Story Mound is a State Memorial off Allen Avenue at Delano Avenue in Chillicothe, Ohio. The archaelogical preserve is somewhat visible near the Middle School on Arch Street (formerly the old HS). Chillicothe is rich in Indian history. Mound City Group, the more famous area is a National Memorial with much to see regarding The Hopewell Indians.This mound, measures 19.5 feet tall and is 95 feet in diameter. It's fenced and so I wasn't able to walk around it to get a better feel for the size. This is an Adena Indian Mound. The Adena Indians inhabited the area between 800 BC and 100 AD. The mound is slightly smaller then it was originally. It measured 25 feet in height and 125 feet in diameter before it was partially excavated in 1876 by Clarence Loveberry for The Ohio Historical Society. It sits on just under one acre of land. Beneath the mound are traces of a round timber building; the first documentation of this type of structure for the Adena people.
I noticed all the street names in this area are names of Indian Tribes. The name Chillicothe itself is an Indian word, A Shawnee word meaning principal place. Chil li coth ee was the village where the chief lived. When the chief died and a new chief took over; wherever he lived was then called Chil li coth ee.
I suggest you visit Mound City Group first,(guided tours there will give you good background), then Story Mound; grab some dinner at a local historic eatery Cross Keys Tavern., (unless you're scared--it's said to be haunted). Want more Indian Lore, don't forget to head to Sugar Loaf Mountain for the summer production of Tecumseh. It's very entertaining and quite educational as well.
Retire for the night and you'll be refreshed for another historic day as you travel about historic Chillicothe, one of the most historic cities in the state.
Summer's approaching, this is age appropriate for all, with plenty of outdoor activities to help burn up energy for the young. You could make a day trip of this from anywhere in Ohio, and Northern Kentucky; if you don't plan to stay the night to see Tecumseh.
Plenty more to see and do Chillicothe, so please check back soon for articles on The Majestic Theatre, said to be one of the most haunted places in all of Ohio.
**I've link to previous blog articles for you for more background information about Chillicothe and The Cross Keys Tavern, here as well as above in the text.
Ohio is one place where I have never really been ~ except the airport a few times! Look forward to driving there one of these days ~ Sounds like there are lots of interesting places to visit - thanks for sharing! And thanks for stopping by! (Just FYI ~ your link "Sandy" was being transferred directly to something called blobspot.com this am??? But I finally got around it and back to the Traveling Suitcase! :)
ReplyDeleteWhat's the chance of the Adena Indians being related to the Stonehenge builders?Both societies built enormous earthworks. Ditches. Mounds. Roads. One society added enormous stones, the other didn't. The trouble is: one lived long ago in Great Britain. The other about two thousand years ago....in the United States. One (probably stupid) idea is that the British floated across the ocean and set up in the US. But they lost the big stone structures in the process. I look at the British works. I look at the US works. They look very much the same!
ReplyDeleteVery interesting! I enjoy learning the history of places so this was fun.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like it is a very cool place and you are really convincing me to go! I wish I will have the time to go there! If Cross Keys Tavern is still operating and haunted? scary!
ReplyDeleteBill has relatives in Ohio and we plan to visit in a couple months. Don't know that we will check out all the surrounding areas, but I sure do like reading about all the places you guys have been.
ReplyDeleteYou know, when the kids were little we used to make a trip to the mounds as least every summer. We haven't been there in ages. I do believe we need to go again!
ReplyDelete