| Label | Information |
|---|---|
| Dates & times |
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| Category | Local Interest |
| Age Groups | Adult |
Lectures will be presented in the Oakwood High School Auditorium. Should there concerns due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the Fall FHSS will be presented virtually.
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Oakwood’s First Residents: The prehistory of the Miami Valley
Oakwood’s earliest European settlers and traders of the 1700’s found sites rich in the culture of its previous inhabitants. Well established trade routes, pottery manufacturing areas, and earthwork/mound sites in the Miami Valley tell the stories of Oakwood and the Miami Valley’s earliest inhabitants. Sites of note will include the mounds here in Oakwood as well as sites near Carillion Park, Wegerzyn Gardens and SunWatch.
Mound at WPAFB
During the Woodland period (800 B.C. to A.D. 1200) the earlier inhabitants of the Miami Valley lived in villages, developed a rich ritual and artistic life, began building earthworks and mounds, some of which were used for burial. While they still hunted and gathered food, they cultivated crops. The Adena and Hopewell cultures flourished during the Early and Middle Woodland periods, respectively. The population of Woodland people expanded dramatically, and groups lived in larger villages with defensive walls or ditches built for protection. Ritual and artistic endeavors waned during the Late Woodland period, as did trading with other groups. There were not new earthworks or mounds during this later period.
During the late prehistoric period (A.D. 900 to 1650), villages were larger, often built on high ground, near a river, and often surrounded by a wooden stockade. Earthworks returned during this period but were not built with the frequency that they were during the Woodland period.
About the Presenter: Bill Kennedy
Bill Kennedy is the Regional Coordinator for the Eastern Region of the Ohio History Connection. As an archaeologist, Bill is also a specialist in pre-contact native peoples of Ohio and has worked on archaeological sites of all time periods. He is especially knowledgeable about wooden architecture and is widely known for his work building full-scale reconstructions of thatch and daub homes at SunWatch and Fort Ancient. Bill comes from a family of builders and grew up working on historic and modern architecture.
Join the Oakwood Historical Society and Wright Memorial Public Library for entertainment and education. Whether you are a history lover or just interested in learning more about the place you live, the Far Hills Speaker Series has something new for everyone.