The earthworks were significant enough that they were included in the first publication by the Smithsonian Institution, “Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley,” written in 1847 by Ephraim Squire and Edwin Davis.
Dr. Barich’s farm is among 20 properties that will be auctioned 10:30 a.m. today at the Fitton Center for Creative Arts. Also to be auctioned are several properties located in the 500 block of Main Street in Hamilton.
“We have received through our page over $221,000 in pledges for Fortified Hill,” said Paul Gardner, Midwest Regional Director of The Archaeological Conservancy, a national non-profit organization that has preserved 400 sites across the country. “It’s been very gratifying. Almost all of them are coming from Ohio, too, so the local community support is really what’s making this work.”
“And in addition to that, we have some foundations that have pledged money as well,” added Gardner, whose own organization pledged $100,000. “So we are very close to our $400,000 target.”
Given how tight the deadline was to raise money for the auction, only about a month, “We have done much, much better than I ever thought we would,” he said. “This has really been a gratifying experience so far. I hope that I feel the same way when the auction’s over, because it’s always tough for conservation buyers.”
Donations are being accepted at donate.archaeologicalconservancy.org/pages/fort-fortified-hill-pledge.
Conservationists “don’t have the kind of money that developers do,” he said. “It’ll be a real tragedy if this one’s lost. It was one of six in a six-mile stretch, and it’s the only one that survives today.”
It is of the same era as Fort Ancient and other Ohio Hopewell sites that are strong candidates to become UNESCO World Heritage sites, so proponents hope it can become a tourist location.
“A lot of questions can hopefully be answered if it’s available for scientific research,” Gardner said. “If it goes under another housing subdivision, that’s that.”
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