World Heritage Sites are sites (including natural and man-made places) that are so designated by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, an international body charged with cataloging and preserving sites “of outstanding cultural or natural importance to the common heritage of mankind,” according to Wikipedia. Sites must meet one of ten listed criteria and be of “outstanding universal value.”

The website of the World Heritage Committee includes a list of current World Heritage Sites, among which are approximately 20 properties in the United States, ranging from Yellowstone National park to Independence Hall in Philadelphia.

At present, the United States, through the National Park Service, is compiling a list of 20 to 25 potential nominations as World Heritage Sites over the next 10 years – and the Ohio Historical Society and the Hopewell Cultural National Historical Park are soliciting public support for two proposed Ohio nominations to be among them:  a general Hopewell Culture nomination which would include the Newark Earthworks, Fort Ancient and the Hopewell Culture National Historical Park, and a separate nomination for Serpent Mound in Adams County. Public support is deemed crucial in this process, and letters and other expressions of support are strongly encouraged.

For more information, please visit this special page on the Ohio Historical Society website, where you can read more about the nominations and the nomination process, and where you can find contact information to register your support. Click here to learn more about Serpent Mound and to follow links to information on the Hopewell, Fort Ancient and Adena cultures.

Photo: Fort Ancient Earthworks, Warren County - berriehol/Creative Commons License