Fort Hill State Memorial facts for kids

Fort Hill State Memorial is an amazing ancient site in Highland County, Ohio, United States. It features a huge Native American earthwork. An earthwork is a large structure made by shaping the ground. This one was built by the Hopewell culture about 2,000 years ago. Today, the Arc of Appalachia Preserve System and the Ohio History Connection help take care of it.

The Fort Hill earthwork is like a giant walled area. It sits on top of a flat hill, far above the surrounding land. It's about 500 feet higher than nearby Ohio Brush Creek and 800 feet higher than the Ohio River. The Hopewell people carefully built this wall using soil.

What is Fort Hill?

The earthwork at Fort Hill is very big. Its wall goes for over 1½ miles (that's about 8,619 feet!). This wall encloses a large area of about 35.3 acres. The wall itself is quite impressive, standing 6 to 15 feet tall. At its base, it's about 30 feet wide in most places.

Openings in the Wall

There are 39 openings in the wall of the earthwork. Archaeologists have confirmed that 36 of these openings were made by the Hopewell people. The purpose of the other three openings is still a mystery.

Not a Fort, But a Sacred Place

Even though it's called "Fort Hill," archaeologists believe this earthwork was not used as a fort to protect against enemies. Instead, they think it was a very important religious or ceremonial site for the Hopewell people. It was likely a special place for gatherings and rituals.

History and Discoveries

In 1846, two important archaeologists, Ephraim George Squier and Edwin Hamilton Davis, explored Fort Hill. They carefully studied the earthwork and wrote about their findings.

Ancient Monuments Book

Their discoveries at Fort Hill were included in their famous book, Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley. This book was published in 1848 and helped people learn a lot about the ancient cultures of North America.

Nature at Fort Hill

Fort Hill State Memorial is also a great place to see interesting natural features. It has excellent examples of different types of rock layers, called "sedimentary bedrock." These rocks formed over millions of years.

Natural Bridge and Glacial History

You can also find a natural bridge at the site, which is a rock formation shaped like a bridge. The area also shows signs of "glacial stream reversal." This means that ancient rivers here once flowed in a different direction because of huge glaciers that covered the land long ago. Because of its unique natural features, Fort Hill was named a National Natural Landmark in 1974.

Gallery

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  Fort Hill viewed from a distance.

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  Entrance to Fort Hill.

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  Fort Hill museum. Constructed and dedicated in August 1968.

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  Monument to Morten Carlisle for his large responsibility for the establishment of Fort Hill State Memorial. Erected on May 21, 1950.