Field NotesOhio
Upper Falls in the Old Man's Cave gorge, Hocking Hills, with visitors on the rocks

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The field guide to outdoor Ohio

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Old Man's Cave, Hocking Hills · Photo: Rhododendrites, CC BY-SA 4.0

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117 parks in 7 regions

Holder-Wright Earthworks (Ferris-Wright Park)

Dublin · Franklin County · Central Ohio
The northernmost Hopewell works in the Scioto Valley
National Register of Historic PlacesCity parkWyandotte Nation advises on interpretation

A city park on the Scioto where two circles, a square and five low burial mounds survive beside a restored 1800s farmhouse.

What survives
Two earthen circles, a square and five burial mounds; the tallest mound once stood about 5 feet
Older still
A Clovis point found here shows people on the site 12,000 to 13,000 years ago
Dug
In 1890, 1922 and 1961, then by Ohio State in 2013, 2014 and 2016
Trade
Finds include materials brought from as far as the Gulf of Mexico
Park
Opened in 2018 by the City of Dublin, with a restored 1800s farmhouse as an interpretive center
Listed
National Register of Historic Places, 1974

The story

The Holder-Wright Earthworks sit on a terrace above the Scioto River in Dublin, at Emerald Parkway and Riverside Drive. They are the northernmost Hopewell earthworks in the Scioto Valley: two circles, a square and five low burial mounds, the tallest of which once stood about 5 feet. A Clovis spear point found on the site shows people were here 12,000 to 13,000 years ago, long before the Hopewell.

The site was dug in 1890, 1922 and 1961, and Ohio State University's anthropology department worked here in 2013, 2014 and 2016, finding materials traded from as far as the Gulf of Mexico. Josephine Holder Wright, the last person to live on the land, wanted it kept whole. The City of Dublin bought it and opened Ferris-Wright Park in 2018, named for the Ferris, Wright and Holder farm families, with the Wyandotte Nation advising on how the park tells its Native history.

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Visiting information you can trust

Content last reviewed
November 2026 — this is when Field Notes Ohio's content was last checked, not a live status.
Primary official source
Official page
Location confidence
Verified property location
Located from the site's street address
Check current conditions
Official conditions or closures
Reservations or tickets
Tickets or admission info

Prices, hours, closures, campsite availability and trail conditions shown elsewhere on this page are not live — always confirm with the official source before you go.

The Last Resident's Wish

Josephine Holder Wright grew up on the farm by the Scioto and knew what lay in its fields. She wanted it kept the way it was.

The city that grew up around her bought it and made it a park, with the farmhouse turned into a place to tell the story of the people who were there first.

Behind the legend

Her wish to preserve the land, the city purchase, the 2018 opening and the Wyandotte Nation's advisory role come from the City of Dublin and Visit Dublin. Accounts differ on who built the farmhouse and when, 1818 or 1820, so this entry does not say.

If you go

Walk the paths around the circles and the square, then join one of the free farmhouse tours if one is scheduled. Stay off the mounds.

Visiting

Status
Open dawn to dusk
Managed by
City of Dublin
Hours
The park is open dawn to dusk. The farmhouse interpretive center opens only for free guided tours and open houses; check the city's calendar.
Admission
Free
Please note
Stay off the mounds. Do not remove earth or stones.
Address
Ferris-Wright Park, 4400 Emerald Parkway, Dublin, OH 43017
Official information →Directions

Parks nearby

Alum Creek State Park
About 11 miles · A big lake park with the largest inland beach in Ohio.
Open
Delaware State Park
About 19 miles · A camping park on Delaware Lake.
Open

Details last checked 2026-11-05. Confirm hours and prices before you go.

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