Native American Cultural & Education Center

Our Native American Cultural & Education Center opened on September 4, 2019 and is located on the second floor of the Municipal Building addition.  It is open to the public Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 3 PM.  We encourage residents and visitors to stop in and take a look at the artifacts. Teachers, call the administration office at 513-271-3246 (option #3) to schedule a fun and informative field trip for your students!

About the Native American Cultural & Education Center    

In 1871, Dr. Charles Metz began an investigation of the area at the top of Miami Bluff, now known as the Madisonville Site, where he discovered a cache of Native American artifacts.  The Metz family offered to share some of those artifacts with the Village to display in our Native American Cultural and Education Center. Two people, State Representative Tom Brinkman and Dr. Kenneth Tankersley, were instrumental in making the Cultural Center a reality. We owe many thanks to  State Representative Tom Brinkman who was the driving force in securing the $400,000 grant that made construction of the center possible. Dr. Tankersley, a University of Cincinnati professor, has conducted several archeological digs in the South 80 and was able to show proof that the South 80 was once home to a Native American village. With the help of some of his University of Cincinnati students, Dr. Tankersley has done a fantastic job of setting up and labeling the artifacts for display.  All of this work has been done at no cost to the Village.  We are fortunate to have Dr. Tankersley’s expertise.  Additionally, the Village is grateful for former Mayor Dan Policastro’s dedication to this project and for former Council members Mayor Bill Brown and Mary Anne Schwartz for all of their work during the design, construction, and furnishing of the Municipal Building addition and the Native American Cultural & Education Center.

Learn More:

• Click on the link to view a short documentary about the Native American people who lived in the area in and around Mariemont, Ohio from 1400 to 1650 AD, shared by the Mariemont Preservation Foundation:  Mariemont: The Ancient Story
• “Fort Ancient Bone, Shell and Flint Artifacts from the Middle Ohio River Valley,” presented by Randy Sanders and made available by the Mound City Chapter of the Archaeological Society of Ohio (ASO). Hosted by the Hopewell Culture National Historical Park, Chillicothe Ohio. Presenter: Randy Sanders of the Six River Valley Chapter of the ASO (Franklin County, Ohio), June 11, 2024. In this presentation, Sanders shares his unique and extensive knowledge of the fish and wildlife in and around the Ohio River Valley, particularly the segment from Gallipolis to Cincinnati, Ohio. He has gained much insight into the Fort Ancient Culture through his understanding of the Ohio River ecosystem which existed before the modern system of locks and dams was built: Fort Ancient Bone, Shell and Flint Artifacts from the Middle Ohio River Valley