Fort Hill

Location:  Near Hillsboro, Ohio

Description:  Fort Hill is an ancient hill top enclosure in Ohio built by the Hopewell culture.  The Arc of Appalachia Preserve System maintains the site.  Arc of Appalachia states the following regarding the site:

“The major earthwork at Fort Hill is an ancient earthen-walled enclosure constructed on top of a large flat-topped ridge. The earthen-stone wall has a circumference over one and a half miles, its span interrupted with at 36 definite made-man openings, and three more possible man-made openings.”

“The wall itself ranges from 6 to 15 feet in height, averages 30 feet wide at its base, and encloses 35.3 acres. It was built to follow the natural contour of the rim of the hill, and is bordered on the inside wall by a substantial ditch. The total length of the embankment has been surveyed at 8,619 feet.” [45]

The man-made openings are believed by some to have been the location where defensive towers were built.

Ohio State University also comments on the site:

“Archaeological evidence suggests that the earthwork was built approximately 2000 years ago by people belonging to what is often referred to as the Hopewell Culture, an epithet derived from the surname of the European owner of an early excavation site in Chillicothe, Ohio. What name these Native Americans called themselves, and in what language they spoke, has unfortunately been lost to the mists of time. The Hopewell Culture is associated with nearly a dozen mysterious hilltop enclosures in southern Ohio.” [46]

The Book of Mormon states:

Alma 21:152-153 – “152 But behold, how great was their disappointment; for behold, the Nephites had dug up a ridge of earth round about them, which was so high that the Lamanites could not cast their stones and arrows at them, that they might take effect, neither could they come upon them, save it was by their place of entrance. 153 Now at this time, the chief captains of the Lamanites were astonished exceedingly, because of the wisdom of the Nephites in preparing their places of security.”

Alma 21:170-171 – “170 Now behold, the Lamanites could not get into their forts of security, by any other way save by the entrance, because of the highness of the bank which had been thrown up, and the depth of the ditch which had been dug round about, save it were by the entrance. 171 And thus were the Nephites prepared to destroy all such as should attempt to climb up to enter the fort by any other way, by casting over stones and arrows at them.”

(Also reference Alma 21:149-150, Alma 22:1-3, Alma 24:54-55)