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For Immediate Release: November 29, 2006
SERPENT MOUND, HOPEWELL SITES CONSIDERED FOR WORLD LIST
OHS and NPS to conduct series of meetings on nominations for World Heritage Sites
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Could Serpent Mound in Adams County and the ancient Hopewell culture sites in Ohio join company with the Pyramids of Egypt, the Taj Mahal of India and the Great Wall of China as World Heritage Sites? The Ohio Historical Society and Hopewell Culture National Historical Park are conducting a series of meetings in December to seek community support for nominations of the ancient Ohio landmarks as World Heritage Sites, the most outstanding examples of the world’s cultural and natural heritage.
The United States, which has participated in the World Heritage Convention since 1973, has 20 World Heritage Sites, eight of which are cultural and 12 of them natural. The World Heritage List, currently consisting of 830 sites in 138 countries, is maintained by the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The United States is now preparing a new list of nominations to be submitted over the next 10 years. If the Hopewell culture sites and Serpent Mound are among the 20 to 25 U.S. sites nominated, they eventually would become the first sites in Ohio on the World Heritage List.
The Ohio Historical Society and Hopewell Culture National Historical Park plan to prepare a joint application for the nomination of significant Hopewell culture sites in Ohio: the Hopewell Culture National Historical Park in Ross County and the OHS sites of Fort Ancient in Warren County and the Newark Earthworks in Licking County, both National Historic Landmarks.
“We feel that the accomplishments of the Hopewell culture have outstanding universal value and should be recognized on par with other significant sites worldwide,” said Dean Alexander, superintendent of Hopewell Culture National Historical Park in Chillicothe.
In a separate nomination, the Ohio Historical Society will nominate Serpent Mound in Adams County, also a National Historic Landmark. “Serpent Mound is probably the best known effigy mound in the United States and is a unique expression of the Fort Ancient culture that is believed to have built it,” said George Kane, director of facilities management for the Ohio Historical Society. “Over the years, it has attracted visitors from all over the world, so this nomination, if accepted, would give it the recognition it deserves.”
Nomination to the World Heritage List does not change local, state or national control or administration of the sites. The primary effect is to honor significant natural and historical sites and encourage national, state and local governments and property owners to preserve sites that have worldwide significance.
“Community support is critical for nominations to receive serious consideration at the Washington level,” Kane said. “In this competitive process, support from local officials and community organizations is important for successful consideration for this international honor.”
Each of the four community meetings begins at 6 p.m. The first one will be conducted at Peebles High School in Adams County on Tuesday, Dec. 5. The Newark Earthworks Center will host the second meeting at Founders Hall Auditorium at Ohio State University-Newark on Thursday, Dec. 7. The other meetings will be conducted at Hopewell Culture National Historical Park in Chillicothe on Monday, Dec. 11 and Fort Ancient near Oregonia on Thursday, Dec. 14.
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