Built on a ridge above Brush Creek, the origins of the 1,348-foot-long serpent are not clear. Conflicting carbon dating samples from the mound place its age anywhere from 1,000 AD to 1,200 BC. This long stretch of time could place it within three different cultures known to have lived in the area: Adena, Hopewell and Fort Ancient.
Surveyors in the 1840s brought public attention to the existence of the Serpent Mound, and archaeologist Frederic Ward Putnam raised money to purchase the land in the name of Harvard University after finding it eroded and vandalized. The land was transferred to the Ohio Historical Society in 1901.
Scientists have discovered that the Serpent Mound has many alignments with astronomical events, including solstice sunsets at the head and tail of the snake.
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The Serpent Mound is managed by Ohio History Connection and operated by the Arc of Appalachia.
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