Description: This image shows an aerial view of the Serpent Mound in Peebles, Ohio. Located atop a plateau overlooking the Brush Creek Valley in Adams County, Serpent Mound is the largest surviving example of a prehistoric effigy mound in the world. The head of the serpent is aligned to the summer solstice sunset and its three coils also may point to the sunrise on both the summer and winter solstices as well as the equinox sunrise. Over 1,300 feet long, its shape resembles an uncoiling serpent. Serpent Mound represents the peak of prehistoric effigy mound-building in the world and is part of a tradition of effigy mound building among some American Indian cultures of the present Eastern United States. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06448
Subjects: Mounds--Ohio--Adams County; American Indians in Ohio; Great Serpent Mound (Ohio)
Places: Peebles (Ohio); Adams County (Ohio)
 

Description: The Serpent Mound is a giant effigy near Peebles, Ohio. At about 1,330 feet long and 3 feet high, it is the longest surviving example of a prehistoric effigy mound. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06592
Subjects: Mounds--Ohio--Adams County; American Indians in Ohio; Great Serpent Mound (Ohio); National Register of Historic Places
Places: Peebles (Ohio); Adams County (Ohio)
 

Description: The Serpent Mound is a giant effigy near Peebles, Ohio. The uncoiling serpent mound near Peebles, Ohio is about 1,330 feet long and 3 feet high. It is the longest surviving example of a prehistoric effigy mound. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06594
Subjects: Mounds--Ohio--Adams County; American Indians in Ohio; Great Serpent Mound (Ohio); National Register of Historic Places
Places: Peebles (Ohio); Adams County (Ohio)
 

Description: Aerial view of Serpent Mound, Adams County, Ohio. It is the largest serpent effigy mound in the United States. The Ohio Historical Society has managed the site since 1900. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL02747
Subjects: Adams County (Ohio); Other--Ohio Historical Society; Mounds--Ohio--Adams County; Great Serpent Mound (Ohio)
Places: Adams County (Ohio)
 

Description: A young girl wearing a dress, knee socks and a coonskin cap reads an engraved marker at Serpent Mound, a monumental effigy mound in northern Adams County, Ohio. The image was submitted by the girl's mother, photographer Joyce A. Foster of Portsmouth, Ohio, in the Amateur category of the Spirit of Ohio Bicentennial Photo Contest. In August 1976, the Ohio American Revolution Bicentennial Advisory Committee (OARBAC) began the Spirit of Ohio Bicentennial Photo Contest as part of a larger effort in Ohio to celebrate the 1976 American Bicentennial. The contest was meant to document "the spirit and character of the people and places which represent Ohio during [the] bicentennial year," and to create a permanent photographic archive of the year's festivity for use by future researchers. Both professional and amateur photographers submitted over 500 photographs for consideration, all taken within the state between January 1 and December 31, 1976. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA2734AV_B02F63_02_01
Subjects: American Revolution Bicentennial (1976); Great Serpent Mound (Ohio); Earthworks (Archaeology); Children; Clothing and dress
Places: Adams County (Ohio)
 

Description: William J. Baer's portrayal of Serpent Mound from the northwest, converted into an engraving for Century Magazine. Known as Great Serpent Mound, it is nearly a quarter mile long with an average height of 4-5 feet and a width of 20-25 feet. This large serpent effigy sits atop a plateau overlooking the Brush Creek Valley. The mound is thought to date to the Fort Ancient culture (AD 1000-1550). William Jacob Baer was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on January 29, 1860. Baer was well known for his miniature paintings which helped revive the art of miniature painting in America. He died in East Orange, New Jersey in 1941. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL02912
Subjects: Adena Culture (800 B.C.–A.D. 100); Fort Ancient Culture (A.D. 1000–1650); Great Serpent Mound (Ohio); Earthworks (Art)--United States; American Indian history; Baer, William J. (William Jacob), 1860-1941
Places: Adams County (Ohio)
 

Description: Aerial photograph of Serpent Mound, taken by the Ohio Historical Society Division of State Memorials in 1940. Serpent Mound is a spectacular effigy earthwork of a serpent uncoiling along a prominent ridgetop in northern Adams County, Ohio. From the tip of its nose to the end of its tail, the effigy is 1,348 feet long. When it was originally described, in 1848, the body of the serpent was five feet high and 30 feet wide. Excavations conducted in 1991 recovered charcoal that returned radiocarbon dates suggesting that the Fort Ancient people built the mound between about 1025 A.D. and 1215 A.D. Serpents are a common feature in the art of the Late Prehistoric Period (900 A.D. to 1650 A.D.). Many American Indians of the Eastern Woodlands believed the Great Serpent was a powerful spirit of the Underworld. Serpent Mound may be a representation of these beliefs. The head of Serpent Mound is aligned to the setting sun on the summer solstice and the coils may be aligned to the summer and winter solstice and equinox sunrises. These alignments support the idea that Serpent Mound had a ceremonial purpose. Serpent Mound is recognized as a National Historic Landmark. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA6560AV_B06_F10_01
Subjects: Great Serpent Mound (Ohio); Earthworks (Archaeology); Fort Ancient Culture (A.D. 1000–1650); American Indian history and society; Mounds--Ohio--Adams County
Places: Adams County (Ohio)
 

Description: Panoramic photograph showing five individuals standing at Serpent Mound, a monumental effigy mound in northern Adams County, Ohio. This earthwork depicts a serpent uncoiling along a prominent ridgetop; from the tip of its nose to the end of its tail, the effigy is 1,348 feet long. When it was originally described in 1848, the body of the serpent was five feet high and 30 feet wide. Until recently, archaeologists assumed that Serpent Mound was built by the Adena culture (800 B.C. to 100 A.D.) since two Adena burial mounds are located nearby. Yet excavations conducted in 1991 recovered charcoal that returned radiocarbon dates suggesting that the Fort Ancient people built the mound between about 1025 A.D. and 1215 A.D. Many American Indians of the Eastern Woodlands believed the Great Serpent was a powerful spirit of the Underworld, and it is believed that Serpent Mound may be a representation of these beliefs. The head of Serpent Mound is aligned with the setting sun on the summer solstice and the coils may be aligned to the summer and winter solstice and equinox sunrises. These alignments support the idea that Serpent Mound had a ceremonial purpose for its creators. Frederic Putnam saved Serpent Mound from destruction. On his urging, funds were raised for Harvard University to purchase the site. Later, the ownership was transferred to the Ohio Historical Society (now the Ohio History Connection). Serpent Mound is now recognized as a National Historic Landmark. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: OVS7483
Subjects: Great Serpent Mound (Ohio); Earthworks (Archaeology); Mounds--Ohio--Adams County;
Places: Adams County (Ohio)
 

Description: Serpent Mound is a spectacular effigy earthwork of a serpent uncoiling along a prominent ridgetop in northern Adams County, Ohio. From the tip of its nose to the end of its tail, the effigy is 1,348 feet long. When it was originally described in 1848, the body of the serpent was five feet high and 30 feet wide. Excavations between 1887 and 1889 by Frederic Putnam, of Harvard University's Peabody Museum, revealed the structure of the earthwork, but Putnam did not find any artifacts that revealed the age or cultural affiliation of the mound. Until recently, archaeologists assumed that Serpent Mound was built by the Adena culture (800 B.C. to 100 A.D.) since two Adena burial mounds are located nearby. Yet Putnam also discovered traces of a village of the Fort Ancient culture (1000 A.D. to 1650 A.D.) near the Serpent. Excavations conducted in 1991 recovered charcoal that returned radiocarbon dates suggesting that the Fort Ancient people built the mound between about 1025 A.D. and 1215 A.D. Serpents are a common feature in the art of the Late Prehistoric Period (900 A.D. to 1650 A.D.). Many American Indians of the Eastern Woodlands believed the Great Serpent was a powerful spirit of the Underworld, and it is believed that Serpent Mound may be a representation of these beliefs. The head of Serpent Mound is aligned with the setting sun on the summer solstice and the coils may be aligned to the summer and winter solstice and equinox sunrises. These alignments support the idea that Serpent Mound had a ceremonial purpose for its creators. Frederic Putnam saved Serpent Mound from destruction. On his urging, funds were raised for Harvard University to purchase the site. Later, the ownership was transferred to the Ohio Historical Society. Serpent Mound is now recognized as a National Historic Landmark. Serpent Mound State Memorial is located 20 miles south of Bainbridge in Adams County. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SC804_SerpentMound_01
Subjects: Great Serpent Mound (Ohio); Earthworks (Art)--United States; American Indian history; Earthworks (Archaeology); Mounds--Ohio--Adams County; Adena Culture (800 B.C.–A.D. 100); Fort Ancient Culture (A.D. 1000–1650)
Places: Adams County (Ohio);
 

Description: Serpent Mound is a spectacular effigy earthwork of a serpent uncoiling along a prominent ridgetop in northern Adams County, Ohio. From the tip of its nose to the end of its tail, the effigy is 1,348 feet long. When it was originally described in 1848, the body of the serpent was five feet high and 30 feet wide. Excavations between 1887 and 1889 by Frederic Putnam, of Harvard University's Peabody Museum, revealed the structure of the earthwork, but Putnam did not find any artifacts that revealed the age or cultural affiliation of the mound. Until recently, archaeologists assumed that Serpent Mound was built by the Adena culture (800 B.C. to 100 A.D.) since two Adena burial mounds are located nearby. Yet Putnam also discovered traces of a village of the Fort Ancient culture (1000 A.D. to 1650 A.D.) near the Serpent. Excavations conducted in 1991 recovered charcoal that returned radiocarbon dates suggesting that the Fort Ancient people built the mound between about 1025 A.D. and 1215 A View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SC804_SerpentMound_02
Subjects: Great Serpent Mound (Ohio); Earthworks (Art)--United States; American Indian history; Earthworks (Archaeology); Mounds--Ohio--Adams County; Adena Culture (800 B.C.–A.D. 100); Fort Ancient Culture (A.D. 1000–1650)
Places: Adams County (Ohio);