Preserve

Guard Archaeological Preserve

Tucked away in the river bottoms near Lawrenceburg, IN, a pre-contact village preserve site. A village where early Native People lived, worked, and worshipped. Parts of this village are protected under layers of silt; in other areas, the silt has eroded or been plowed away, exposing evidence of life from 1,000 years ago. The Guard Site, as the village is now called, is situated near the confluence of the Great Miami, Whitewater, and Ohio Rivers: an ideal location for long-distance trade and cultivating crops.

The Archaeological Research Institute has preserved this site and converted it from a field farmed for 200 years into a nature and archaeological preserve through our multivocal, sustainable land stewardship program.

The River of Time Trails have been designed to incorporate our educational goals and are enjoyed by all ARI visitors. When you step into a river, you are connected to all the shores, twists, and bends at once. When you step into our river of time, you are connected to the past, present, and future of the Guard Site.

GUARD SITE | EXPERIMENTAL GARDENS | CERTIFIED SUSTAINABLE TRAILS

ARI Trails

Great Miami Archaeology Tour

Lace up your hiking boots and visit local archaeological sites with an ARI Interpreter. Hear some of the many unique stories that make up the history of Lawrenceburg and its surrounding communities.

Self Guided Trail

Come to ARI and explore our site and the River of Time Trails in this self-paced, self lead, walk.

Augmented Reality Trail

See the Guard Site as it was 1000 years ago with the magic of Augmented Reality! With the help of an iPad, you can step foot in the River of Time and literally see the village around you.

By supporting ARI you help the preservation of sites, as well as advocating for better protection laws that work for everyone.

Far too many Precontact sites have been destroyed due to poor protection laws or lack of awareness. With your Help ARI Hopes to PRESERVE important and at-risk Archaeological sites. It is our goal to identify Archaeological sites to ensure their preservation as well as ethical study. Not only is this the right thing to do, it also ensures that all of the future generations that come after us have the chance to explore the fascinating cultures that came before us.

Make a StanD!

Contribute toward the purchase and preservation of at risk or relevant regional archaeological sites to preserve the history of the Native American people who lived in the Greater Cincinnati area before us.