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

The Shawnee And The King Of The Serpent

Photographed by Craig Doda, March 15, 2025

1. The Shawnee And The King Of The Serpent Marker

Inscription. According to Tenskwatawa, often referred to as the Shawnee prophet, when the first Shawnee people came to this land many thousands of years ago, several warriors were lost when they were taken beneath the sea on the back of an immense turtle. Anxious to rescue these men, the people called upon their Grandfather Serpent, "The king of the serpents" and ruler of the World Below.

They fasted, sang and prayed for several days and nights. One morning they awoke to find a giant creature with the body of a serpent and the "head, horns & neck of a large buck" lying dead and bleeding on the shore. Despairing now of rescuing their lost warriors, they cut the body of the creature into pieces, which they used for generations as powerful medicine.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Indigenous Peoples and Communities.

Location. 39° 1.52′ N, 83° 25.844′ W. Marker is in Louden, Ohio, in Adams County. It is on Ohio Route 73 one mile west of Horner Cheapel Road (County Route 116), on the right when traveling north. The marker is located at Serpent Mound State Memorial.

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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. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Serpent Mound (within shouting distance of this marker); What Is An Effigy Mound? (within shouting distance of this marker); A Missing Coil? (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Who Built Serpent Mound? (about 400 feet away); Astronomical Alignments at Serpent Mound? (about 400 feet away); The Serpent In American Indian Manetto Indiangkum, Traditions (about 500 feet away); The Village Site (about 500 feet away); Burial Mound (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map

Photographed by Craig Doda, March 15, 2025

2. The Shawnee And The King Of The Serpent Marker

of all markers in Louden.

Other markers no longer nearby. A Missing Coil? (was about 400 feet away but has been permanently removed); a different marker also named Who Built Serpent Mound? (was about 400 feet away but has been permanently removed); Astronomical Alignments At Serpent Mound (was about 400 feet away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Serpent Mound Impact Crater (was about 500 feet away but has been permanently removed).

Credits. This page was last revised on March 28, 2025. It was originally submitted on March 18, 2025, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. This page has been viewed 173 times since then and 34 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.