Keeping with the theme of chasing down ancestors on this journey, we visited the Hopewell Culture Historical Park this afternoon. These folks are very long dead, having occupied the area between 200 B.C. and 500 A.D. These native peoples constructed the numerous mounds which are scattered across south central Ohio. The park ranger explained to us, and we saw in the film, that this was a very organized, sophisticated, and advanced culture for their time. Perhaps they should include in that description “...advanced culture for their time AND PLACE”. The Greeks were building the Parthenon shortly before this time so I hardly think piling up dirt with an oyster shell would be called advanced by Greek standards. However, in our country, they were quite advanced, building a community along the Scioto River. This area was rich with an abundance of food so in their spare time they built mounds for ceremonial use as well as burials.
Over the past 2000 years, many changes have occurred in the landscape. This is rich, Ohio farmland and man, oh man, has it been farmed. During WWI, the Army took over the area and scraped away what little mounds that were left to make a nice level place for the barracks of Camp Sherman. In the 1920s, the area was designated a national monument and in the early 90s became a unit of the national park service as Hopewell Culture Historical Park. In true park service fashion many of the mounds have been reconstructed in their original size and shape. It is not as impressive as the Cahokia Mounds near St. Louis, but is a glimpse into America’s past and the peoples who have help shape our country, culture, and civilization.
Tomorrow we are hitching up and heading to Nashville. We expect to stop somewhere near Frankfort, KY for the night. We’re heading home.
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