Louden in Adams County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Welcome To Serpent Mound

Photographed by Craig Doda, March 15, 2025

1. Welcome To Serpent Mound Marker

Inscription.

"Serpent Mound was purposefully built for a special, sacred purpose. I should think that anyone who views the Serpent will realize its sacredness and treat this place as they would a cathedral, synagogue or mosque. When we see this place, this is our holy ground."
Ben Barnes, Second Chief of the Shawnee Tribe

Serpent Mound is a monumental earthen sculpture built by the ancestors of modern-day American Indians who lived in this region. It represents a serpent but not just any serpent. It is the Great Serpent who was the Lord of the World Below - a realm that lies beneath the surface of the earth as well as in lakes and rivers.

Many contemporary American Indians regard Serpent Mound and the surrounding landscape with its burial mounds and unmarked American Indian graves a sacred site.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Anthropology & Archaeology • Indigenous Peoples and Communities.

Location. 39° 1.456′ N, 83° 25.755′ W. Marker is in Louden, Ohio, in Adams County. It is at the intersection of Ohio Route 73 and Horner Cheapel Road (County Route 116), on the right when traveling north on Ohio Route 73. The marker is located in Serpent Mound State Memorial. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3854 OH-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.

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At least 7 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Exploring Serpent Mound - Frederic Ward Putnam (a few steps from this marker); Serpent Mound (within shouting distance of this marker); Burial Mound (within shouting distance of this marker); Astronomical Alignments at Serpent Mound? (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named The Village Site (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Burial Mound (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Who Built Serpent Mound? (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Louden.

Other markers no longer nearby. The Serpent In American Indian Traditions (was a few steps from this marker but has been permanently removed); The Shawnee And The King Of The Serpents (was a few steps from this marker but has been permanently removed); What Is An Effigy Mound? (was a few steps from this marker but has been permanently removed); The Village Site (was a few steps from this marker but has been permanently removed); Exploring Serpent Mound (was a few steps from this marker but has been permanently removed); a different marker also named Welcome To Serpent Mound

Photographed by Craig Doda, March 15, 2025

2. Welcome To Serpent Mound Marker

(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).

Credits. This page was last revised on July 18, 2025. It was originally submitted on March 18, 2025, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. This page has been viewed 298 times since then and 56 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 18, 2025, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.