Can A Mysterious Ancient Treasure Revive Our Region?
A mysterious ancient treasure is set to give a big boost to our region. “It’s a game changer,” said Scioto County Commissioner Bryan Davis.
Davis is talking about the expected designation of the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks as a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Heritage Site. This would place Ohio’s native American burial mounds in a group that includes Stonehenge, the Taj Mahal, Machu Picchu, Vatican City, the Great Wall of China, the Acropolis, Venice, and Yellowstone National Park.
Commissioner Davis says, “This area has a rich Native American heritage. Ohio, and especially Scioto County, needs to tell our story.”
The Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks is located near Chillicothe and contains several burial mounds built by Native Americans between 1 A.D. and 400 A.D. They built massive ceremonial earthworks and created impressive works of art.
Scioto County is also home to burial mounds, including the mound in Mound Park and Tremper Mound.
Archeologists and anthropologists have long been fascinated about the people who built the mounds and what happened to them. Some paranormal researchers have even speculated that ancient aliens are behind the mounds, and they were meant as directional markers for UFOs.
With an international designation, tourists from all over the world could be drawn to the area much as they trek to Egypt to see the pyramids.
“There’s a lot of energy now,” Scioto Cunty Commissioner Scottie Powell says. “Locally, we’re already seeing a trickling impact with that. I was talking with Charlotte Gordon at the museum. They are already seeing people from outside our community making the trip to Ross County and coming down to look at our display before heading out to Serpent Mound.”
Powell said it’s important for Scioto County to look at how to start tying the story of these ancient people together as a region. “It highlights that our economy is a regional economy. That’s how we need to think about tourism and recreation. Now, there’s this extra piece that’s being highlighted in Ohio. Maybe in the future, one of our mounds is tied to the UNESCO site at well.”
