Athens has a settler heritage of over 200 years; it’s one of the oldest towns in Ohio. In fact, it low-key predates the state. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg as far as Athens’ actual history goes. There’s solid archaeological evidence that our area was significantly populated for thousands of years; we’ve got evidence in some local excavation sites that suggest people have been here since Clovis. That’s like, 12,000 years.
One of the coolest things about the indigenous heritage of our little corner of Ohio is that you can still physically see this ancient history. Ohio is famous for its mound-building cultures, the periods of which are called the Hopewell (2000-1400 YBP) and the Adena (2800-1800 YBP). Prolific, large-scale earthworks were built all over Ohio during these periods – it’s estimated that Ohio used to be home to an estimated 10,000 earthworks as a result of the work of these two cultures.
Indigenous Earthworks are Everywhere in Ohio
Columbus, Cincinnati, the Plains, and other cities are known to have been built on ancient indigenous earthen structures, destroying them in the process. Today, less than 1,000 mounds survive, and most are smaller satellite mounds, small burial mounds, or remnants of mounds that have been regraded from agriculture or house building.
We’ve all heard of some of the most famous mound sites in Ohio – specifically the Newark Earthworks and Serpent Mound – and they are amazing (definite must sees!), but they’re a couple hours or more drive away. Luckily, you can see some of the best earthworks in the state with a less than 10 minute drive from Athens. And winter, especially if it has just lightly snowed, is the best time to see these mounds without the obstruction of leaves and plants.
So let’s go on an outdoor winter adventure and tour some of Athens’ local earthworks. But please remember not to climb on or dig in any of these heritage sites; they belong to the Native Americans who trace their ancestry here.
The Plains: An Ancient Urban Mound Complex
Located less than 10 miles Northwest of Athens, The Plains is a small village built on what was once a huge gathering place used by the Adena mound builders. This sprawling complex of what was once hundreds of mounds, is referred to as the Wolf Plains Adena Mounds. The simple answer for why native peoples would have chosen this area as a gathering place is because it’s nearly 5 square miles of flat valley, which is prime real estate in the foothills of Appalachia.
The Wolf Plains Adena Mounds are the 3rd largest Adena earthworks complex archaeologists have uncovered so far, primarily composed of burial mounds and circle, or henge, mound formations. There are 8 burial mounds and at least a dozen henges we know of thanks to an explorer from the 19th century – before we leveled a bunch of mounds to build homes on. Today, only 6 burial mounds and a single circle remain whole or partially extant.
The main sites to see on your tour of the ancient echoes of The Plains are:
Hartman Mound (also called George Connett Mound)
This is the largest and most well-preserved Adena mound in The Plains; it still stands at 40’ high and 140’ at base diameter. It has purposefully been preserved and not excavated by modern preservationists, but was initially excavated in 1875, where a log tomb burial containing over 500 copper beads was uncovered. Fun fact: there’s no local copper – those beads very likely came from Michigan.
Woodruff Connett Mounds
The second-largest extant mound in The Plains, the Woodruff Connett Mound is the largest and best preserved of a cluster of 3. It stands 15’ tall with a 90’ base diameter, and looks as if there may have been an additional platform “apron” around the base of the mound. It has never been excavated due to preservation efforts and NAGPRA regulations, but is likely a burial mound.
Door Mounds I & II
These two mounds are thought to have been 15’ high at one time, but are now heavily reduced by agricultural use. Both were excavated several decades ago, but very little information exists as to what those excavations reaped.
Martin Mounds I & II
Both of these mounds are now covered by buildings, but their bases are still visible – the buildings are elevated higher than the ones around them. Though it was largely destroyed by 19th century construction of a schoolhouse, a salvage excavation before the build revealed the burial of a child.
Armitage Mound
Armitage Mound is the perfect example of mounds that were archaeologically recovered and then destroyed. It used to be huge, but now it looks more like an unusual, small conical hill in an agricultural field. Ohio University’s own Dr. Elliot Abrams did the data recovery on Armitage mound before it was destroyed for a residence to be built over it. He uncovered a burial of a middle-aged man surrounded by 14 additional cremations. There were dozens of shallow fire pits around the base of the mound he theorized were used when people came to visit the burials from time to time.
There are more mounds we know of in The Plains, a few others of which were able to be salvaged archaeologically before they were completely destroyed, like Coon Mound. And it’s not just the valley – locals will tell you in hiking the hills of Athens and The Plains that there are plenty of smaller “marker” mounds in the hills and terraces where the First Peoples lived. There’s even a trail at Stroud’s Run State Park named for a small mound along the trail near the top of the ridge. Knowing the active and ancient use of this little valley just North of Athens, it’s a powerful experience to see these surviving ones against the backdrop of our modern landscape.
Start your tour of The Plains mounds at the Wolf Plain Adena Mounds Historical Marker.
Or if you want to get real adventurous, try finding the remnants of known Wolf Plains Adena Mounds using this historic map from a 19th century cultural survey!
