What is World Heritage and what does it mean to Ross County?

The World Heritage Convention was created in 1972 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organization and aims to promote cooperation among nations to protect heritage around the world that is of such outstanding universal value that its conservation is important for current and future generations. It is intended that properties on the World Heritage List will be conserved for all time. The concept of World Heritage is universal in that World Heritage sites are shared by all the peoples of the world, irrespective of the territory on which they are located. Currently, the list contains 981 properties scattered around the globe on nearly every continent.

Once a country signs the Convention and has sites inscribed on the World Heritage List, the resulting prestige often helps raise awareness among citizens and governments for heritage preservation. Greater awareness leads to a general rise in the level of the protection and conservation given to heritage properties. A country may also receive financial assistance and expert advice from the World Heritage Committee to support activities for the preservation of its sites. In addition, the location named will become a desired travel destination for people all over the world and the local tourism industry as well as the local economy can see benefits that will go on forever.

The Hopewell  Ceremonial Earthworks were nominated in 2008 to become a World Heritage Site. The Hopewell Culture National Historical Park along with their partners at the Ohio Historical Society (stewards of the Newark Earthworks and Fort Ancient) are organizing and strategizing to ensure that the remaining monumental works of the Hopewellian people make it to the renowned list of world-wide recognition and heritage. The five earthworks at Hopewell Culture NHP, the Newark Earthworks and the Fort Ancient Earthworks, make up the World Heritage proposal known as the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks.

To learn more about World Heritage and to watch a video presentation of the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks, visit http://www.nps.gov/hocu/historyculture/hopewell-ceremonial-earthworks.htm.

To learn more about World Heritage Ohio, visit www.worldheritageohio.org.