Brushcreek Township near Peebles in Adams County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Serpent Mound

Photographed by J. J. Prats, June 11, 2019

1. Serpent Mound Marker

Inscription. One of North America’s most spectacular effigy mounds, Serpent Mound is a gigantic earthen sculpture representative of a snake. Built on a spur of rock overlooking Ohio Brush Creek around 1000 A.D. by the Fort Ancient culture, the earthwork was likely a place of ceremonies dedicated to a powerful serpent spirit. The site is located on the edge of a massive crater, possibly formed by the impact of a small asteroid around 300 million years ago. Frederic Ward Putman studied Serpent Mound between 1886 and 1889 Due largely to his efforts, Serpent Mound became the first privately funded archaeological preserve in the United States.

Erected 2003 by the Ohio Bicentennial Commission and The Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 15-1.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Landmarks • Notable Places. In addition, it is included in the Ohio Historical Society / The Ohio History Connection series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1000 CE.

Location. 39° 1.447′ N, 83° 25.768′ W. Marker is near Peebles, Ohio, in Adams County. It is in Brushcreek Township. It can be reached from Ohio Route 73 west of Horner Chapel Road (Local Route 116), on the right when traveling west. It is at the Serpent Mount

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Historical Site. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3854 Route 73, Peebles OH 45660, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Southern Ohio Hill Country.

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 7 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Welcome To Serpent Mound (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named The Village Site (within shouting distance of this marker); Burial Mound (within shouting distance of this marker); Exploring Serpent Mound - Frederic Ward Putnam (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Burial Mound (within shouting distance of this marker); Astronomical Alignments at Serpent Mound? (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Serpent Mound Impact Crater (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Peebles.

Other markers no longer nearby. Welcome To Serpent Mound (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed); The Serpent In American Indian Traditions (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed); The Shawnee And The King Of The Serpents (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed); What Is An Effigy Mound?

Photographed by J. J. Prats, June 11, 2019

2. Serpent Mound Marker

(was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed); The Village Site (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed); Exploring Serpent Mound (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed); Serpent Mound Impact Crater (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed); Who Built Serpent Mound? (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed); Astronomical Alignments At Serpent Mound (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it).

Regarding Serpent Mound. The park is open from 9 a.m. to dusk year round. It opens at dawn on solstices and equinoxes. the parking fee at this writing is $8 ($4 for motorcycles). There is a museum and gift shop at the visitors center.

Also see . . . Wikipedia entry. “The dating of the design, the original construction, and the identity of the builders of the serpent effigy are three questions still debated in the disciplines of social science, including ethnology, archaeology, and anthropology. In addition, contemporary

The Great Serpent Mound image. Click for full size.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, June 11, 2019

3. The Great Serpent Mound

Close up of drawing reproduced on the marker.

American Indians have an interest in the site. Several attributions have been entered by academic, philosophic, and Native American concerns regarding all three of these unknown factors of when designed, when built, and by whom.” (Submitted on June 14, 2019.)

Additional commentary.
1. National Historic Landmark Status
On July 19, 1964, Serpent Mound was added to the list of National Historic Landmarks. #66000602

— Submitted September 29, 2020, by Robert Baughman of Bellefontaine, Ohio.

Eric Ewing, via Wikipedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0), July 28, 2013

4. The Great Serpent Mound

The Great Serpent Mound is a 1,348-foot-long, three-foot-high prehistoric effigy mound located on a plateau of the Serpent Mound crater along Ohio Brush Creek in Adams County, Ohio. This image was taken in July, 2013, and shows the entirety of The Great Serpent Mound located near Peebles, Ohio, United States. From left, the image shows the serpent’s triple-coiled tail, follows its writhing body northward and ends at the effigy’s open-mouthed head (in the distance at the right side of the photograph).

Credits. This page was last revised on March 31, 2025. It was originally submitted on June 14, 2019, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 2,091 times since then and 132 times this year. Last updated on March 17, 2025, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on June 14, 2019, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.