The Adena Mound in Chillicothe, Ohio-Destroyed
The Adena mound, so named by Governor Worthington, and
owned by his estate until a few years ago, was thoroughly exam-
ined by the Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society
under the direction of its curator during the summer of 1901.
The mound is located on miles from the northwestern part of
the city of Chillicothe, in the valley of the Scioto River. Stand-
ing upon the summit of this mound one could see, looking di-
rectly to the north, the noted Mound City so named by Squier
and Davis, and examined by them in 1846; looking to the south
the Chillicothe group of mounds could be seen, which were ex-
amined by Fowke, Moorehead and others ; directly to the east
could be seen the Scioto River, and to the west is the large hill
upon which is located tlie mansion called Adena, which was the
home of Governor Worthington.
The destruction has begun of one of Ohio's largest Adena burial mounds.
Near the mound, and at the foot of this hill, is Lake Ellensmere, which played a very important part in the construction of this mound. In 1798, when Governor
Worthington came to Ohio, he purchased the land upon which
this mound was located, and it has since been owned by the heirs
until a few years ago, when it was sold to Mr. Joseph Froehlich,
consequently the mound had been preserved for more than 100
years. In the course of time the present owner found that it
was quite an expense to keep this mound in a good condition,
and as it occupied a large tract of fine alluvial bottom land, which
was valuable for agricultural purposes, he decided upon its com-
plete removal. On the 21st of June a contract was entered into with
Mr. Froehlich to remove this mound, the greater part of the soil
of which it was composed to be placed in a cut made by the B. &
O. Railroad, which is perhaps fifty yards away. The mound, at
the time work began, was 26 feet high measuring from the south
side, 26 feet 9 inches measuring from the north side, with a cir-
cumference of 445 feet.
A total of 33 skeletons was removed from the mound, 21 occurring in the first period, or the original mound, and 12 in the second period.
