{"nrhp_refnum":"70000501","name":"Leo Petroglyph","other_names":[],"category":"site","location":{"address":"W of Leo","address_restricted":false,"city":"Coalton","county":"Jackson County","state":"OH","lat":39.14974231100004,"lon":-82.67566502645579,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1970-11-10","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Prehistoric","Art"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A prehistoric petroglyph site and adjoining rock shelter in Washington Township near Coalton, Jackson County, Ohio, on a 12.332-acre state memorial. The carvings are attributed to the Fort Ancient Culture, ca. 1300 A.D.","why_significant":"The petroglyph and rock shelter are described as one of the most unusual assemblages of prehistoric petroglyphic writings and presumed Indian shelters in Ohio. The 37 incised figures are attributed to the Fort Ancient Culture, and the site lay along a trail linking salt springs and hunting grounds. The meaning and purpose of the carvings remain unknown.","narrative":"Leo Petroglyph is a prehistoric rock-art site in a hilly part of Jackson County, Ohio, near Coalton. At the head of a ravine, a Black Hand sandstone ledge bears 37 incised drawings, including an owl, hawk, bear, snake and human and animal tracks, along with a chipped basin in the center. Earth and organic matter long covered the ledge and protected the carvings until the owner uncovered them early in the 20th century. The carvings and the nearby rock shelter are attributed to the Fort Ancient Culture, whose farming communities used trails linking salt springs and hunting grounds; this site lay on one such trail. The Ohio Historical Society studied the site in 1905, published findings in 1912, and acquired the 12.332 acres in 1932. A shelter house built in the 1930s with Civilian Conservation Corps help protects the rock, and the site now operates as a state memorial. The carvings' meaning remains unknown.","period_of_significance":"Pre-Columbian; ca. 1300 A.D.","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Open all year as a state memorial in excellent, unaltered condition, with a 1930s shelter house, viewing platform, parking, rest rooms and nature trails; about 35,000 visitors annually.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:09.309516-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/70000501.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/70000501/84fad9aeb3-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/70000501/84fad9aeb3-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Leo_Petroglyph,_comprehensive_from_north.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Leo_Petroglyph,_comprehensive_from_north.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71989437","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Petroglyph","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6524135"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/jackson-county/leo-petroglyph-70000501/"}