April 18 is World Heritage Day, but Ohio History Connection is celebrating all week at the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks, including at Newark's Octagon Earthworks.
The Octagon Earthworks and Newark's Great Circle, along with six other earthworks built by the indigenous Hopewell culture around 2,000 years ago, became Ohio's only World Heritage site in Sept. 2023.
For the second, year, Ohio History Connection and the National Park Service are spending a week in April highlighting the site's historical and cultural value with guided tours, children's activities and more.
"We've designed this to be an annual celebration and it's unique to Ohio. That's why we call it Ohio World Heritage Week," said Neil Thompson, manager of media and public relations at Ohio History Connection. "We think it's a wonderful opportunity for Ohioans to get out and see these places that for many of our friends and neighbors, it's right in our backyard."
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It's the first year that the Octagon Earthworks will be included in the celebration, as the site was, until recently, a private golf course and country club. The Octagon only opened fully to the public on Jan. 1, after Ohio History Connection reached a settlement to buy out Moundbuilders County Club's lease after lengthy litigation.
"This is a really special time because the Octagon Earthworks have not been open to the public on this scale in more than a century," Thompson said.
Thompson says more than 800 people visited the first day the site was open. He hopes to see even more people on World Heritage Day, now that the weather is a bit less blustery.
Ohio World Heritage Week events kick off Saturday at Fort Ancient Earthworks and Nature Preserve in Oregonia, with a guided tour at 10:30 a.m.
On Sunday, there will be a free guided tour of Newark's Great Circle at noon, followed by a make-and-take activity for children between the ages of 3 and 10.
Monday, a national park ranger will lead a tour of Hopeton Earthworks in Chillicothe at 10 a.m. The Hopewell Mound Group in Chillicothe will be in the spotlight on Tuesday, with a tour at 10 a.m.
National park rangers will lead a tour of the Seip Earthworks in Bainbridge at 10 a.m. on Wednesday. April 17, a tour of Mound City Mound Group in Chillicothe kicks off at 10 a.m.
The week culminates in a day-long celebration on April 18 at Newark's Octagon Earthworks. Events at the Octagon begin at 11 a.m., with food trucks on site, and tours at noon and 6:30 p.m.
The day will also include a create-and-take children's activity at 3 p.m., a 4:30 p.m. TED Talk on what it means to be a World Heritage Site, and an all-day competition for the best model UNESCO World Heritage Site. Contestants can bake or make their models and drop them off at the Octagon Earthworks Visitor Center from April 14 to April 18.
The Octagon Earthworks, located at 125 N. 33rd St. in Newark, is open daily from dawn to dusk, and the visitor center is open Wednesday to Sunday.
