Hopewell Culture National Historical Park

Hopewell Culture National Historical Park

16062 OH-104 Chillicothe, Ohio, 45601

Official Website
Hopewell Culture National Historical Park map

Tips for Birding

High Bank Earthworks and Spruce Hill Earthworks have not yet been entered into eBird as hotspots because they are not currently open to the public.

About this Location

Earthen mounds and embankments forming huge geometric enclosures grace the landscape of the Ohio River Valley. These monumental structures were built by Native American hands almost 2,000 years ago. Hopewellian people gathered at these earthworks for feasts, funerals, and rites of passage. Come learn about these sacred spaces and reflect upon the lives of these American Indians.

Visible remnants of Hopewell culture are concentrated in the Scioto River valley near the present-day city of Chillicothe, Ohio. The most striking Hopewell sites contain earthworks in the form of circles, squares, and other geometric shapes. Many of these sites were built to a monumental scale, with earthen walls up to 12 feet high outlining geometric figures more than 1,000 feet across. Conical and loaf-shaped earthen mounds up to 30 feet high are often found in association with the geometric earthworks. Hopewell Culture National Historical Park preserves six earthwork complexes: High Bank Works, Hopeton Earthworks, Hopewell Mound Group, Mound City Group, Seip Earthworks and Spruce Hill Earthworks.

Restrooms at Mound City Visitor Center.

Content from Official Website