Milford Township is located on lands that were inhabited by many Indigenous communities and civilizations for thousands of years before colonial settlement.

Adena Culture: 500 BCE - 100 CE

The indigenous people of the Adena culture inhabited the Midwest, with a primary focus in southwest Ohio, including Milford Township, alongside regions of Kentucky, West Virginia, and Indiana. Renowned for their burial mounds, timber circles, and craftsmanship in stone tablets and pottery, the Adena left a lasting legacy. The presence of mound sites, such as those discovered in Milford Township, provides insight into their settlement patterns and communal gatherings. The culture derives its name from the site in Ohio where the first archaeological excavations of these mounds occurred in the 1900s.

Hopewell Culture: 100 CE - 500 CE

The Indigenous people of the Hopewell Culture thrived along the rivers and streams of the Midwest, particularly flourishing within the Ohio River Valley. Their settlements dotted the landscape of Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Pennsylvania, and New York, interconnected by a robust trade network. This trade facilitated the exchange of fine metalwork, stone tools, and pottery. Combining hunting and farming, they cultivated crops like corn, squash, and various vegetables. Additionally, they constructed earthwork mound sites for multifaceted purposes. The culture derives its name from Captain Mordecai Hopewell's farm, where colonial settlers first encountered extensive earthworks. 

Fort Ancient Culture: 1000 CE - 1700 CE

The Indigenous people of the Fort Ancient Culture, potentially descendants of the Adena and Hopewell cultures, inhabited areas flanking the Ohio River, spanning regions of present-day Ohio, West Virginia, Indiana, and Kentucky. They established villages where they practiced a lifestyle combining hunting and agriculture, cultivating crops like corn, squash, beans, and others. Their cultural identity stems from the vast earthworks found at Fort Ancient, now a state park situated in Washington Township, to the east of Milford Township.

Myaamia: Pre-contact 1600s CE - present day

Milford Township resides within the ancestral lands of the Myaamia people, who, among other Indigenous tribes, relinquished their territories to the United States through the initial Treaty of Greenville in 1795. The Myaamia people, honored in the name of Miami University, endured forced removal from these lands in 1846, initially resettling in Kansas before ultimately establishing the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma (www.miamination.com), a federally recognized sovereign nation. Today, the Myaamia Center at Miami University ( miamioh.edu/myaamia-center/research/digital-resources/index.html?_ga=2.197389487.1081641425.1711977056-1474462750.1663720704) serves as a vital hub for educational materials on the Myaamia people, offering insights into their rich history, vibrant culture, and language.