09/08/2023
Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks Vote as a World Heritage Site Happening in Less Than Two Weeks
Here's a Primer on What That Means and What Opportunities are Ahead
The long-awaited UNESCO decision regarding inscription of the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthwork sites on the World Heritage list is less than two weeks away!
UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee votes Sept. 19 or 20 in Saudi Arabia, and there is an Ohio delegation traveling to Saudi Arabia for the vote. This group includes tribal representatives, as well as individuals from the U.S. Department of Interior, National Park Service and Ohio History Connection.
Eight Ohio earthwork sites are included in this nomination, including Fort Ancient in Warren County, five earthwork sites at the Hopewell Culture National Historical Park in Ross County and two sites at the Newark Earthworks in Licking County.
Here’s a primer on some of the most frequent questions, including information about the nomination and why these sites are important to mankind, as well as what to expect and how a regional approach will be developed.
WHAT IS WORLD HERITAGE INSCRIPTION?
As Governor DeWine says, “It’s a big deal.” The world’s most important places are recognized by UNESCO’s World Heritage program. Sites selected for the World Heritage list are the “best of the best” of cultural and national places. There are 1,157 World Heritage properties in the world, including just 24 in the United States. As an example of the company we’ll keep if inscribed, other sites include Stonehenge, Tower of London, Great Wall of China, Taj Mahal and the Grand Canyon.
WHAT ARE THE HOPEWELL CEREMONIAL EARTHWORKS?
Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks is the name of the World Heritage nomination that includes eight earthwork sites in southern and central Ohio. These sites were built by early Native Americans 2,000 to 1,600 years ago as gathering places for sacred ceremonies and burials.
While cathedrals built up toward the sky, those who constructed the sacred Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks built out across the landscape. Most sites are enclosed by earthen walls, many of which are near-perfect octagons, circles and squares.
Within these geometric borders are mounds, which were once wooden structures for gathering, burials and ceremony. Once a structure’s use was considered complete, the ancient ones broke the artifacts and the structures, then covered them with layers of clay, sand, gravel and dirt creating the mounds and signifying closure.
WHY ARE THESE SITES WORTHY OF GLOBAL RECOGNITION?
The Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks have worldwide value and are amazing examples of man’s creativity and brilliance. They are the largest set of geometric and monumental earthworks in the world.
These sites help us better understand the ancestors of today’s Native American tribes. They were built across many generations using tools made of animal bones and baskets. The sites were important gathering places for early Native American societies scattered throughout North America.
It was to these places that people traveled near and far. It is thought they came to feast, to participate in burials and to take part in sacred and ceremonial activities. Artifacts have been found at the sites in Ohio that are made from materials not naturally found in the Ohio Valley, such as marine shells from the Gulf of Mexico.
To construct these earthen monuments, builders had incredible skills in geometry and astronomy. Near-perfect circles, squares and octagons are repeated at sites within an area encompassing hundreds of square miles.
Many of the sites are aligned to the cycles of the moon and sun. Ancient builders had to have studied and observed movements in the sky over long periods of time (18.6 years in the case of the moon cycle.)
HOW WOULD INSCRIPTION IMPACT THE ECONOMY?
That depends on what we make of it! Researchers at the Voinovich School of Public Affairs at Ohio University predict a 100% increase in visitation within three years for the areas surrounding each site. However, they are also quick to point out that this is if we do nothing but rest on the laurels of inscription. If we market smart and design visitor experiences throughout the region, the economic impact can quadruple. It’s up to us.
WHAT IS BEING DONE TO PREPARE?
There has been an enormous amount of work done thus far in preparing the nomination packet and getting to this point. More than 15 years of planning has already occurred by a dedicated team of researchers, site managers, archaeologists, historians, and tourism professionals. An interpretive plan has been created with recommendations for storytelling and the use of technology.
From a marketing and visitation standpoint, branding is complete. Fahlgren-Mortine is the project’s agency, and is finalizing web development, marketing plans and content creation.
The website – hopewellearthworks.org – will go live immediately after the vote.
Ohio History Connection has introduced a new Facebook page, and is hard at work on creative and designing marketing strategies.
The Ohio Travel Association is working with Ross, Licking and Warren counties to help prepare local businesses and those on the front line. An “Answers Guide” filled with responses to some of the most common questions has been developed and includes basic visitor information, such as distance between sites, hours of operations, costs, and what to expect during a visit.
OTA is also coordinating a FAM tour for visitor bureau staff in those counties to give them a better understanding of the entire Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks site experience.
We also recently delivered a report, “First Impressions: A Visitor Experience Evaluation of Hopewell Ceremonial Earthwork Sites.” Based on our experiences exploring these sites on our own, recommendations were made for enhancing the visitor experience at each site.
ARE THERE CELEBRATIONS PLANNED?
Yes! Several public celebratory open houses and events are scheduled.
- Oct. 7-8 Fort Ancient Open Houses in Oregonia
- Oct. 14 National Park Service commemoration events at Hopewell Culture National Historical Park in Chillicothe
- Oct. 15 Newark Earthwork Open Houses in Heath and Newark
WHAT’S NEXT, AND HOW CAN I LEARN MORE?
We're offering a breakout session at the Ohio Conference on Travel with the latest information and tools you can use to (hopefully) celebrate and promote this important global designation if the sites are inscribed.
Together with University of Cincinnati, OTA created a preliminary inventory and mapping of earthwork-related, cultural, historic and natural sites, with the goal of using this information to create regional itineraries and tools for extending a World Heritage site visit. Pre-pandemic we convened tourism stakeholders in about 18 counties surrounding the sites nominated for inscription as World Heritage sites. We are hoping to continue these conversations by year-end.
While the vote is coming soon, one might say, our work is just beginning. It’s important to remember that we are all focused on the long-haul regarding the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks. It isn’t about “flipping the switch” in September with a full-blown final campaign. It’s going to involve more than marketing; it’s about product development and meeting the needs and expectations of visitors.
But what an awesome opportunity we have to generate awareness of Ohio throughout the world.