Hopewell Mound Group was a great ceremonial center that once stood in an open field west of here. Covering more than 100 acres, it was a place of social and religious activities. Some 2,000 years ago, people likely came here on pilgrimages, bringing exotic goods such as obsidian, copper, shark and grizzly bear teeth, and mica. In the 1890s, archaeologists uncovered remarkable prehistoric evidence here that enabled them to define a culture they named the Hopewell. Archaeologists distinguished the Ohio Hopewell culture by elaborate burial practices, large geometric earthworks, an array of exotic materials, artistic style, and innovations in making stone tools and ceramics. Their influence was far reaching, and their accomplishments were unprecedented. A highway, two railroads, three archaeological excavations, and years of farming damaged Hopewell Mound Group. The site is now preserved and protected by Hopewell Culture National Historical Park, and today National Park Service archaeologists avoid disturbing burial mounds, learning instead from non-intrusive technologies, archived collections, and limited excavations.