Friends of Hopewell Park To Host “Insights Into Prehistoric People”

Article Presented By Horizon Connects

(Chillicothe) – The Friends of Hopewell Culture National Historical Park will be hosting a couple of August 27th events with retired educator and Hopewell expert Gary Argabright.

Saturday, August 27, 10am.  Members ONLY– Gary Argabright, local archaeological expert and historian, will meet with members only before the lecture at 11:00 a.m. for an informal conversation about his 40 years of surface collecting prehistoric artifacts.  He will also set up a display of artifacts from some of his collection sites.  Coffee and morning refreshments will be served. To be held at the Hopewell Culture NHP Mound City Group Visitor Center

Saturday, August 27, 11am.  Gary Argabright will present “Insights into Prehistoric People from the Artifacts They Left Behind.”  Gary will share 15 artifacts and the clues they give us into their use and the ingenuity of Ohio’s prehistoric peoples.  The session will be approximately one hour at the Hopewell Culture NHP Mound City Group Visitor Center.

All Events Are Free but Registration is Required (for planning purposes) Email:  reepterressa@yahoo.com to register

Gary Argabright is a retired educator living in Chillicothe.  He has been collecting, cataloging, and researching prehistoric Native American artifacts from the Scioto River Valley for more than 40 years. Although his formal academic training has, for the most part, been centered on Classical Greek and Roman studies, Gary’s range of interests extends into the study of Ohio’s earliest cultures as well.

His interest in Ross County’s prehistoric past began soon after moving here in the late 1970s when he began surface collecting artifacts from local farm fields. Since then he has accumulated and carefully documented site collections from some 60 different farms in Ross County.  Gary regularly exhibits and discusses artifacts from his collections with various public groups and at archaeological events. He has been actively involved in the Mound City Chapter of the Archaeological Society of Ohio since 1987 and currently serves as its secretary and treasurer. He has been a member of the Ohio Archaeological Council since 2018. 

Argabright also served three terms on the Ross County Historical Society’s board of trustees. Gary continues to do volunteer work at RCHS and often helps with the storage and cataloging of the museum’s extensive collection of prehistoric artifacts. Although he endeavors to learn as much as he can about all aspects of prehistoric culture, Gary’s main focus is currently upon the development of prehistoric stone tools and how they were used.