The suburban citizen., 1900-11-24
OHIO'S SERPENT MOUND.
SAVING ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS
OF PREHISTORIC MONUMENTS.

why Harvard College Has Decided It 20
the state Archaeological and Historical
society-Mound Erected For CeremOn-
iaI and Symbolical Purposes.
BY a recent vote Of the Harvard
corporation the Treasurer Of Harvard
College has been authorized to deed
to the Ohio State Archaeological and
Historical Society the Serpent Mound
Park which for the last fourteen years
has been in the custody Of the Pea
body Museum in Cambridge. thus re-
storing to Ohio the ownership of the
most remarkable and famous of the
thousands Of monuments Of the an
cient mound builders which exist with
In her borders.
The great Serpent Mound lies in the
Township of Bratton, overlooking
Brush Creek, about seven miles from
PEBBLES, the nearest railway station.
1t had been noted with wonder by the
first settlers, but it was not until 1S4O
that it was measured and described
by Squer and Davis, who published
a report with drawings from surveys
In the first volume of the "Smithson-
ian Contributions to knowledge" The
two explorers had found the site of
the mound covered by forest. Thir'
teen or fourteen years after their visit
a tornado swept directly along Serpent
Hill, practically sweeping the forest
clear. This led to reclaiming the land
for cultivation, but by 1888 it had re-
lapsed again to q state of nature and
was oyergrown with sumach and
briars.
In that year Professor Frederick W.
Putnam, curator of the Peabody Mu-
scum and Peabody professor Of arch
aeology and ethnology at Harvard,
visited the spot in the course Of a trip
which he was making through South
ern Ohio for the purpose of examining
some of the best known Of the ancient
monuments for which this part Of the
State Is famous throughout the world.
He was able to make arrangements
with Mr.. Lovett, the owner of the
land. to have the site cleared of un-
derbrush, so that for the first time in
years the extraordinary character and
grandeur of the Great Serpent was
apparent to visitors.
1t has been reckoned that no less
than 1900 mounds and. earthworks,
built either by the Indians or by the
so-called prehistoric" inhabitants Of
the Mississippi Valley, are included
in the State of Ohio alone. But the
advance Of cultivation, the cupidity
Of seekers after the buried treasures
which are popularity supposed to be
hidden under many Of these works,
and in some cases pure vandalism,
have put many, including, of course,
some of the most important in jeop-
ardy An example Of this last kind of
destruction is to be found at Marietta,
where two great embankments, ia
nous among students of American
archaeology, have been partly de-
stroyed-one having been built upon
and in part leyeled, and the other
made into bricks. The destruction Of
the Marietta works seems all the more
to be regretted on account Of the con
trast which it offers to the enlight-
ened wisdom Of the pioneers, who, act
ing under the direction of the famous
Rufus Putnam, had utilized the two
embankments to form an avenue Which
they named in the classical fashion Of
the day. the Via Sacra.
Visiting Adams County again in
1885 he found that its destruction was
inevitable, unless immediate measures
were taken for its preservation. He
was able to secure a contract with the
owner that it remain intact for year.
aud a price for the absolute purchase
of the land was agreed upon. Going
back to Boston, he enlisted che aid of
Miss Alice @. Fletcher, well known
for her notable contributions to the
knowledge Of Indian life. Miss FleLch-
er, meeting in Newport a few Boston
ladies, appealed to them foe support
with so much effect that in the winter
Of 1856 a private circular was issued
with the Endorsement Of the late Fran
els ParKman, the historian OF the
West calling for subscriptions. AS a
result a sufficient sum, amounting to
about $4,000, was secured to buy such
land as seemed to be required for the
purpose in view, and to take steps for
the preservation of the Serpent, with
provisions for making thorough eXca-
vations in the Immediate neighbor-
hood. In the end some seventy-five
acres Of land along the pike leading
from PEBBLES to Hlllsborough were
purchased, and the whole, under the
name of the Serpent Mound Park, was
transferred to the keeping Of the Pea
body Museum in trust.
This movement not only saved the
Great Serpent itself, but was the
cause Of stimulating increased inter-
est in the preservation Of the archae-
logical remains Of Ohio in general.
The General Assembly, at the sugges-
tion Of Professor NJ. Q. Read, of Hud-
son, passed law in 1888 exempting
from taxation lands in the State ION
which are situated any prehistoric
earthworks, and which may Eave been