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List of Adena culture sites facts for kids

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The Adena culture was a group of early Native American people. They lived in North America long ago, from about 1000 BCE to 100 CE. That's over 2,000 years ago! They lived in places like Ohio, Indiana, West Virginia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and New York. The Adena people are known for their special burial sites and ceremonies. They built many large earth mounds, which are like big hills made of soil. This article lists some of the important places where the Adena culture lived and built these amazing structures.

Exploring Adena Culture Sites

The Adena people left behind many interesting places. These sites help us learn about their way of life. Many of these places are large mounds or earthworks.

Famous Adena Mounds and Earthworks

Here are some of the most well-known sites built by the Adena culture:

Adena Mound (Ross County, Ohio)

This mound is very important because it's the "type site" for the culture. This means it's the main example that helps experts understand the Adena people. It's a historic structure near Chillicothe, Ohio.

Adena Mound
Adena Mound in Ohio

Arledge Mounds I and II

These are two unusual mounds that are joined together. You can find them near Circleville, Ohio in Pickaway County, Ohio.

ArledgeMoundsIandII
Arledge Mounds I and II

Biggs Site

This site in Greenup County, Kentucky, has an earthen mound. It's surrounded by a circular ditch and embankment. It's connected to the Portsmouth Earthworks across the Ohio River.

Biggs Site at Sunset HRoe 2022 325px
Biggs site at sunset

Conrad Mound Archeological Site

This site is located east of Cleves, Ohio in Hamilton County, Ohio.

Conrad Mound Archeological Site
Conrad Mound Archeological Site

Criel Mound

Criel Mound is a tall, cone-shaped mound. It's about 35 feet (11 meters) high and 175 feet (53 meters) wide. It's the second largest mound of its kind in West Virginia. It's located in South Charleston, West Virginia. When it was explored, many skeletons, weapons, and jewelry were found.

Criel Mound
Criel Mound in West Virginia

Dayton Power and Light Company Mound

This mound is found within a power plant near Wrightsville, Adams County, Ohio. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

DPandL mound
Dayton Power and Light Company Mound

Enon Mound

This is Ohio's second largest cone-shaped burial mound. Experts believe the Adena people built it.

Enon Mound in June
Enon Mound in June

Gaitskill Mound

This earthwork is also linked to the Adena culture. It's located in Mount Sterling, Kentucky.

GaitskillMoundKentucky
Gaitskill Mound in Kentucky

Grave Creek Mound

This is the largest cone-shaped burial mound in the United States! It's 69 feet (21 meters) high and 295 feet (90 meters) wide. It's located in Moundsville, West Virginia. Sadly, much of its history was lost when people dug into it in 1838 without proper care.

Grave Creek Mound
Grave Creek Mound

Great Mound (Middletown, Ohio)

This large mound is in Butler County, Ohio. It stands 88 feet (27 meters) tall and has a circumference of 511 feet (156 meters).

Great Mound of Butler County
Great Mound of Butler County

Highbanks Metropolitan Park Mounds I and II

These are two smaller cone-shaped mounds. They are located inside Highbanks Metro Park in Delaware County, Ohio.

Highbanks Park mound
Highbanks Park mound

Horn Mound

This mound is located near the village of Tarlton, Ohio in Pickaway County, Ohio.

Horn Mound
Horn Mound

Luthor List Mound

This mound is also known as the "Burning Mound" or "Signal Mound." It's located near Circleville, Ohio in Pickaway County, Ohio.

Luthor List Mound
Luthor List Mound

Miamisburg Mound

This mound is a famous landmark in Miamisburg, Ohio. It's the largest cone-shaped burial mound in Ohio and is still mostly untouched. It's in a city park and has steps so visitors can climb to the top.

Miamisburg jqj
Miamisburg Mound

Mound Cemetery (Marietta, Ohio)

This historic cemetery in Marietta, Ohio, was built around a prehistoric Adena burial mound. The mound is known as the Great Mound or Conus.

Mound Cemetery. Marietta, Ohio
Mound Cemetery mound, also known as the Great Mound or Conus

Mounds State Park

Mounds State Park in Anderson, Indiana, is a state park with important Native American history. It has 10 ceremonial mounds built by the Adena people. Later, the Hopewell culture also used these mounds.

Mounds SP 1
Mounds State Park

Mount Horeb Site 1

This site is a main part of the University of Kentucky's Adena Park in Fayette County, Kentucky. It features a perfectly circular platform, a wide ditch, and an enclosure.

Mount Horeb Site 1 HRoe 2022 350px
Mount Horeb Site 1

Peter Village Enclosure

Located in Fayette County, Kentucky, near Mount Horeb Site 1. This site is a 20-sided shape with a ditch around it.

Peter Village enclosure Squier and Davis Plate XIV Figure 3
Peter Village enclosure

Odd Fellows' Cemetery Mound

This mound is located in the village of Newtown, Ohio in Hamilton County, Ohio.

Odd Fellows' Cemetery Mound, southern side, closeup
Odd Fellows' Cemetery Mound

Orators Mound

You can find this mound along the Inman Trail of Glen Helen Nature Preserve near Yellow Springs, Ohio in Greene County, Ohio.

Orators Mound
Orators Mound

Carl Potter Mound

Also known as "Hodge Mound II," this mound is in southeastern Champaign County, Ohio. It's a very low mound because of farming activities in the past.

Carl Potter Mound
Carl Potter Mound

Rock Eagle Effigy Mound

This unique mound in Putnam County, Georgia, is shaped like a giant bird. Some experts think the Adena culture might have built it.

RockEagle1
Rock Eagle Effigy Mound

Rock Hawk Effigy Mound

Like Rock Eagle, this mound in Putnam County, Georgia, is also shaped like a bird. It's sometimes linked to the Adena culture as well.

Rock Hawk 2
Rock Hawk Effigy Mound

D.S. Rose Mound

Also known as the "Holloway Mound," this site was in southwestern Ohio. Sadly, it was destroyed in 1991.

D.S. Rose Mound site
D.S. Rose Mound site

Round Hill Mound

This earthwork is also believed to be from the Adena culture. It's located in Madison County, Kentucky.

RoundHillKentuckyMound
Round Hill Mound

Short Woods Park Mound

This mound is located in the Sayler Park neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio.

Short Woods Park Mound
Short Woods Park Mound

Shrum Mound

This earthwork is located in Columbus, Ohio.

Shrum Mound aerial 2
Shrum Mound aerial view

Spruce Run Earthworks

This earthwork is located in Delaware County, Ohio.

Woods with the Spruce Run Earthworks
Woods with the Spruce Run Earthworks

Story Mound (Cincinnati, Ohio)

This mound is located in the Sayler Park neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio.

Story Mound in Sayler Park
Story Mound in Sayler Park

Story Mound State Memorial

Story Mound is a large, cone-shaped burial mound. It was built around 800 BCE to 100 CE. It was originally about 25 feet (7.6 meters) tall and 125 feet (38 meters) wide. It's similar in size to the Adena Mound and is located nearby in Ross County, Ohio.

Story Mound in Chillicothe with sign
Story Mound in Chillicothe with sign

Wolf Plains Group

This is a large group of Late Adena earthworks. It includes 22 cone-shaped mounds and nine circular enclosures. It's located near Athens, Ohio.

Wolf Plains Group Squier and Davis 01
Wolf Plains Group

Zaleski Mound Group

This is a collection of three burial mounds in the village of Zaleski, Ohio.

Ranger Station Mound, southern side
Ranger Station Mound of the Zaleski Mound Group

Other Notable Adena Sites

See also

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