YELLOW SPRINGS SENIOR CENTER
Ohio Prehistory Tours
Southwestern Ohio is the heartland of two great prehistoric cultural traditions, the Adena and the Hopewell, also known as the Mound Builders, who created hundreds of magnificent earthen structures in this area long ago. About 3,000 years ago, indigenous peoples living in the great forests here began to change their subsistence from a largely nomadic hunting and gathering to a more sedentary way of life with more permanent settlements. They became more dependent on horticulture and spent considerable resources on constructing spectacular mounds and earthworks near the rivers of Ohio, including the Little Miami River and the Great Miami River.
Today few of these great structures have survived the thousands of years of time and erosion. But enough are left as witnesses to the people who were here long before the Europeans came to Ohio. Many earthworks have been studied by archaeologists and have been carefully preserved. The Yellow Springs Senior Center will sponsor tours of several Mound Builder sites for interested citizens to aid in the understanding and appreciation of Ohio’s rich prehistoric past.
We will travel to these sites by personal auto; car-pooling is recommended. Each tour leaves from the Senior Center. Printed directions and maps will lead you to the sites. A local anthropologist will guide each tour. Some walking will be necessary – you should be able to walk about one-half mile and manage steps. Box lunches and bottled water will be provided. Feel free to bring your own snacks and additional drinks. Itineraries are subject to change depending on weather and other conditions.
The cost of each tour is $50 per person, which includes admission fees, parking fees, and a box lunch; please pay by one week prior to the tour. Reservations can be made by sending a check to the Senior Center. To pay with a credit card, scroll down this page.
Today few of these great structures have survived the thousands of years of time and erosion. But enough are left as witnesses to the people who were here long before the Europeans came to Ohio. Many earthworks have been studied by archaeologists and have been carefully preserved. The Yellow Springs Senior Center will sponsor tours of several Mound Builder sites for interested citizens to aid in the understanding and appreciation of Ohio’s rich prehistoric past.
We will travel to these sites by personal auto; car-pooling is recommended. Each tour leaves from the Senior Center. Printed directions and maps will lead you to the sites. A local anthropologist will guide each tour. Some walking will be necessary – you should be able to walk about one-half mile and manage steps. Box lunches and bottled water will be provided. Feel free to bring your own snacks and additional drinks. Itineraries are subject to change depending on weather and other conditions.
The cost of each tour is $50 per person, which includes admission fees, parking fees, and a box lunch; please pay by one week prior to the tour. Reservations can be made by sending a check to the Senior Center. To pay with a credit card, scroll down this page.
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Tour I: Local Adena Mounds and Sun Watch Village
Wednesday, May 11, 2022, 9 am–5 pm Please register and pay by May 4 Williamson Mound, Kinsey Mound, Wright Brothers Memorial Group Mounds, and the Miamisburg Mound are Adena burial mounds. Sun Watch Village in the Great Miami River flood plain is a late prehistoric settlement arranged around a plaza with a large central post that served as part of a solar calendar. The associated visitor center interprets the site and its culture. |
Tour II: Newark Earthworks and Hopewell Culture National Park
Wednesday, June 15, 2022, 9 am–5 pm
Please register and pay by June 8
The Newark Earthworks are the largest assemblage of Hopewell geometric earthen architecture in the eastern United States. Although much of the original work is gone, the Great Circle and other large features are still visible today. The associated museum is the first one in the U.S. devoted to Native American art. If time allows, the tour will then stop at the Tarleton Cross Mound on the way to Chillicothe. Tarleton Mound is an unusual low, cross-shaped mound of unknown age. North of Chillicothe are the Mound City Group, a restored burial mound and embankment complex, one of the finest known examples of a Hopewell ceremonial center, and the Hopewell Mound Group, the largest of all surviving Hopewell earthworks. The visitor center exhibits are a most unusual and significant collection of Hopewell artifacts.
Tour III: Fort Ancient and Serpent Mound
Thursday, July 14, 2022, 9 am–5 pm
Please register and pay by July 7
This tour takes visitors to the Fort Ancient Hilltop Enclosure and to Serpent Mound in southern Ohio. Fort Ancient is the largest Hopewell hilltop enclosure in all of North America, constructed in stages over 400 years. It is located in Ohio’s first state park. Serpent Mound is the largest effigy mound in America and has recently been dated to late prehistoric time.
Thursday, July 14, 2022, 9 am–5 pm
Please register and pay by July 7
This tour takes visitors to the Fort Ancient Hilltop Enclosure and to Serpent Mound in southern Ohio. Fort Ancient is the largest Hopewell hilltop enclosure in all of North America, constructed in stages over 400 years. It is located in Ohio’s first state park. Serpent Mound is the largest effigy mound in America and has recently been dated to late prehistoric time.
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