Fort Ancient

Ohio History

A Relief Map of Fort Ancient

It's time for another road trip to an point of interest in Ohio. We will be heading for the Fort Ancient Earthworks and Nature Preserve in Oregonia, Ohio, an hour northeast of Cincinnati. This National Historic Landmark was Ohio's first state park, owned by the state since 1891. But, of course, its history goes much further back than that. Fort Ancient consists of almost three and a half miles of earthen walls up to 68 feet wide and 23 feet high. They enclose roughly 100 acres on the top of a high plateau that overlooks the Little Miami River. The 3D topographical map above shows the earthen walls at the edge of the clearing, just before the descent to the river valley begins. Despite being called a fort, archaeologists now believe this enclosure was a space for social and ceremonial events rather than for defense.

Another View of Fort Ancient

The Fort Ancient museum was located inside the earthen walls of Fort Ancient, at the other end of the enclosure. If you look closely at another segment of the topographical map shown above, you can pick out the earth walls. The white-roofed building in the center is the museum, which we will be visiting here in a minute. Then we will take a hike to see some of the walls themselves.