Heritage News * of Chillicothe, Ross County & South-Central Ohio

grass-covered mounds with sun shining over them

The summer solstice sunrise shines over two central mounds in "Mound City."

Ross County is internationally famous for its prehistoric earthworks, and an opportunity to learn more about these arrives in a month with the "Hopewell Learning Adventure."

For the first meeting of its 40th anniversary year, S.C.O.P.S., the South Central Ohio Preservation Society, is providing an all-day bus tour of local Hopewell earthworks led by archaeologists February 4th.

On February 5th learn about the bond between earth and sky as Dr. Robert Horn speaks at the Ross County Historical Society about his co-discovery of the Newark Earthworks as a lunar observatory.

The lecture is free and open to the public, but the bus tour requires registrations by January 10th. The $12 cost is minimal compared to the learning possibilities of this unique opportunity. Call 740 / 774-3510 to sign up.

large grass-covered mound

The massive center mound of the Seip earthworks looms in the Paint Valley.

The bus tour will begin at "Mound City," now Hopewell Culture National Historical Park, on State Route 104 just north of Chillicothe. At 9 am we'll leave for a tour of Hopewell sites in Ross County, including Mound City, Hopewell, Seip, Hopeton, and Highbank. Professional archeologists will talk informally as we travel to these sites that are publicly owned, and we may also get to see a private collection of Hopewell artifacts. We'll have lunch at Mound City at mid-day. We expect to return to SCOPS headquarters by 4:30 pm.

Professor Robert Horn of Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana will speak on "Reflections on Hopewell: Earth and Sky" at 2 pm February 5th. In the early 1980s, instead of visiting Stonehenge, Horn took his class to the Newark Earthworks to debunk theories. Instead, they made discoveries that resulted in listing the earthworks as one of the wonders of the world. Dr. Horn is still conducting ground-level investigations of Hopewell Earthworks, including those in Ross County. No reservations are required, and this lecture is free and open to the public.

You can read the official news release on the homepage of Scioto Salvage.


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