September 17, 2014

The Hopewell Culture

The first day of our vacation always seems to be the longest. We usually cover around 350 miles in order to get to a jumping off point, and also to find at least one interesting point to see along the way.

Today we stopped at the Hopewell Culture National Historical Park just outside of Chillicothe, OH. 

Visitors Center

The park consists of five different sites with only three open to the public. Each site consists of mounds that cover the remains of ceremonial buildings of the Hopewell Indians. The tribe’s actual name is not known. The name “Hopewell” came from Captain Mordecai Hopewell who owned the farm where part of an extensive earthwork site was excavated in 1891.

Stone Pipe from Mound at Park

The “Hopewell” Indians date  back about 2000 years and did not live in a village, but lived in single dwellings scattered all over the country side. It is believed that they occasionally came together to bury their dead and for celebrations. 

Mounds at Historical Park

The mound sites were built for these occasions and are very large. Three of the sites consist of a walled circle (33 acres in size), a walled square (27 acres in size) and walled walkways connecting the circle and square. The mounds are the exact same size at all three sites with two being 60 miles apart. The dimensions of the walled squares will fit inside the circles with the corners just touching the edges.

Largest Mound

 Small buildings were erected inside the circles and squares. The dead were cremated inside these buildings. After several ceremonies, the buildings were dismantled or burned, and the site would be covered by a mound consisting of clay, dirt and stone.

Recovered from Mound at Park

This is a beautiful park and well worth a stop if you are ever in the area.

So, Cheryl and I are driving down this two lane road in rural south eastern Ohio and we noticed these two signs side by side…a real dilemma.  What to do????!!!!

What to do!