This afternoon we road-tripped to Peebles, Ohio in the southwestern part of the state where we visited the Great Serpent Mound. It is an effigy mound which means it was built in the shape of an animal. Many effigy mounds and burial mounds were destroyed as settlers cleared land for farming but there are several prime examples of both of these types in Ohio.
On our way to the Serpent Mound , we read up on it and the more we read the more conflicting viewpoints we encountered concerning the age and the builders. From the most recent information, it seems that it was constructed by the Adena culture (same as the Miamisburg Mound) but was reconstructed or repaired by a later indigenous culture. It is 1,348 feet long and stands 3-4 feet tall. It is built on a bluff overlooking a creek and strangely was the site of a meteor landing long before the area was inhabited. The builders would not have seen any evidence of this but perhaps the soil and stone ended up having some property good for building. Just conjecture on our part. The grounds had a viewing tower which made it much easier to see the whole shape of the serpent. Additionally there was a nice walkway around it. Apparently there is still ongoing research being done and it would have been fascinating to learn more about recent work but we arrived after the museum had closed.
The Serpent Mound is being considered as a UNESCO World Heritage site!! As you may remember from previous posts, we seem strangely attracted to these sites. Do we get extra points for seeing one before it is official?!
The surrounding area was very rural with many, many farms between rolling hills. It reminded me of the area I grew up in northeastern Ohio but minus the cows! Do they stop raising cows in southern Ohio? The kids got a kick out of southern Ohio drawl which is also so different from the north. But that heavy, humid air has been just the same!
If you have any interest in reading up about this mound, you may want to try these two sites. The Wikipedia site is pretty thorough. The other site provides info about the most recent dating. Oh and by the way-- there is Boston connection here! Isn't that crazy?! An archeologist from Harvard, Frederic Ward Putnam, did early studies here and brought it to the attention to the Ladies of Boston who secured the land and deeded it to the Peabody Museum of Harvard. It was transferred to the Ohio Historical Society in 1900. Who knew!
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