The Ashland County Historical Society has scheduled the last installment of its 2026 Speaker Series for Thursday, Nov. 12, at 6:30 p.m. at the Freer Children’s Home, 1260 Center St. in Ashland. Admission is free and the public may attend, with doors opening at 6 p.m.
Sarah Hinkelman, an Ohio public archaeologist, will present on the relationship between Ohio’s geology, landscape and human history from roughly 14,000 BCE to the present. According to the historical society, she is site superintendent of the Newark Earthworks and Flint Ridge for the Ohio History Connection. Her prior work includes serving as a park guide at Hopewell Culture National Historical Park, and the source says she has spent eight years interpreting and preserving the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks, which were added as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2023.
The society says Hinkelman holds a bachelor’s degree in Classics and World Religions from Ohio University and a master’s in anthropology from Ohio State, with a focus on Midwestern precontact archaeology. Her research has addressed Indigenous Late Precontact sites in southwestern Ohio and southeastern Indiana.
Executive Director Sara Fisher said the series seeks to spotlight underrepresented local, regional and statewide history. The society reported nearly 250 attendees at its speaker programs this year and said a 2027 series is planned, with four programs and the first expected in March around Women’s History Month. The 2026 series is supported in part by an Ashland County Community Foundation grant.