Louden in Adams County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
The Village Site
Photographed by Craig Doda, March 15, 2025
1. The Village Site Marker
Here he found "sites of dwellings," hearths, animal bones, stone tools, broken pottery and "many thousand chips of flint." Putnam wrote that "all these things showed beyond question that there had been an ancient village."
The artifacts found near the surface belong to the Fort Ancient culture and date to around A.D.-1100. The artifacts from deeper layers belong to the Adena culture and date to around 300-B.C.
Though Putnam referred to this as a village site, it is possible that one or both of these sites were not ordinary villages. They may, instead, have been the places where people stayed only while they took part in ceremonies or community events focused on the mounds.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Anthropology & Archaeology • Indigenous Peoples and Communities.
Location. 39° 1.447′ N, 83° 25.797′ W. Marker is in Louden,
this page online
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 6 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Burial Mound (here, next to this marker); Serpent Mound (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Welcome To Serpent Mound (within shouting distance of this marker); Serpent Mound Impact Crater (within shouting distance of this marker); Exploring Serpent Mound - Frederic Ward Putnam
Photographed by Craig Doda, March 15, 2025
2. The Village Site Marker
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? (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed); a different marker also named 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); Who Built Serpent Mound? (was about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line but has been permanently removed); Astronomical Alignments At Serpent Mound (was about 300 feet away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); A Missing Coil? (was about 300 feet away but has been permanently removed); a different marker also named Serpent Mound Impact Crater (was about 300 feet away but has been permanently removed).
Credits. This page was last revised on March 24, 2025. It was originally submitted on March 18, 2025, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. This page has been viewed 196 times since then and 36 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.
