Posts Tagged ‘Serpent Mound’

Joe and I love going to the Great Serpent Mound in Peebles, Ohio. We have been there at Winter Solstice in December for the “lighting of the snake.” Candles are lit and placed around the earthworks, which are formed in the shape of a snake with a round object (an egg, perhaps?) at the snake’s mouth–it looks as if the snake is getting ready to swallow the egg.

In June, for the Summer Solstice, the Friends of Serpent Mound will be holding a three day Summer Solstice Celebration from June 21-23. On Saturday, June 22, local Plain City author and archeologist, Bob Converse, will be speaking at 3 pm on Adena Culture. His talk will focus on cultural characteristics, artifacts, and other aspects of the Adena culture. He will also look at the relationship between the Adena and the Ohio Hopewell. This is a super chance to hear Bob speak.

Bob Converse, as many of you may know, is the editor for The Archeological Society of Ohio. He has also written numerous books and articles on archeology. You can purchase many of Bob’s books through The Archeological Society of Ohio’s store HERE.

To see the complete list of presenters and events occurring during the Summer Solstice Celebration, visit the Friends of Serpent Mound web site HERE.

You can also join the Friends of Serpent Mound group on Facebook HERE and then visit their events page HERE.

To find out more about the history of Serpent Mound, visit the Ohio Historical Society’s site HERE.

To celebrate 2012, which features the end of the Mayan calendar and an increased focus on ancient cultures, the Ohio Historical Society (OHS) and several other groups are promoting sacred places in Ohio. With the Ancient Ohio Trail, we are led on an amazing journey across the state, visiting earthworks and other historic sites from Newark all the way to the Serpent Mound in southern Ohio.

You can find a self driving itinerary that covers the Ancient Ohio Trail and provides things to do at each of the main stops by going HERE. Click on each site to pull up the link to the itinerary.

There are enough interesting places along the Ancient Ohio Trail to make it your summer vacation route or to plan a number of weekend getaways.

Country Living magazine, produced by Ohio Rural Electric Cooperatives, which includes Union Rural Electric Cooperative in our area, has a very nice article about the Ancient Ohio Trail in their April 2012 issue. You can access it by going HERE and clicking on the April 2012 issue link in the box to the right. Once you have pulled up the April issue, the article begins on page 23. You can also find the itinerary of places to visit and stay that the editors and authors used on pages 20, 20A-20C.

Joe and I are both history buffs and we love visiting historical sites. One of the loveliest things we’ve done is visit Serpent Mound on winter solstice in December when they light luminaries that outline the shape of the snake. Being at this ancient site just before Christmas, while watching the candles in the luminaries flicker in the dark with a winter moon hanging in the sky like a giant, glowing ornament, is something I will never forget.

Winter solstice is not the only time of the year that events take place at the earthworks. In fact, this summer is being called “The Ancient Ohio Summer,” with tons of activities scheduled from June through October. For summer solstice, sunset ceremonies will occur at the Serpent Mound on June 20, at the Hopewell Culture National Historic Park in Chillicothe on June 21, and at various other locations along the Ancient Trail. There will be speakers, Labor Day weekend powwows, and other presentations throughout the year. Visit the Events page to find out more.

Often, we forget that we don’t have to traipse to exotic locales to learn and be amazed. In 2012, take the time to explore Ohio–history and enchantment are waiting, just out the back door.