2026 Warren County Visitors Guide - Digital - Flipbook - Page 21
People from the
Playground
Bill Kennedy
Archaeologist & Site Manager
for Fort Ancient Earthworks
Scan the code to read Bill's
full interview online!
Equal parts caretaker, craftsman and
storyteller, Bill Kennedy of the Ohio
History Connection has spent the past
six years safeguarding the grounds
of Oregonia’s Fort Ancient Earthworks
& Nature Preserve, ensuring the site’s
incredible stories don’t stay buried
in the past.
Having studied, researched and explored
so many historical sites over the years,
what is it, from your expert perspective,
that makes Fort Ancient and its fellow
Hopewell Ceremonial Earthwork sites
so incredible?
In many ways, American archaeology
began in southern Ohio because of the
extraordinary earthworks found here.
They are creative masterpieces because
of their monumental scale, complex
symbolism, and their testament to American
Indian brilliance. The size of these earthworks
is usually the first thing that people come to
appreciate. They are analogous to earthen
cathedrals which incorporate complex
ideas about cosmology that have been
embedded into and are complemented by
the landscape itself. They are masterpieces
of human creative genius.
The Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks
earned UNESCO’s World Heritage
designation in the fall of 2023. For
those who aren’t familiar, what goes into
becoming a World Heritage site and why
is it such a badge of honor?
World Heritage is a designation given by
UNESCO as a recognition of outstanding
universal value in a place of cultural or
natural heritage.
Inscription is extremely difficult to achieve
and this effort took about 18 years of
work by many people and organizations,
including tribal partners. Americans
are usually not very familiar with World
Heritage because we have so few sites,
only 26 in the United States. Americans
recognize many of these places not
necessarily because they are World
Heritage sites, but because they are often
our most famous National Parks and
Monuments (such as Yellowstone or the
Statue of Liberty).
World Heritage is a designation that
most people in the world recognize as a
meaningful statement that some places
are so special that their significance
transcends national boundaries. They are
worthy of recognition by all of humanity.
We hear so often the incredible story
of Fort Ancient’s past. What excites
you most about its future?
will hopefully come every year. I’m excited
about the opportunity to reach new
audiences. Since inscription, one pattern
we’ve noticed is that more visitors come
in with questions because they’ve already
been learning about these places prior to
visiting.
When you aren’t on site at Fort Ancient,
where else might folks find you enjoying
your time here in Warren County?
What other Warren County events,
attractions, restaurants or shops would
you recommend to visitors?
I’ve been spending more time in Morrow
this year, which is only a few miles from
Fort Ancient. Morrow is growing as a
destination and is conveniently located
in a place where people can bike, hike,
and canoe. It has good restaurants and
ice cream and is a place that people
are rediscovering as its downtown is
being revitalized. I enjoy the Lebanon
Arts Festival and we do a booth for Fort
Ancient each year. Caesar Creek is also
a great destination and I recently got to
see the renovated nature center.
I’m most excited about what World
Heritage inscription means for the future.
World Heritage attracts a lot of attention
and this represents an opportunity to
tell the story to a larger audience. More
people will have the opportunity to learn
about this special place and more people
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