Commemoration Planned for Second Anniversary of Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks’ World Heritage Inscription

Article Presented By Kingston National Bank…

(Columbus) – The Ohio History Connection and its partners at the National Park Service will commemorate the two-year anniversary of the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks’ inscription to the UNESCO World Heritage List on Friday, September 19th, at their sites in Licking, Ross and Warren counties.

Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks is the collective name for eight works of monumental landscape architecture built by Native Americans between 1,600 and 2,000 years ago in central and southern Ohio. Five of the earthworks sites are managed by the National Park Service, and three are managed by the Ohio History Connection.

The Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks sites were inscribed to the UNESCO World Heritage List on Sept. 19, 2023, by the 21 countries on the World Heritage Committee during a meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

There are about 1,200 World Heritage Sites around the globe, and the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks is just the 25th of 26 World Heritage Listings in the U.S. and the first and only one in Ohio.

To celebrate the historic achievement, the Ohio History Connection and National Park Service invite guests to enjoy a special weekend including:

• Free tours at Octagon Earthworks on Sept. 19 at 12:30pm and 3pm;
• A ticketed tour at Great Circle Earthworks on Sept. 19 at 2pm;
• Ticketed tours at Fort Ancient Earthworks & Nature Preserve on Sept. 19 at 1pm and 3pm;
• Free self-guided tours at Hopewell Culture National Historical Park sites, with the Mound City Group Visitor Center open from 9am to 4pm. Visitors may speak with rangers and watch a 20-minute interpretive film. Young guests can learn about the National Park Service World Heritage Junior Ranger program and receive an honorary badge.

“The second anniversary of the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks becoming a UNESCO World Heritage Site is a reminder of these monumental sites and history we have right here in Ohio,” said Megan Wood, Executive Director and CEO of the Ohio History Connection. “These sites have been – and remain – vital pieces of Ohio’s history for nearly 2,000 years, and this is just the beginning of their recognition on the global stage.”

For more information about the events and the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks, go to hopewellearthworks.org/inscriptionanniversary/.