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Miamisburg in Montgomery County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
 

Who built the Mound and why did they build it?

Miamisburg Mound State Memorial

 
 
Who built the Mound and why did they build it? Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Craig Doda, January 6, 2021
1. Who built the Mound and why did they build it? Marker
Inscription.
The mound is thought to belong to the Adena culture because of its conical shape and the character of the burials said to have been found within it. Adena mounds, unlike those built by the Hopewell culture which followed them, tended to be conical in form. The Adena culture was named for the Adena Estate in Chillicothe, the home of Ohio's sixth governor, Thomas Worthington.

The Adena culture arose in the Ohio River Valley by about 1,000 BC. As the first people in the region to domesticate plant foods such as squash and sunflower, they lived in semi-permanent settlements composed of two to four cone-shaped bark structures located near streams.

The Adena peoples were among the first to make pottery in what is now Ohio. Adena pots as large as eighteen inches high and twelve to fourteen inches in diameter have been found. They made a wide assortment of tools from bone and flint to assist them in their daily occupations. Their principal hunting tool was the spear. They fashioned beautiful and often abstract works of art, such as tubular smoking pipes made from stone or clay. They adorned their bodies with copper, shell, and slate ornaments; rings, bracelets, and necklaces. They also carved stone tablets with elaborate, abstract designs. The Adena were the first in Ohio to build earthworks and burial mounds.
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Elaborate funeral ceremonies evidently were developed during which they buried their dead beneath earthen mounds, which grew in size over time. Square or rectangular log tombs sometimes enclosed bodies within the mounds.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Anthropology & ArchaeologyCemeteries & Burial SitesIndigenous Peoples and Communities.
 
Location. 39° 37.65′ N, 84° 16.8′ W. Marker is in Miamisburg, Ohio, in Montgomery County. It is on Mound Road just north of Enterprise Court, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 900 Mound Rd, Miamisburg OH 45342, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Ohio’s Dayton Metro and in the Miami Valley. It is also in the American Midwest and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Miamisburg Mound State Memorial (here, next to this marker); Current Restoration Efforts (here, next to this marker); The Historical Era of Miamisburg Mound (here, next to this marker); Has This Site Ever Been Explored? (here, next to this marker); Miamisburg Mound (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named The Miamisburg Mound (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Site of Mound Laboratory (1946- 2003) (approx. 0.3 miles away); Mound Laboratory (1946- 2010) (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Miamisburg.
 
Who built the Mound and why did they build it? Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Craig Doda, January 6, 2021
2. Who built the Mound and why did they build it? Marker
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on August 11, 2025. It was originally submitted on February 1, 2021, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. This page has been viewed 586 times since then and 29 times this year. Photos:   1, 2. submitted on February 1, 2021, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
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Jun. 5, 2026