Shawnee Lookout

An image of Shawnee lookout. A river is seen through an opening of trees on a sunny day

The Shawnee Lookout State Park of Hamilton County consists of three walking trails and one former golf cart path at the confluence of the Great Miami and Ohio Rivers. The Miami Fort Trail shows evidence of over 14,000 years of Native American historical villages, burial mounds, and campsites. Traces of tribes such as the Shawnee, Wyandot, Mingo, Miami, Adena, and Hopewell have been found in and near Miami Fort. The park also includes trails named after Chief Blue Jacket of the Shawnees and Chief Little Turtle of the Miami people. The previous inclusion of the Shawnee Lookout Golf Course was decommissioned after 40 years in 2019 with future plans for the area still being decided.

The top story of a stone brick schoolhouse with one window and a wooden door.
SpringHouse School was built and used in the early 1800s until its movement and restoration by the Park District in 1975.
A view of the Ohio River as seen in between two large trees
According to trail signs, the Shawnee were the last to enjoy the scenic view of the floodplains, hence the name Shawnee Lookout Park.
A stone-lined pit that has been filled in with dirt in the middle of the park
Remains of a deep stone-lined pit with an unknown purpose built by European settlers. One theory suggests the now filled pit was used for rain water storage.
A burial mound marked by wooden signage reading "Indian Burial Mound. Please help preserve. Show respect by not walking on mound."
The purpose of the Miami Fort was likely ceremonial rather than military. The Adena buried the dead in bark-lined pits, animal hides or log tombs, which a mound was then constructed over.
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By fall 2023, local history, parks, PH Wild, race & diversity