FORT ANCIENT EARTHWORKS
& NATURE PRESERVE

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

 

Ancient American Indians have inhabited Ohio for over 10,000 years. Fort Ancient itself is more than 2,000 years old and is designated as a “Hopewell Cultural Site.” It is among seven Hopewell Ohio sites poised to become World Heritage Sites, the highest cultural place designation on Earth.  

 

To study Fort Ancient, Meisner + Associates, working with the Ohio History Connection, led a team of archaeologists, ecologists, planners and specialists in documenting the existing conditions of the site’s 775 acres. The team identified archaeological resources and outlined steps to protect this site in the future.

 

Research at the site is on-going. The Hopewell culture was highly evolved and occurred in the transition between hunter-gatherers and agricultural societies. During the last 10 years researchers have uncovered a ceremonial area containing a “Wooden Stonehenge,” a circle of wooden posts that may have provided “celestial tools” for documenting solar and lunar alignments. Most Hopewell sites contain significant solar alignments built into their earthwork structures.

 

This Site Management Plan offers a framework for a detailed site master plan that will guide decision-making into the future. It sets a vision for Fort Ancient as a cultural resource, and for its landscape, history, research, interpretation and management.