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The Revitalization Program at Fort Ancient has been in existence for 18 years. It is an opportunity for civic organizations, including the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of America to provide community service in exchange for a free weekend of camping at Fort Ancient State Memorial. Below is some historical information that may help you better understand Fort Ancient and the Revitalization program
Fort Ancient is part of the Ohio Historical Society, a non-profit organization that serves as the state’s partner in preserving and interpreting Ohio’s history, archaeology, and natural history.
Fort Ancient is the best-preserved hilltop enclosure in the United States. It is located 245 feet about the Little Miami River Valley in Warren County, Ohio, approximately 20 minutes from King’s Island. The American Indians built Fort Ancient around 2,000 years ago during the Hopewell cultural period. The site consists of approximately 18,000 feet of earthen walls that range in height from 3 to 23 feet. There are 3.5 miles of hiking trails, a picnic area, and two scenic overlooks. The museum at Fort Ancient has a 9,000 sq ft exhibit area, a hands on classroom, and a seasonal reconstructed garden depicting crops that were grown 2,000 and 1,000 years ago.
The Revitalization Program began in 1990 as an attempt to provide scouts with a community service provider, thus helping the Ohio Historical Society with maintenance projects that are critically needed to maintain the aesthetic quality and outdoor needs of the site. In return for the community service, the group received the opportunity to camp at the site and to have free access to the grounds and museum.
The scouts normally arrive Friday evening between 6 and 8 p.m. The campsite is located in close proximity to the maintenance building where there is an indoor toilet, running water and firewood. The vehicles will enter through the site manager’s private drive. The site manager will greet the scouts and direct them in the proper areas to camp. After the camp is set up he will discuss the rules and regulations plus describe the type of community service that will be done the next morning.
The community service project will normally begin between 8:30 and 9:30 in the morning. After the project is finished, the rest of the day is at their leisure. The site manager will set up a time to talk to the scouts about the archaeological history of the site AND, talk about the Eagle Scout drop out lecture!! The normal program will last between 40 minutes and 1 hour, depending upon the interest level of the scouts.
The weekend is a wonderful time to do community service, relax and have fun experiencing an American Indian site that was used as a place of ceremony for the people who occupied this part of Ohio 2,000 years ago. As of February of 2008 Fort Ancient has had over 14,000 scouts donate approximately 42,000 hours of community service, and the completion of 81 Eagle Scout projects with an additional 12,000 hrs of service.
If someone is interested in setting up a visit to Fort Ancient, please contact the site manager, Jack Blosser at 513. 932-4421, or 800. 283-8904. You can also e-mail the site manager at jblosser@ohiohistory.org. This program is offered year round.
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