Southern Ohio, in the minds of many Americans, was part of a larger "Promised Land," whose settlement followed quickly on the heels of the United States' victory over the alliance of Indian nations at the Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794. The Treaty of Ft. Greenville ceded Shawnee, Miami, and other Indian land claims to two-thirds of the future state of Ohio and officially opened the pioneer era of the Scioto Valley. From the campaigns of Dunmore's War in 1774 through those of the Northwest…

Explore the history and archeology of the Portsmouth Earthworks Complex that prehistoric Native Americans constructed over two-thousand years ago at the Mouth of the Scioto River, which are considered to be one of the largest complexes of mounds and earthworks in North America. Complete the tour in person or virtually using the Scioto Historical mobile app and website. Learn about the construction of the mounds and earthworks and their near destruction in the 19th and 20th centuries. View a 3D…

Explore Portsmouth, Ohio's sports history by visiting the birthplace of the NFL Detroit Lions and the baseball diamond where future Major League Baseball Hall of Famers once competed. Learn about Simon Labold, a local businessman and philanthropist, whose 1925 donation of lands in the city's East End paved the way for the development of a youth and professional athletic complex that hosted some of the nation's greatest football and baseball players. Visit the site where Jim Thorpe led the…

The 1930s mark one of the most important decades in Shawnee State Forest’s history. With unemployment rates as high as 25% nationally, and even higher in some cities, the Great Depression provided the impetus for a major expansion of state-owned forest lands, improvement of forest roads, and the development of recreational infrastructure in what would become Shawnee State Park. As part of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal, Congress passed the Emergency Conservation Work Act of 1933,…

Explore the history of Spartan-Municipal Stadium and its origins in professional football in Portsmouth, Ohio. Learn how the legendary Jim Thorpe and the forgotten Jack Creasy helped build the team and organization that would become the NFL Spartans, and in time, (after being sold) were reborn as the Detroit Lions. Visit sites across the city where key moments in local football history happened and return to the scene of the Spartans’ greatest triumphs in what was originally known as Labold…