Between 1,600 and 2,000 years ago, people now referred to as the Hopewell Culture built enormous earthworks in the land we call Ohio. These include precise geometric shapes aligned with the moon and sun and vast hilltop enclosures. Artifacts found in these mounds are both outstanding art and evidence that the earthworks were sacred gathering sites for people from as far away as the Rocky Mountains, the East Coast, Canada, and the Gulf of Mexico. Eight of these sites across Ohio were designated as UNESCO World Heritage sites in 2022.
Mound builders were also living, traveling through, and building mounds in the Westerville area. None of these earthworks still stand due to modern development. What we know about them is informed by settler maps and writings, archaeological studies, and reviews of comparable sites.
To learn more about Westerville’s mounds, visit the displays on the second floor at the Westerville Public Library and at the Westerville History Museum entrance.
To learn more about the UNESCO World Heritage sites and their connections with American Indian tribal nations today, visit https://hopewellearthworks.org.
