s many Hopewell earthwork sites were added to Mound City Group and the name of the park was changed to Hopewell Culture National Historical Park. Mound City Group is now one of six total units of the park. Administration offices, resource management, maintenance facilities and the park’s only visitor center are located here. Back to Top

The Mound City Group Visitor Center is located at 16062 State Route 104, Chillicothe, OH 45601. Visitor center hours are 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, every day of the week (except Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day & New Year’s Day). Park grounds are open every day from dawn until dusk. Please be mindful that Mound City is still considered a sacred place by many people and treat the earthworks with respect. There are no trails within the enclosure. Visitors are welcome to stroll reverently amongst the mounds. Please do not walk on the mounds or earthen walls. Park trails include a nature trail and a beautiful paved river walk along the Scioto River. The nature trail winds through a young forest and passes masonry stones from a lock of the Ohio-Erie Canal that ran along the west border of the park in the 1800’s. Facilities in the visitor center include restrooms, a small gift shop , an auditorium and a musuem (temporarily unavailable). The parking lot is located off of S.R. 104, about 2 miles north of U.S. 35. Important Note: Launching, landing and operation of any type of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV / drones) is not permitted within National Park Service boundaries at any time. It is not restricted to just park operating hours. This is a 24/7 regulation, every day of the year. All sites and areas of Hopewell Culture National HIstorical Park (even parking lots) are included. Please report violations to a ranger or by calling us or emailing us . Read more about Unmanned Aircraft in the National Parks . Back to Top

Two thousand years ago, the region between Seip Earthworks and Chillicothe was one of the most important cultural centers in eastern North America, for hundreds of years. On high terraces along the Paint Creek and Scioto River valleys, almost two dozen giant geometric earthwork complexes were constructed by an Indigenous tradition now referred to as the Hopewell culture. One of the most magnificent engineering feats of them all was Seip Earthworks: over two miles of embankment wall enclosing over 36 hectares (89 acres), a large, partial circular enclosure is 494 meters (1620 feet) in diameter, a smaller circle with a diameter of 289 meters (948 feet) is attached on the west and a smaller, very precise square, 329 meters (1079 feet) on each side, is attached on the southeast. Information on visiting the site today.

Between 1 - 400 A.D., southern Ohio witnessed an extraordinary blossoming of cultural development. Even though they did not live in villages or practice large scale agriculture, Indigenous people of the Hopewell Culture made amazing advances in the fields of mathematics, engineering, art, trade and astronomy. However, why they built so many enormous ceremonial complexes in this area remains a mystery. There is no evidence that people lived within these earthworks. Rather, these huge architectural wonders appear to have been designed for large ritual gatherings. The timing of these special ceremonies was perhaps determined by astronomical cycles. Pilgrimages may have been made to these sacred enclosures by celebrants from far away. Back to Top

It is clear that complexes like the Seip Earthworks were not the result of a haphazard heaping of earth. The geometric shapes are precise in their symmetry. In fact, the design and dimensions of Seip Earthworks are so similar to four other complexes around the Chillicothe area that they all must have been the result of engineering plans produced by the same group of people. Baum, Frankfort, Works East, Liberty and Seip Earthworks are all comprised of a small circle, a large circle and a square. When early American archeologists Ephraim Squier and Edwin Davis mapped and measured these five earthwork complexes in the 1840’s, each square was the same size: 1,080 feet to a side, 27 acres. This impressive feat suggests that the Hopewell people had a common unit of measure 2,000 years ago. Also, the dimensions of the three shapes indicate that the Hopewell even understood mathematical relationships between circles and squares. Back to Top

Sometimes referred to as Seip Mound, this enormous reconstructed mound in the center of Seip Earthwork’s great circle enclosure is the third largest burial mound the Hopewell are known to have built: 240’ by 160’ by 30‘ high. It covered the floors, fire pits and burials of two very large connected buildings with a small building between them. Among the beautiful artifacts found here by archeologists of the Ohio Historical Society in 1925 is the famous clay Seip Head (right), now on display in the Ohio History Center in Columbus, Ohio. Also, between stacks of copper breast plates, some of the few intact samples of Hopewell cloth (right) were discovered, preserved by the cooper salts that formed over the breastplates. Woven of milkweed fibers, the clothes were dyed to create patterns of circles and curves reminiscent of Hopewell earthworks. As large as the central mound is, it is only a small part of an enormous earthwork complex. Only the central mound has been fully restored. The remnants of the rest of the complex can be difficult to appreciate without a guide, but with some effort, clues to its glorious past can still be found here. While exploring Seip Earthworks, please stay on trails and avoid agricultural fields. Back to Top

Archeological resources are nonrenewable and irreplaceable. Archeologists in the 19 th and 20 th centuries excavated many burials to learn about the Hopewell Culture because the mound builders left no written language or recorded histories and no extant tribes were the clear descendants of these people who lived so long ago. Attitudes about archeology and indigenous cultures are changing and modern legislation preserves and protects our national heritage. Archeologists no longer excavate Native American burials in these earthworks out of respect for the cultural traditions of indigenous people. Today, archeological investigations are conducted in consultation with Indian tribes and focus on non-burial areas in an effort to better understand, appreciate and preserve this priceless heritage. Laws now protect archeological sites like Seip Earthworks from unauthorized ground disturbance or artifact collecting. Please respect our national heritage by staying on trails and off of earthworks. Back to Top

The Central Mound and much of the center of the Seip complex were originally owned by the Ohio Historical Society, which had preserved parts of this site since its excavation and partial reconstruction in the 1920’s. In the 1990’s, the National Park Service began the process of purchasing most of the rest of the complex and adding it to Hopewell Culture National Historical Park. The Ohio History Connection’s portion was transferred to the National Park Service in 2014. Though most of Seip’s impressive earthen walls are no longer visible on the surface, the foundations of these earthworks still remain underground and represent a nationally significant archeological and cultural resource to be preserved for future generations. The park's mowing program allows its huge, geometric perimeter to be visible again. Back to Top

A reconstructed mound and a portion of reconstructed wall are visible, and a portion of original wall is visible near Dill Road. Parking is only accessible at the front of the site, off of U.S. Route 50. There are no longer any restroom facilities at this site. The covered picnic shelter is available on a first-come, first-served basis only. Interpretive signs are placed throughout the earthwork site, along the trails. The site is open every day during daylight hours. See map below for layout of trail and parking lot access. Please be mindful that guests in the shelter house are not permitted to erect any signs, balloons, or other displays. Additionally, any kind of fire (including charcoal and gas grilling) are NOT permitted in the shelter house or on any park grounds at any time. Important Note: Launching, landing and operation of any type of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV / drones) is not permitted within National Park Service boundaries at any time. It is not restricted to just park operating hours. This is a 24/7 regulation, every day of the year. All sites and areas of Hopewell Culture National HIstorical Park (even parking lots) are included. Please report violations to a ranger or by calling us or emailing us . Read more about Unmanned Aircraft in the National Parks . Back to Top

Since the early 20th century, much of the Seip Earthworks unit was owned by the Ohio History Connection (OHC) (formerly known as the The Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society and the Ohio Historical Society). Between 1992 and 2014, The National Park Service had partnered with the Ohio History Connection in co-owning and co-managing the Seip Earthworks site.

After a decades worth of arranging and planning, the deed of ownership to Seip Earthworks was officially transferred from OHC to the National Park Service on September 3, 2014. Even though the government-owned majority of Seip Earthworks is now solely under the possession and management of Hopewell Culture NHP, we will continue our proud partnership with OHC in meaningful and creative ways to preserve and protect the remnants of the Hopewell Culture. Back to Top

American Indians built dozens of monumental earthen mounds and enclosures in the Ohio River valley during the Hopewell episode between about 1600 and 2000 years ago. Most of these enclosures were built in river valley settings using a standard unit of measure in precise geometric forms of circles, squares, octagons, and long parallel lines. But at least a dozen hilltop enclosures were built in the hilly Appalachian Plateau province of south-central Ohio during the Hopewell episode. The earth and stone walls of these hilltop enclosures follow the irregular contours of prominent flat-topped hills. When non-Native colonists first encountered the hilltop enclosures in the 1800s, they thought they were seeing ancient fortifications: “The natural strength of such positions, and their susceptibility of defense, would certainly suggest them as the citadels of a people having hostile neighbors, or pressed by invaders” (Squier and Davis, 1848:9) . But more recent archeological investigations instead suggest the hilltop enclosures were used as ceremonial centers, much like the geometric enclosures in the valley bottoms. Spruce Hill is a prominent landform rising 400 feet above the valley of Paint Creek below. The west side provides grand vistas overlooking the valley bottom, where the geometric enclosures of the nearby Baum Earthworks and Seip Earthworks are found. The Spruce Hill enclosure is unusual: it is built of stone, whereas most enclosures are built of earth. The low stone wall runs just below the brow of the flat, mesa-like hilltop, enclosing almost 150 acres. Four gateways are located where ridge spurs afford points of easy ascent. The wall probably never resembled anything like a regularly laid up or mortared wall, and the casual visitor might well mistake the wall for a natural stone outcrop. This impression “is speedily corrected upon reaching the points where the supposed line of debris, rising upon the spurs, forms curved gateways, and then resumes its course as before” (Squier and Davis 1848:11) . At several locations, the stones "exhibit the marks of intense heat, which has in some instances vitrified their surfaces, and fused them together" (Squier and Davis 1848:12) . Recent investigations by NPS archeologist Bret Ruby suggest Squier and Davis were correct when they proposed that "perhaps the walls of stone were sustained or surmounted by wooden structures of some sort, the destruction of which, in whole or in part, by fire, caused the appearances noticed" (Squier and Davis 1848:12; see Ruby 2009). Two other Hopewell hilltop enclosures in southern Ohio are managed by the Ohio History Connection and open to the public:

Spruce Hill is a small sliver of Ohio's geologic library, rich with a beautiful biodiversity, and laden with evidence of the prehistoric Hopewell culture. Even the trail that leads up to the storied plateau area contains geologic "windows" that allow us to see back in time. The sediment-washed trail has countless exposed layers of shale which date to almost 400 million years ago. Rippled sandstone, which dots the trail, is direct evidence that the area was once under the cover of a sprawling ancient sea. The lush woodland hillsides nurture rare and exotic flora and lively fauna of all shapes and sizes.

Spruce Hill Earthworks is owned by the Arc of Appalachia Preserve System. Please contact the Arc of Appalachia Preserve System for additional information or access to the site.

Arc of Appalachia Fort Ancient Earthworks & Nature Preserve - Ohio History Connection Fort Hill Earthworks & Nature Preserve - Ohio History Connection Ruby, Bret J. (2009). Spruce Hill Earthworks: The 1995-1996 National Park Service Investigations. In Footprints - In the Footprints of Squier and Davis: Archaeological Fieldwork in Ross County, Ohio, edited by Mark J. Lynott, pp. 49-66. Special Report Number 5, National Park Service, Midwest Archeological Center, Lincoln, Nebraska. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1086&context=natlpark Riordan, Robert V. (2019). At the Heart of Fort Ancient. In Encountering Hopewell in the Twenty-first Century: Ohio and Beyond (Volume 1: Monuments and Ceremony), edited by Brian G. Redmond, Bret J. Ruby, and Jarrod Burks, pp. 26–49. The University of Akron Press, Akron, Ohio. https://ideaexchange.uakron.edu/encountering_hopewell/2/ Squier, Ephraim G., and Edwin H. Davis (1848). Stone Work, Near Bourneville, Ross County, Ohio. In Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley, pp. 11-14. Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge, Volume 1. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. http://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/9042162 Thornberry-Ehrlich, Trista L. (2013). Hopewell Culture National Historical Park: geologic resources inventory report. Natural Resource Report NPS/NRSS/GRD/NRR— 2013/640. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado. http://npshistory.com/publications/hocu/nrr-2013-640.pdf

The present Hopewell Culture National Historical Park evolved in part from the former Mound City Group National Monument. The national monument was established by a proclamation signed by President Warren G. Harding in 1923 to preserve prehistoric mounds of "great historic and scientific interest." In 1980 Congress expanded the monument by adding a portion of the nearby Hopeton Earthworks and authorized the investigation of other regional archeological sites to determine their suitability for preservation. The National Park Service recommended four additional sites. Hopewell Culture National Historical Park was thus established in 1992 by a law that renamed Mound City Group National Monument. The law also expanded the existing boundary at Hopeton Earthworks, and it also included the grounds at High Bank Works, Hopewell Mound Group, and Seip Earthworks. Thanks to that 1992 law, the park grew to encompass five sites within the Ross County area.

The park protects the magnificent earthworks of a dynamic social and ceremonial phenomenon that flourished in the woodlands of eastern North America from 1 to 400 CE. The term Hopewell describes a broad network of economic, political, and spiritual beliefs and practices among different Native American groups. The culture is characterized by the construction of enclosures made of earthen walls and ditches, often built in geometric patterns and mounds of various shapes. The culture is known for a network of contacts with other groups, which stretched from the Atlantic coast to the Rocky Mountains. This network of contacts allowed these Native Americans to amass a collection of materials such as mica, shark's teeth, obsidian, copper, and marine shells.

Whether flying, crawling, swimming, or walking, many animals rely on the diverse array of habitat present at Hopewell Culture National Historical Park. Habitat types include eastern deciduous woods, fallow agricultural fields, riparian areas, native grasslands, and wetlands. National Park Service staff and volunteers are continuously monitoring native and invasive plants, birds, amphibians, mammals, insects, mussels, fungus, and reptiles. Restoration efforts are ongoing for native grasses and forbs in order to establish quality habitat for grassland nesting birds. Scroll down for quicklinks to the various pages within the natural resources division of the park.

Learn about the environmental zone that the park lies in and what kinds of precipitation the area receives.

Fungi play beneficial roles in the environment and can be fun and tasty to "hunt" for too.

Staff continually monitor the condition of the flora and fauna within the park boundaries. Read more about this daunting task.

Birds of all types have been observed utilizing the various habitats located on park land. In fact, 172 species have been observed during surveys of park land. Grassland birds such as Henslow’s sparrow, dickcissels, and eastern meadowlarks may be seen and/or heard. When wandering in upland areas, look up and listen for red-bellied woodpeckers, black and white warblers, and red-eyed vireos. Splashes of color can be seen throughout the year as indigo buntings, American goldfinches, and northern cardinals fly by. Occasionally a lucky park visitor may observe the Federally-listed bald eagle soaring overhead. Birds may be seen during all the seasons, whether transitory migrants or local inhabitants.

Mound City Group and High Bank Works contain land designated as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by the Ohio Audobon Society. Sites designated as IBA are considered significant due to the presence of essential habitat and large numbers of bird species that utilize the area.

The Scioto Valley Bird and Nature Club, an active group of birders and nature lovers, regularly conducts bird walks on park grounds. In addition, they have been collecting information since 1988 and have compiled a bird checklist available at the Visitor Center.

The most visible mammal at the park is the white-tailed deer, however, many more utilize the area. Recent surveys found at least 35 mammal species at the park! During the warmer season, thirteen-lined ground squirrel can be observed peeking from their burrows at Mound City Group. The deer mouse apparently enjoys the labors of archeologists as they can usually be found in excavation units. Running among trees and shrubs are the active fox squirrel, gray squirrel, and eastern chipmunk, and sometimes at dusk the southern flying squirrel can be seen soaring above from tree to tree. During the winter months, the meadow vole may be seen darting from one snow-covered hole to the next, perhaps avoiding the smallest carnivore in the world, the least weasel.

Careful study of the summer sky during twilight hours may reveal flying hunters such as big brown bats, eastern red bats, and little brown bats. These species feed on thousands of insects each night. The hoary bat prefers to feed over larger streams. In fact, most bats prefer areas with an available source of water.

Other mammals that may be encountered: Virginia opossum, short-tailed shrew, least shrew, masked shrew, eastern mole, eastern cottontail, woodchuck, beaver, eastern harvest mouse, white-footed mouse, prairie vole, house mouse, muskrat, meadow jumping mouse, coyote, red fox, raccoon, striped skunk, mink, evening bat, northern bat, and eastern pipistrelle.