Baedeker: Serpent Mound

This past weekend I made a road trip to the Serpent Mound in Adams County, Ohio. I had never been there and I was hoping to catch the end of the fall color. I think I was a week or two too late but it was interesting nevertheless.

"Atop a plateau overlooking the Brush Creek Valley, Serpent Mound is the largest and finest serpent effigy in the United States. Nearly a quarter of a mile long, Serpent Mound apparently represents an uncoiling serpent."

The site, northwest of Locust Grove and about an hour and forty-five minutes, due east of Cincinnati, is a National Historic Landmark as well as a State Memorial operated by the Ohio Historical Society. There is a small museum usually open on the weekends from Memorial Day to Labor Day. I think it was supposed to cost $7 to park but no one was there to take my money.

Geologically, the site is also supposed to be of interest. It sits on part of a rock formation called either a cryptovolcanic or crytoexplosive structure, depending on which account you read. Basically there are a series of concentric ridges formed by either a striking meteorite or ancient volcanic upheaval and the mound was formed on one of these ridges. ODNR released a report in 2003 that concludes it was a meteor that struck the site and created the resulting geological formations in the area.

Yes, probably interesting only to me.

Sorry but it was overcast all day . . .

Author's Note: Baedeker was a German-based travel guide begun in 1827 by Karl Baedeker. These comprehensive guides were hugely popular in Europe, the United States, and throughout the British Empire. I have adopted the moniker for all my travel pieces beyond Cincinnati. Given its German history and stately influence, I thought it fitting for the Queen City.