COLUMBUS, OH -- Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, First Lady Fran DeWine, and Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted will join the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) for a grand opening celebration of Great Council State Park on Friday, June 7.

Great Council State Park is Ohio’s newest state park, and is located in what used to be called “Old Chillicothe,” a vibrant Shawnee town founded in the 1770s and led by Chief Blackfish.

“Fran and I are excited to open a brand-new state park in Ohio that honors the state’s natural and cultural heritage,” Governor DeWine said. “Great Council State Park will feature an immersive interpretive center for visitors to learn about Ohio’s Shawnee and frontier history.”

WHAT:
Great Council State Park Grand Opening

WHEN:
Friday, June 7
10 a.m.

WHERE:
Great Council State Park
1575 US-68
Xenia, Ohio 45385

In May 2022, Governor DeWine and First Lady DeWine joined ODNR to break ground on this one-of-a-kind state park. Great Council features a 12,000-square-foot interpretive center, a native plant prairie, and a half-mile loop trail.

“We wanted to do something extraordinary to tell this chapter of Ohio’s history,” ODNR Director Mary Mertz said. “Great Council State Park accomplishes that goal by providing a large, immersive experience for people to learn about the legends that surrounded the area and the role Ohio’s natural resources played.”

The interpretive center’s design pays tribute to Shawnee longhouses that served as central hubs and community centers for tribes in the 1700s. Inside, visitors will find a living stream with native aquatic life, exhibits that depict what life was like for the Shawnee and early settlers in the 1770s, and a theater.

ODNR has worked with the three federally recognized Shawnee nations (The Shawnee Tribe, Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma, and the Absentee Shawnee Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma) to ensure Great Council State Park conveyed an accurate and authentic record of life in the 1770s.

The ODNR Division of Engineering oversaw the construction of Great Council State Park. The elements of the interpretive center were created through a partnership with the ODNR Division of Parks and Watercraft and the Ohio History Connection in consultation with local authorities including the Greene County Historical Society.