Came to Ward's in 1871 after serving as treasurer and professor at Antioch College from 1859-1871. Left Ward's to become curator of the Princeton Geological Museum, working under Professor Guyot. He was also in charge of an expedition for Harvard and mounted the White River Formation Fossils specimen. Hill received an honorary doctorate from Princeton.
Assistant geologist, Arkansas Geological Survey, 1891-1893; State geologist, Indiana, 1896-1900; Professor of geology and biology, College of Charleston, 1900-1903; Geologist, U.S. Geological Survey, 1901-1919