|
Field
Trips > SW Region >
Adena State Memorial
To schedule your class visit please call Brigitte Hisey at 740-772-1500 ext. 102. Tours are offered Wednesday through Friday September and October.
Adena is the restored home of Thomas Worthington, one of Ohio's first U.S. Senators
and Ohio's sixth governor. The view from Worthington's hilltop estate across the valley to Mount Logan
is thought to have been the inspiration for the scene depicted on the Great Seal of Ohio.
After traveling to the Northwest Territory as a surveyor, Worthington settled in Chillicothe in 1798
with hopes of prosperity and new opportunities. These hopes were realized through extensive land and
livestock trade, grist and saw mills, grain and fruit crops, shipping and prospecting.
Worthington worked diligently to improve education in Ohio, serving as a trustee for Ohio University
and the Chillicothe Academy. He also promoted the canal system and local government. Known as the
"Father of Ohio Statehood," Worthington contributed to Ohio's bid for statehood and to the writing of
the state's first constitution.
Construction of the Adena home began in 1802. Architect Benjamin Latrobe used a modified
Georgian-style in his design for the buff-colored sandstone mansion. The home has been restored to its
former elegance, along with a smokehouse, springhouse, barn, washhouse, tenant house, and formal
gardens. Worthington chose to name the estate Adena, meaning "most beautiful." He lived in the mansion
with his wife, Eleanor, and their ten children.
The name Adena has another recognition. In 1901 archaeologist William C. Mills discovered a small,
prehistoric human likeness buried in a mound that was then part of the Adena property. The Adena Pipe
was named for the place it was found. That name later was assigned to the prehistoric people who lived
in southern Ohio from 800 BC to AD 100, identifying this well-known Eastern Woodland culture
worldwide.
Exhibits in the new Education and Visitor Center trace the history of Thomas Worthington and his
family as well as the evolution of Ohio statehood.
Facilities Information
Chaperones: one teacher and/or one parent per small group in mansion.
The grounds and first floor of the Adena Mansion are handicap accessible.
As students will be outdoors during part of their experience, we suggest they dress appropriately for
the weather.
Lunch facilities are available. Camp Sherman Park is located at Pleasant Valley Road and
State Route 104 and is available for groups to picnic.
Hours of Operation
9:30 a.m. - 5 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday
12:00 - 5:00 p.m., Sunday
Admission
$4.00 per student; $4.00 per chaperon; teachers & bus drivers are free
Location
Adena State Memorial is located in Chillicothe (Ross County), on the end of Adena Road, off Pleasant
Valley Road, which is the first road west off of State Route 104, just north of the U.S. 35
interchange at the north edge of Chillicothe in Ross County.
Bus Driver's Instructions
Parking is adjacent to the Museum and Education Center.
All tours begin at Education and Visitor Center
If you will be delayed in arriving at your appointed time, call 740-772-1500 or 800-319-7248.
Bus drivers are admitted free to Adena.
FIELD TRIPS > SOUTHWEST REGION SITES:
| 
