Monday, November 10, 2008

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.

3 comments:

CityKin said...

It seems that the serpent sits on an escarpment that is just about the end of the Appalachian hills and the begining of the glaciated Ohio farmland. It is a modest but beautiful part of the state.

CityKin said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
JR said...

I think we might have been there the same day :-)

I just posted about the mound too.