CHILLICOTHE, Ohio -- Capt. Mordecai Hopewell may be the most
famous old-time landowner in southern Ohio's Ross County.
Hopewell's name is attached to the ancient culture that built
giant, elaborate and mysterious earthworks in the Ohio Valley:
the Hopewell Indians who thrived between 200 B.C. and 500 A.D.
The Civil War veteran owned the farm where an extensive
archaeological dig took place near Chillicothe in 1891. Today,
it is known as the Hopewell Mound Group earthworks. It is one of
five earthworks that together form the Hopewell Culture National
Historic Park. The Hopewell farm, off Sulphur Lick Road
northwest of Chillicothe and along the North Fork of Paint
Creek, includes portions of the wall and mounds that were built
2,000 years ago with simple hand tools. It is a 316-acre site.
The main attraction at the 1,245-acre historic park is the Mound
City Group, a 120-acre tract that is a cemetery, of sorts, and a
ceremonial ground. It's about 45 miles south of Columbus. It's
generally considered one of the m