This huge earth-work was a composite design: partly geometric, partly hilltop, plus some irregular sections. A path from the parking lot (or from the western rim) climbs to overlooks and wooded trails, revealing earthen walls dipping in and out of small ravines. Park Superintendent Jennifer Pederson-Weinberger:

And those sections of wall are probably six to seven feet tall. The ditches in front of them are very noticeable at that point. In spring time or after a heavy rain, you’ll see that the water is ponding in there. I also like the fact that that area is in the forest – it’s quiet; it gives you more chances to think about how they built the earthworks, how much time and labor was invested 2000 years ago: when they were actually building the walls there, imagine these huge trees that they would have to cut by hand.

Large intact portions of the site are preserved in the woods, together with their ponds, along the northern hilltop.

Fort Hill, Paint Valley

Previous