Chillicothe was the first and third capital of Ohio and is located in southern Ohio along the Scioto River.

The town’s name comes from the Shawnee Chala-ka-tha, named after one of the five major divisions of the Shawnee people, as it was the chief settlement of that tribal division. The Shawnee and their ancestor inhabited the territory for thousands of years prior to European contact. At the time of European-American settlement, General Nathaniel Massie plotted the community on his land grant.

Modern Chillicothe was the center of the ancient Hopewell tradition, which flourished from 200 BCE until 500 CE. This Amerindian culture had trade routes extending to the Rocky Mountains. They built earthen mounds for ceremonial and burial purposes throughout the Scioto and Ohio River valleys. Later Native American who inhabited the are through the time of European contact included the Shawnees. Present-day Chillicothe is the most recent of seven locations that bore the name, because it was applied to the main town wherever the Chalakatha settled.