Serpent Mound continues to entice visitors

By Rebecca Sloan

Experts can’t agree on who built the attraction in the Ohio River Valley.

PEEBLES, Ohio — Twisting and twining with the graceful ease of a river, the Serpent Mound of southwest Ohio rises quietly from the grass like a beast that’s slept so long it’s become part of the earth.

If only this slumbering beast could talk and tell the tale of its creators, the ancient Indians who once inhabited the Ohio River Valley.

Since 1846 when the Serpent Mound was discovered during a routine surveying expedition, its enduring power and mystery have lured visitors from all over the globe and prompted questions about its origins.

When was the mound built? Who built it and why?

The answers to these questions remain obscure, but many theories abound.

Here is what is known for certain about the Serpent Mound:

UAt nearly a quarter of a mile long (1,330 feet) and varying in height from less than a foot to three feet, the serpent mound is the longest and finest effigy earthwork in the world.

UIt represents an uncoiling serpent swallowing what it is thought to be an egg, the sun or the body of a frog.

UThe mound is believed to have astronomical significance. The head of the serpent is aligned to the summer solstice sunset and the serpent coils may point to the winter solstice sunrise and the equinox sunrise.

UContrary to popular belief, the mound wasn’t built as a burial site. While there are some burial mounds located near the Serpent Mound, the Serpent Mound itself does not contain human remains and was not constructed for burial.

The Serpent Mound sits on a scenic plateau overlooking the valley of Brush Creek in Adams County.

Geologists have determined that the land here contains faulted bedrock that typically results from a meteorite or a volcanic explosion.

Since this is one of the only places in North American where this type of bedrock exists, experts believe it’s no coincidence that the Serpent Mound was constructed here, and many believe the mound was made in response to a natural disaster.

Experts can’t agree, however, on exactly who built the mound.

Some attribute the mound to the Adena Indians (800 B.C. – 100 A.D.), while others believe the Fort Ancient Indians (1,000 A.D. – 1550) are responsible for the mound.

Still others believe an even earlier Indian tribe fashioned the mound.

Further speculation revolves around the mound’s ties to historic astronomical events.

Some argue the mound may have been created in response to the appearance of Halley’s Comet in 1066 or to the bright light of a Supernova that created the Crab Nebula in 1054.

The light from the Supernova was visible for two weeks after it first reached the earth.

The real truth about the Serpent Mound may never be known, and perhaps that’s one reason it continues to intrigue visitors.

While strolling along the quiet footpath that borders its looped coils, one gets the sense of an ancient mysticism as deep and enduring as the earth itself.

As birds chirp serenely from the surrounding forest and the sun beats warmly down, the Serpent Mound stretches in its eternal slither and holds fast to its secrets.

The ideal way to view the Serpent Mound is from an airplane, but since this isn’t practical for most tourists, the site’s observation tower is the next best thing.

While difficult to decipher on the ground, the twists and turns of the serpent are strikingly clear when perched atop the observation tower.

Have your camera ready to snap a few photos. Besides the observation tower, the picturesque grounds of the Serpent Mound site include a picnic area and a museum.

Inside the museum, visitors can see artifacts excavated from the mound and learn more about other nearby mounds as well as the geology of the Ohio Valley.

While the Serpent Mound is the most popular of Ohio Indian mounds, the Buckeye state is actually home to a whopping 106 federally protected and preserved Indian mounds.