Archaeology Blog

Birds of a Feather: The Smithsonian and OHC Natural History Collections

Join Dave Dyer, Natural History Curator, and Marie Swartz, Archaeology Curator, on a journey that intertwines ornithology, archaeology, and natural history, revealing the significance of collaborative research in unraveling the secrets of the past.   One of the basic tenets of a scientific collection is that the data associated with the specimens is as important […]

Road Trippin’ with Truda: First Friday Tour of the Great Circle

By Truda Shinker, Ohio History Connection Membership Manager Join me as I visit the sites in the Ohio History Connection network! This month's road trip took me to the First Friday Tour of the Great Circle in Heath. The Great Circle in Heath is one of the remaining segments of the Newark Earthworks, which was […]

From Santa Fe to Columbus: Pueblo Figurative Pottery in the Ethnographic Collection

On the (Rail)Road In the Autumn of 1880, President Rutherford B. Hayes embarked upon his Great Western Tour. Though being well-traveled throughout his presidency and known to make appearances across the country, this particular itinerary reached the Pacific Ocean and would mark the furthest west any sitting president had ever traveled. Beginning in Canton, Ohio, […]

Through the Eyes of a Child

By Linda Pansing, Curator of Archaeology This holiday season we thought you’d enjoy hearing about an encounter we had with a 7 year old who recently visited the museum in Columbus during a special event. She came by our table filled with stone pestles, pieces of pottery, bone tools, granite celts and chert projectile points; […]

Newark Earthworks Remnants Walking Tour, July 23, 2022

Join a guided walking tour of portions of the Newark Earthworks on Saturday, July 23 from 9 am to Noon. It will start and end at the Great Circle Museum (455 Hebron Rd., Heath, OH) and will cover about three miles of mostly level terrain on public sidewalks. Walking shoes and a water bottle are […]

Newark Earthworks Open House, July 25, 2022

During the Newark Earthworks Open House, visitors are invited to explore and fully experience all three segments of these ancient, expansive earthworks built masterfully by American Indians.  The site will be open daylight to dusk, with staff on site to answer questions from Noon–4 p.m. There is no registration or reservations needed for tours. Octagon […]

Treasures of Archaeology

Today, the blog is taking a different turn.  Instead of talking about all of the wonderful things we have in the collections, we’re going to focus on some true treasures; our volunteers and interns! First off is…   Mary Lou DiDonato Her journey to volunteerism started in 1980 with an impromptu visit to the museum […]

Calling All Adventurers: Shipwrecks to Snorkel in Lake Erie

Even though Lake Erie is the smallest of the Great Lakes, it is home to the largest number of shipwrecks – nearly 2,000! Almost 50 shipwrecks are located near Kelleys Island.

2022 Newark Earthworks Open House Dates

Meet Marie Swartz, the newest archaeology curator at Ohio History Connection