MOUND PARK
AN MSPIB PARTNER PARK
Mound Park is owned by the City of Portsmouth. MSPIB partners with The City's Shade Tree Commission to plant and monitor the health of trees in Mound Park.
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Mound Park is located at the northeast corner of Hutchins Street and Grant Street. Mound Park is named in honor of the prehistoric Native American earthworks located at the site.
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Mound Park was at the center of what was once the largest prehistoric earthen mound complex in the entire world and the biggest of all Hopewell Ceremonial Centers: The Portsmouth Earthworks Complex.
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Eight Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks in Ohio have been added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. While Mound Park was not included on the list, this recognition of the Hopewell Culture's Monumental Landscape Architecture highlights the priceless significance of Mound Park.
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Mound Park features three intact prehistoric earthworks thought to have been constructed over 2,000 years ago: The East Twin Horseshoe Mound, The Mound Park Conical Mound, and The Elevation (formerly known as "Natural").
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During park improvements in 2020, archaeology at Mound Park uncovered nearly 4,500 Middle Woodland Period artifacts now in the collection of the Ohio History Connection in Columbus.
Archaeology in 2022, along with historic records, revealed that The "Natural" Elevation is an earthwork built, or at least enhanced in height, during prehistoric times.
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Artifacts discovered in Mound Park may be viewed in the "Art of The Ancients" permanent exhibition at the Southern Museum & Cultural Center in Portsmouth.
Learn more about the prehistory of Mound Park with the Shawnee State University Center for Public History's Scioto Historical app: https://sciotohistorical.org/tours/show/22.
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In addition to earthworks, Mound Park is home to two Historic Buildings, Basketball Courts, a Baseball Field, Tennis Courts, and Pickleball Courts.
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The Hilltop Initiative Neighborhood Association is actively fundraising to build a new Playground for Children at Mound Park to replace the old Playground that was demolished in 2021.