Last week I showed you the gothic structure of the West Virginia Penitentiary in Moundsville, West Virginia. (Here) I thought we would continue our tour there with the Grave Creek Indian Mound which sits directly across from the middle section of the prison. It is one of the largest conical Indian mounds in the USA.The first native settlers along the Ohio River in the area of present-day Marshall County were the Mound Builders, also known as the Adena people. The Grave Creek Indian Mound, located in the center of Moundsville, is one of West Virginia's most famous historic landmarks. More than 2,000 years old, it stands 69 feet high and 295 feet in diameter.
The mound contains approximately 57,000 tons of dirt and originally stood nearly 70 feet high. The digging of so much earth left a sizeable moat or ditch surrounding the mound but it is no longer in existence. By testing the soil, archaeologists estimate the mound was built between 250 and 150 BCE by the Adena culture, which occupied the area from about 1000 BCE to 200 CE. The mound and two forts were the essential features of an Adena village in the shape of a triangle.
The mound was discovered by James Tomlinson and was opened in 1838. He discovered a vault 111 feet from the northern side containing the skeletal remains of two Indians, one of them surrounded with 650 ivory beads and wearing an ivory ornament about six inches long. The mound also contained ashes and bits of bones that are believed to be the remnants of Indians burned prior to their internment in the mound. Another vault was discovered near the top of the mound, containing a skeleton wearing beads, seashells and copper bracelets. An inscribed stone was removed from the vault and is on display at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C.
The mound contains approximately 57,000 tons of dirt and originally stood nearly 70 feet high. The digging of so much earth left a sizeable moat or ditch surrounding the mound but it is no longer in existence. By testing the soil, archaeologists estimate the mound was built between 250 and 150 BCE by the Adena culture, which occupied the area from about 1000 BCE to 200 CE. The mound and two forts were the essential features of an Adena village in the shape of a triangle.
The mound was discovered by James Tomlinson and was opened in 1838. He discovered a vault 111 feet from the northern side containing the skeletal remains of two Indians, one of them surrounded with 650 ivory beads and wearing an ivory ornament about six inches long. The mound also contained ashes and bits of bones that are believed to be the remnants of Indians burned prior to their internment in the mound. Another vault was discovered near the top of the mound, containing a skeleton wearing beads, seashells and copper bracelets. An inscribed stone was removed from the vault and is on display at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C.The mound was listed on the Natural History of Historic Places in 1966.
43 comments:
Carletts: What a historic find, we have one in our area of the country also. Thanks for sharing the wonders of your world.
That is wonderful and historic and interesting! I'm learning so much through this blog not only about other places around the world, but our own country as well. Thanks for all the great info!
beautiful photos and place!
have a nice week!
Great post. Very informative and the pictures are awesome.
Whoa, what a neat historical site. I would love to visit that mound.
Thanks for such a great post about the mound built by the Adena. WOW! 100 BCE!
This is such an interesting post and unique place you photographed.
Wow that is pretty cool. Thanks for sharing!
Cheers!
Regina In Pictures
you sure have some amazing sites in your vicinity.
enjoyed this post.
Great post, Carletta!
I love hearing more about my home state. I have heard of this mound but never seen it.
How interesting! Thanks for these photos and information. Thanks also for your comforting words. At my age death is as much part of our world as life is. We have to accept that.
That's an amazing bit of history. I'd love to visit it and see the artifacts.
Enjoyed the tour. It's like walking back in history. The pictures were grerat as always.
Wow, what a fascinating place!
Carletta, this is such an interesting post. To learn somethin of such ancient people and their burial habits reminds one of the burial mounds of northern Europe.
This is a wonderful find, to have in your part of the world too.
I've been to something similar to that. I just wish I could remember where it was. :) I think that stuff is interesting.
Looks like a nice place to take nature photos!
Posted mine, HERE. Have a great day! And thanks for the virtual travel;)
This is very interesting stuff, Carletta. Thanks for posting it. So... the mounds were totally for burial were they??
I'm always in awe of artifacts constructed that long ago. What a sense of connection with the past they give.
Great post - love the history.
I am coming to love your history posts. Keep'em comin'!
I cannot imagine finding something like this...sure would enjoy seeing it though.
That was quite a discovery and a very interesting post
That was really interesting! It's so cool finding out these little bits of history from everyone.
:-)
Wow! That is some incredibly interesting history. Thanks for sharing!
Gosh that's fascinating info Carletta. Beautiful photos of this ancient place.
Very interesting ! Already so much dirt such a long time ago !
I love seeing those interesting places in your world, Carletta!
Forgive me that I have not visited here in a while, but I had my parents over for the weekend and I really did not have much time to blog!
Amazing history Carletta. We have Indian Mounds not far from us also. They are on private land, so untouched. Not nearly as big as the one in your post.
That is beautiful place and interesting too. Very informative post. Thanks for sharing your world.
Very interesting. A great reminder that every age of man had its inventiveness and really ingenious thinkers.
Wow, what amazing structures! Here in Scotland you see similar things with the Cairn graves.
I wanted to also say thank you for replying on my Blogblast for peace post last week. :-)
Fascinating. You are just a born teacher too. It always comes through in your posts.
Great minds do think alike! With us both being on the Ohio River, I imagine there is a connection of some kind, although yours are older by far. This is the same type of mounds that were here, but the area was farmed for years and most of ours have been leveled considerably. Now we just need someone in the Ohio area to post their mounds and connect our states all together! I've visited mounds in southern Ohio and know they have some big ones. Great post! It's nice to see one that isn't leveled
Like the history behind this pictures
Great captures and informative post!
A great post about the burial mound, Carletta! I'm so glad to see it was preserved. Wonderful pictures!
This is very interesting. Very nice shots too:)
See you next week:)
How very impressive, Carletta! Didn't know about these mounds. Thank you for sharing! I love your World! :)
Looks like a place we'd love to explore.
These mounds look very similar to the ones I've seen in Georgia only the ones here are flat on top. Mr. Tomlinson may have been one of my relatives!
I remember seeing that one, too, the same time I saw the prison.
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