Meet two of your neighbors who are loyal readers of
 Over the Back Fence Magazine.

Bradley Lepper
Archaeologist with the
Ohio Historical Society

For more information on the Ohio Historical Society, visit www.ohiohistory.org

I live in Newark, but I was born and raised in northeastern Ohio. I have wanted to be an archaeologist for as long as I can remember and ultimately graduated from Ohio State University with my PhD. I was hired by the Ohio Historical Society to work at the Newark Earthworks and Flint Ridge. After several years, I was transferred to the Ohio Historical Center in Columbus, which is where I am based now.

Rita Brandon

I live in Ashland, Ohio with my husband.  I am an Intervention Specialist teaching 6th grade at a small rural school on the outskirts of Ashland.  We have two sweet grand babies under the age of three and another on the way! 

Q: What are your main responsibilities at the Ohio Historical Society?

Q: What are you looking forward to about spring?

A. As a "curator" of archaeology I care for the amazing artifact collections and wonderful ancient sites that are the responsibility of the Ohio Historical Society. A big part of my job is letting the public know just how important Ohio's ancient Native American heritage is. Ohio's archaeology is just as spectacular as anything you could see in the American Southwest or even Greece and Rome.

Q: What is a "must see" OHS event in 2008?

Q: What location or event have you visited that was highlighted in Over the Back Fence?   

A. For me, the one "must see" event of 2008 will be the Open House at the Octagon Earthworks in Newark on May 4. This will be an opportunity to walk through the 50-acre octagonal enclosure and the 20-acre circle to which it is attached. Ordinarily, there is limited access to this incredible monument, because the site is leased by a country club. The Ohio Historical Society sponsors four open house days a year at the site, but what makes the May 4 date so important is that it's associated with the May 3 Newark Earthworks Day celebration. This year, the event includes a performance of Aztec dancers at the Great Circle Earthworks and the long-awaited re-opening of the Ohio Historical Society visitor's center with all new exhibits. So the May 3-4 weekend will be a great opportunity for anyone who has an interest in Ohio's ancient earthworks and Native American heritage.

Q: What other new and exciting things are happening with OHS?

Describe what would be a great spring weekend in Ohio for you:

A. The most exciting project I've been working on is the effort to have several of Ohio's ancient sites, including the Newark Earthworks, Fort Ancient, and Serpent Mound, as well as the sites that are a part of Hopewell Culture National Historical Park, recognized as World Heritage sites. Being placed on the World Heritage List is an acknowledgement that a site is significant not just at the local, state, or even national levels – but from a global perspective. Our sites have made it to the United States list, along with 13 other sites, and for the next several years, those 14 U.S. cultural and natural areas will be nominated, two at a time, to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for its consideration. A committee will be coming to review our sites and then they'll make a decision. I think the world is going to be astonished at what we've got here and when Ohioans see how important the world thinks our sites are, then maybe we'll have a greater appreciation ourselves of what's here in our own backyard.

Q: Describe what would be a perfect spring weekend in Ohio:

Q: What event, festival, etc. would you not miss each year?

A. For me, a perfect spring weekend would be hiking with my family at one of our magnificent archaeological parks, like Serpent Mound in Adams County, or at one of Ohio's beautiful natural areas, like the Wahkeena Preserve near Lancaster or Cedar Bog near Urbana.