XENIA, Ohio — Two years ago, on a piece of land just north of the Xenia line, sat a roadside motel called the Tecumseh Motel.
It sat in the spot where legends say the great Shawnee chief and warrior, Tecumseh, was born and where his family and tribe lived in what was called Old Chillocothe.
For Gov. Mike DeWine and First Lady Fran DeWine, they felt like that land should be used to honor the Shawnee and the early pioneers who fought against the Shawnee in the 1700s for the fertile land.
"It's such a part of our history," Fran DeWine told WCPO 9. "You know, and sometimes it was peaceful and sometimes it wasn't, but it's a story that needs to be told."
In 2022, the State of Ohio bought that motel, leveled it and today in it's place stands Ohio's newest and 76th state park, Great Council State Park. The park, and its interpretive center, open to the public on Friday, June 7.
The Interpretive Center's wood, glass and steel structure is modeled after what historians believe Shawnee longhouses looked like. Inside, the walls of glass allow the visitor to feel the outdoors as part of the structure.
Upon entering, visitors will see a bronze statue of Tecumseh created by a Cleveland-area artist, and just inside the doors, another statue of a panther. Tecumseh means "panther in the sky" and legend has it that at the time of his birth, a meteorite fell, lighting the night, according to the National Park Service.
The Shawnee tribal councils worked with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to create the Interpretive Center. Together, they developed the wording for historic displays and information found throughout the structure.
Great Council State Park is the first of Ohio's state parks dedicated to Native Americans.
Gov. DeWine said it was important to have Shawnee leadership input with the state park.
"It's very meaningful and we were very purposeful," he said. "The Ohio Department of Natural Resources, the Ohio History Connection worked with the Shawnees, with the leadership that is now, of course, in Oklahoma."
The governor said he's been told a "big delegation" of Shawnee will be in attendance at the opening Friday.
The interpretive center also has a gallery space showing the heritage of modern Shawnee life. There's also a theater where a short film about the Shawnee experience, a living stream that is home to fish found in the nearby Little Miami River that were hunted by the Shawnee, and a traditional Shawnee dwelling called a "wikkum."
Displays also provide the history of European settlers like Daniel Boone and Simon Kenton.
Outside the center are landmarks and displays. Additionally ODNR has returned the surrounding property to prairie land leading down to the Little Miami River. That prairie land is also home to a half-mile hike, called the Blackfish Trail, available for visitors.
Like any other Ohio state park, admission into Great Council State Park is free.
