Lay of the Land

Fulfilling Our Mission

Back in 1980, The Archaeological Conservancy’s first year of operation, I visited the famous Hopewell site near Chillicothe, Ohio, for the first time. Two thousand years ago it was the ceremonial center of the Hopewell people. Today, it is the type-site of the Hopewell culture and perhaps the most famous archaeological site in the Eastern United States. In 1980, most of the 200-acre site was planted in corn. It had been extensively excavated by several archaeologists and amateurs, traversed by a road and a railroad, plowed down, and just beat up. But there it was, still intact.

We consulted with state officials and several archaeological experts. Everyone agreed that it was critical to preserve this site. Large-scale developments were less than a quarter mile away, and the threats to completely destroy this indispensable part of America’s prehistoric legacy were acute. All the experts concurred that, despite its history of abuse, the Hopewell site still contained vital information about one of North America’s most enigmatic cultures. Even though we really could not afford it, we bought the main part of the site. Two other tracts were added later, and some years later it was added to the new Hopewell Culture National Historical Park.

In this issue of American Archaeology (see “A Hopewell Woodhenge,” page 32) we report on exciting new research that is being done at the Hopewell site. It turns out that a 73-acre circular feature is still intact under the plow zone, and that it appears to be a kind of calendrical monument. Despite being known for some 200 years, no one had excavated and examined this feature. Because the Conservancy acquired the site and preserved it, it is still there for new archaeologists to investigate using the latest technology. That’s why the Conservancy was founded in 1980, and it feels good to see those efforts pay off.

Mark Michel, President