COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio leaders cut the ribbon on the state’s newest park Friday.
Located along U.S. Route 68 on the site of the historic seat of the 16th-century Shawnee village Old Chillicothe, the site “honors and preserves Ohio’s Shawnee history and pioneer past.”
Great Council State Park is Ohio’s 76th state park.
Gov. Mike DeWine was joined at the ceremony in Xenia by several state leaders.
“We always thought that with such a rich and storied history, Ohio needed to do something big to bring attention to this area," said DeWine. "Great Council State Park, at its heart, is the preservation of Ohio’s history and a tribute to the Shawnee people and the pioneers. These are the stories that need to be told.”
The park features a 12,000-square-foot interpretative center depicting what life looked like in the 1700s. The center was modeled after a historic Shawnee longhouse and includes a gallery space, interactive exhibits and a short film about the history of Old Chillicothe.
In total, the park is 15 acres and has a native plant prairie, a half-mile trail and views of the Little Miami River.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources worked with three federally recognized Shawnee tribes, the Absentee Shawnee Tribe, the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma and the Shawnee Tribe, on the park’s design.
“I want people to be curious about the history of Great Council State Park and yearn to learn more about what was here in the past,” said ODNR Director Mertz. “We want visitors to ask questions about the Shawnee and their connection to nature in the 1700s. We want visitors to feel that strong link between our natural world back then and today.”
The project began in 2021 when ODNR purchased the Tecumseh Motel property. Then, in June 2022, a groundbreaking ceremony was held at the start of construction.
