Wolfe Plains Adena Mound Group
Official name of the group of mounds located in The Plains
| | History of the Adena People and their Mounds | |
The Adena Culture was a Pre-Columbian Native American Culture that existed from 1000 B.C. to 100 A.D. in a time known as the Early Woodland Period. The Adena People existed throughout present day Ohio and its neighboring states.
The Adena People were Athens County's first known residents. Their Culture can be traced between 88 B.C. and 100 A.D.. Adena populations were scattered along the Hocking River and were constructing mounds like this one. Thousands of generations of Native Americans lived in the Hocking Valley.
The Plains was the 2nd largest center of Adena activity in Ohio, and The Plains has the 3rd largest concentration of Adena burial mounds, and circular enclosures in the Eastern United States. The burial mounds contains remains, and there are theories that the circular enclosures could have ranged from sports arenas to clan initiation sites, or they could have held religious significance.
When settlers arrived on The Plains in the 1800s, they found 30 earthworks, -(conical mounds and circular enclosures) only six mounds are still in existence today.
These mounds are significance and an important part of this areas history.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Anthropology & Archaeology • Indigenous Peoples and Communities.
Location.
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Regionally, this marker is in Ohio’s Hocking Hills. It is also in the American Midwest, in the Ohio River Valley, in Appalachia, and specifically in Northern Appalachia. 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 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Hartman (George Connett Mounds) Mound (here, next to this marker); Home of Joe Burrow (about 800 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Plains Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.9 miles away); Dover Township Veterans Memorial (approx. 1.1 miles away); Athens County Infirmary (approx. 1.3 miles away); Chauncey Civil War Patriots (approx. 1.7 miles away); The Clean Energy Generated By Our Solar Panels Will Save Both Money & The Planet (approx. 1.7 miles away); Coal Mining in Chauncey (approx. 1.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in The Plains.
Credits. This page was last revised on April 26, 2025. It was originally submitted on June 9, 2021, by Rev. Ronald Irick of West Liberty, Ohio. This page has been viewed 2,866 times since then and 208 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 9, 2021, by Rev. Ronald Irick of West Liberty, Ohio. 3. submitted on April 24, 2025, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
