Morrow
Soil and Water
Conservation District

"To educate and assist all people in the conservation of the valuable natural resources of Morrow County."

Headwaters Outdoor Education Center

Free as all Outdoors

151 Home Road

Mount Gilead, Ohio 43338

(419) 946-7923 ~ mocoswcd@redbird.net

Location

Educating in Conservation Since 1999

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Headwaters Outdoor Education Center (HEOC) is located on 150 acres of county owned property just north of the sheriff's office on Home road in Mount Gilead. For 25 years the property has been managed by the Morrow Soil and Water Conservation District with the help of a core group of dedicated volunteers and the support of our community.

Monthly outdoor education programs are held at the education center for both children and adults at no cost.

With 3 miles of maintained hiking trails (open from dusk to dawn), a sizable wetland, acres of forest and a quant duck-pond there's something for everyone at Headwaters!

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A Home and a History

The land on which HOEC is located was originally operated as the County Home. Today a single barn is all that stands for it's 115 year legacy. More than 2,100 people found their place at the Home from 1870 onward. The Home and it's residents tended to both the cattle that shared the space and maple syrup production.

The County Home served as a physical space for those seeking refuge, whether that be the downtrodden, the recovering, the forgotten or those pushed away by the rest of society. The Home offered retreat, work and community to those that needed it the most.

In 1986 the County Home was closed.

Today, a small cemetery located on the north boarder of the Headwaters Outdoor Education Center. A 2022 joint effort with the Morrow County Historical Society preserved the site history through a County Home and Cemetery Dedication.

In 1998, 12 years after the closing the doors, the property where the County Home sat was leased to the Morrow Soil and Water Conservation District. A long-term plan was formed between the commissioners and the Morrow SWCD to maintain the properties diverse ecosystems and to be used as a learning tool for the local residents.

A naming committee formed and after several thoughtful suggestions a vote was taken.

Headwaters, comes from streams and waters that drain Morrow County including; the Kokosing River (eastern part), Big Walnut and Alum Creeks (central part), Whetstone Creek (western part) and tributaries of the Olentangy River (northern part). Morrow County is also located at the convergence of two major watersheds (Kokosing and Scioto River Basins’).

A Simple Set of Goals

Provide a physical space for the dispersal of, and learning about, information that is meaningful to Morrow County citizens regarding natural resources and the environmental.

Create an awareness of, and a concern about, our environment and the conservation of our natural resources within the local public, and particularly public schools.

Collaborate with, other local agencies that align with the goals and objectives set forth by MCSWCD and HOEC.