How Great Council State Park Honors Ohio’s Shawnee Heritage

Driving north from Xenia along U.S. Route 68, the 12,000-square-foot Interpretive Center at Great Council State Park is hard to miss. The massive rectangular structure was purposely designed to resemble the wood-and-bark longhouses where the Shawnee people traditionally gathered for meetings and ceremonies, and its arresting architecture clearly signals that this is not your typical state park.  

Opened in June 2024, Great Council is Ohio’s newest state park, and it boasts an authentic sense of place, being located beside the Little Miami River where a large Shawnee village known as Old Chillicothe stood during the 1770s.

“The idea for this park began in 2019 when Gov. [Mike] DeWine, who grew up in this area, asked for proposals on how to honor its rich Shawnee heritage,” says park manager Ivy Ortman.

A subsequent collaboration involving three federally recognized Shawnee tribes, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, the Ohio History Connection and the DeWines created a unique park where visitors experience a 15,000-year continuum that extends from nomadic Paleo-Indians to modern-day Shawnee citizens and the impact of European colonization.

Starting with a specially commissioned statue of the legendary Shawnee warrior and statesman Tecumseh that stands near the interpretive center’s entrance, visitors can proceed into the center to get acquainted with an array of history-making individuals, such as Old Chillicothe’s leader, Chief Blackfish; Daniel Boone, who was held captive there; and James Galloway, a local pioneer whom Tecumseh befriended.

Three floors of exhibits, interactive elements and artifacts share Shawnee customs and culture, while also highlighting how interactions between the Shawnee and European settlers shaped the history of both Ohio and the nation. Visitors can learn about the nature-oriented lifestyle at Old Chillicothe by stepping inside a wiikiwa, a dome-shaped Shawnee house, while a 20-foot Living Stream filled with native Ohio fish represents the Little Miami River and reinforces its important role in providing the village’s inhabitants with food, transportation and trade goods. 

“The Living Stream is especially popular with children,” Ortman says. “They can reach into the water and find replicas of arrowheads.” 

1587 U.S. 68 N., Xenia 45385, 937/502-0057, ohiodnr.gov

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