Cowan Creek Circular Enclosure facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Cowan Creek Circular Enclosure
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Woodlands at the site
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 Location in Ohio
Location in the United States
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| Location | Southwest of Wilmington |
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| Area | 3 acres (1.2 ha) |
| NRHP reference No. | 74001422 |
| Added to NRHP | July 15, 1974 |
The Cowan Creek Circular Enclosure is an ancient earthwork in the state of Ohio. It's a special archaeological site protected within a state park. People named it after a nearby stream called Cowan Creek. This site is very important for understanding early cultures in the area.
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Discovering the Cowan Creek Enclosure
It's hard to see the Cowan Creek Enclosure from the ground. In 1949, a study found that the enclosure was about 90 feet (27 meters) wide. But it was almost flat, so you couldn't really see it. The best way to spot it was by looking from an airplane using aerial photography.
What We Learned from Nearby Mounds
Most of what we know about this site comes from a nearby place called the "Cowan Creek Mound." Archaeologists dug there in 1949. They found that the mound was built around 500 AD. This was near the end of the time when the Adena culture lived in the region.
The Cowan Creek Mound was part of a much larger group. There were more than twenty burial mounds along Cowan Creek. But we don't know much about most of them. A dam was built on the creek, creating a reservoir. This water covered many of the mounds before they could be studied. Today, most of these ancient sites are still hidden under the water of Cowan Lake. Only the enclosure remains above water.
The Enclosure Today
The Circular Enclosure is now located near the shore of Cowan Lake. The hidden Cowan Creek Mound is only about 300 feet (91 meters) away underwater. The enclosure sits on a small piece of land that sticks out into the lake.
This important site is now part of Cowan Lake State Park. It's about 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) south of State Route 730. Park officials want the area to return to its natural state. Because of this, archaeologists haven't done a lot of digging here. So, they don't know if there are other ancient sites nearby, like an old village.
Protecting History
In 1974, the Cowan Creek Circular Enclosure was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This list helps protect important historical and archaeological sites. It was recognized for its value as an archaeological site.
There are four other important archaeological sites in Clinton County, Ohio, that are also on this list:
- The Beam Farm Woodland Archaeological District
- The Hillside Haven Mound
- The Hurley Mound
- The Keiter Mound
