OHIO — November is National Native American Heritage Month, and Ohio is home to a historic landmark that’s getting international attention.

What You Need To Know

  • The Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks are the only United Nations World Heritage site in Ohio
  • Eight sites span nearly 100 miles across Ohio

  • The Hopewell Mounds were built 2,000 years ago by Indigenous tribes in the area

The Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks have recently been named a World Heritage site by the United Nations.

The Hopewell Mounds are the only site in Ohio to be awarded this prestigious designation.

“They were geniuses,” said Chris Alford, superintendent for the Hopewell Culture National and Historic Park. “They did this at a time when they didn’t have the mechanical advantages that we have today. They did it with stone tool and basket moving tons of earth.”

Alford said in his opinion, if the indigenous people who built these sites were alive today, they would be considered scholars.

The Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks are made up of eight different archeological structures spread out over nearly 100 miles. Archeologist Brad Lepper said these sites have long been overlooked for their historical significance.

“Whenever I hear, ‘oh, it’s just piles of dirt.’ I say, ‘They are piles of dirt in the same way that the Parthenon is a pile of rocks,’” said Lepper.

Lepper has worked since 2007 to have the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks enshrined as a UNESCO World Heritage site. UNESCO stands for United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Other World Heritage sites include the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Colosseum, Stonehenge and more.

Sometimes people look right at the mounds and don’t realize that they are even there. Lepper recounted a story about a car salesman who spoke with his wife about the mounds.

“He was like what mounds? And she points across the street and says those mounds. And he looks, and he’s got a puzzled expression because he doesn’t see mounds. He sees a grassy slope with trees on it,” said Lepper.

To be deemed a UNESCO site, Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks had to demonstrate “outstanding universal value.” 

The mounds were built about 2,000 years ago by tribes who lived in the area. The structures are built to coincide with the summer and winter solstices. They would have been used for burials and other significant life events. 

“The indigenous people incorporated amazing geometry and astrology into these earthworks,” said Lepper. “There is a level of sophistication that had been totally missed for centuries.”

Now that the Hopewell sites have earned a World Heritage designation, changes will be coming. Jen Aultman works for the Ohio History Connection and manages several of the Hopewell sites. She said she will help with some of those transitions. 

“More tours with people like Brad, more hours, more access. We are deepening our partnerships with Native American tribal nations whose ancestors built these sites,” said Jen Aultman, Chief Historic Sites Officer.

“We are working toward—I don’t know how long it will be—but we’re working toward having tribal citizens on site part of the year,” said Aultman.