2008 Mound Tour With Ken Harsh!
Hopewell Mound City Earthworks.
This ceremonial center consists of 23 mounds that cover the remains of ceremonial buildings.  A low earthen embankment is ringed by eight sizeable borrow pits, from which the earth was taken for the mounds.  A museum inside the visitor center contains objects recovered from the mounds during two major archeological digs at the site, including objects made of copper, flint, mica and pipestones.
Directly below this text
the Eliptical Mound can be seen
behind the smaller dome
Some of the mounds were constructed over structures that were used for mortuary purposes, and funeral rituals.  When the usage for the structure was over it was burned, dismantled, and mounded over with earth.  Other mounds were constructed to house cremated remains that were found in log tombs!
This is a shot of the beautifully scenic and historic Scioto River which lies approx 100yds east of the Mound City Earth Wall. don't be fooled by the beauty-this river is deep and turbulent with crazy currents! A very dangerous river!
This is another excellent view looking over the earthen wall at the eliptical and the placemnt between the two dome mounds can be seen!
Serpent Mound
  The Serpent Mound is definitely of Hopewell origination.  This amazing mound structure was used to determine seasons and time!  Sorta like a Native American Stone Henge. This shot is at the coiled tail corresponding to the Root Chakra!  Ken is standing on a stone step way which is the ONLY place walking over the mound is permitted.
Ken in repose before the ceremony he performed at the mound. We gave the mound corn meal, and gem stones as there is no saging allowed here.
Ken and Gloria preparing for the ceremony.
The singing bowl never sang so sweet!
Ken and Lindy. There is a Ley Line that occurs in the tail! The energy from this was un beleiveable!
Observation Deck just below the Serpent's Tail looks out over the Brush Creek Valley. Brush Creek is one of the cleanest streams in Ohio. In the crater area there is more water going in to the creek than coming out and it is beleived with all the fault lines that the creek is losing water, creating an underwater creek so to speak-and emerging in the Appalachian foothills. A place in the creek has been found with a turbulent whirlpool that is believed to be where the lost water is emerging!
Keep in mind that  the mound is only 3- 31/2 ft high!
Right below this text is the observation tower 3 stories high
Arial View of the mound from the tower. The markers you see placed along the coils depict moon set and moon rise at seasons of the year.

The Serpent mound is the largest of all effigy mounds in North America.  This mound is situated on a level ridge top more than 100ft above Brush Creek.  The total length is 1,348 ft. It is believed it was made by laying a pattern of stones and mounding the earth over them.  Radiocarbon  has dated the mound at the ripe age of 1030AD.  This places it in the Fort Ancient time frame.

There is a lot of symbolism associated with this particular mound.Native Americans believed in the ongoing struggle between the upper world(Sun & Thunderbird) and the underworld(Great Horned Serpent or Underwater Panther).
It is believed that the mound represents the Great Horned Serpent trying to swallow the Sun.
 
This is the beautiful wooded area around the mound with hiking trails.
This is looking back over the tail and the valley beyond
Another Tail shot-Have no clue who these people are!
The Monument-with Barb



All 3 of these shots were taken from the Observation Tower.
Picture of the wall mural inside the Museum at Mound City
Ken and Lindy drumming next to the path below the observation tower.  Other park visitors thought they were part of the attraction!