Flint Ridge Ancient Quarries and Nature Preserve
In 1933, L. H. Woddrop, owner of the Flint Ridge Mining and Manufacturing Company, donated a tract of 25-30 acres of land to the Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society to use as a state park. The land was within the Flint Ridge, a ten-mile long geological formation of flint running from eastern Licking County into western Muskingum County north of the National Road. The Civilian Conservation Corp built two restrooms and a shelter house by 1935 and added parking space, trails and camp stoves over the next two years. The park was called the Flint Ridge State Park.
Another 488 acres were donated to the park around 1950 by the Wehrle Foundation operated by Augustine Wehrle, owner of the Wehrle Stove Company. Flint was made the official gem stone of Ohio in 1965. Four more acres were donated that year, bringing the total acreage to 519. Governor James Rhodes toured the area in September 1965 and arranged for a bond issue to cover expenses of building a museum at the park. His idea included placing the building over an actual flint pit. This became a reality on September 29, 1968 at the opening of the museum, called the Gilbert W. Dilley Museum due to that man’s efforts to make it happen.
The museum received a new roof, heating and cooling system and handicap accessibility in 1998. Interactive displays were installed. Then in 2003 a bronze marker was installed by the Ohio Bicentennial Commission.
Severe funding shortages with the State of Ohio between 2001-2008 forced it to either close many of its historical sites or turn their management over to local groups. The Licking Valley Heritage Society based in Hanover, Ohio took over management by contract as of May 15, 2009, and it has been open every weekend from May to October since then.
Each year on Labor Day weekend, flint-knappers from all over the country and sometimes other countries flock to the park for the annual Knap-In, hosted at the park by the Flint Ridge Lithic Society. Skilled knappers demonstrate how to chip the flint into spear and arrow points, thereby helping to preserve the ancient art of flint-knapping. A wide variety of venders set up tents to make this a very popular local event.
In the summer of 2014 the name of the park changed to the Flint Ridge Ancient Quarries and Nature Preserve. The Ohio Historical Society (now called the Ohio History Connection) renamed many of the state parks around Ohio that were managed by local groups. [1][2]
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