Circleville and Enon, Ohio, and Zion's camp

I've visited Circleville, Ohio, where they initially built the city with the earthworks in mind but later changed them. The drawing below was made in 1836.

In 1834, Joseph Smith led Zion's Camp through Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, which he described as "the plains of the Nephites." 

They did not pass through Circleville, but when they were about 55 miles west of Circleville, they encountered a large mound in Enon, Ohio. I've visited that site. This is where Joseph related the account I added later in this post.

(click to enlarge)

 

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Circleville, Ohio

Gregory L Little, Ed.D.

@DrGregLittle2

Mid-1800's illustration of how Circleville, Ohio was initially laid out to incorporate an ancient Native American circular earthwork with multiple rings. There was a square earthwork attached to it but that was destroyed. Not long after this illustration was made the city decided to redo the town's layout and the circle was destroyed and replaced by square grid streets.

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Enon Mound

https://ensignpeakfoundation.org/adena-mound-enon-oh-zions-camp/

On Friday, May 16, 1834, the members of Zion’s Camp were approaching the town of Dayton, Ohio. According to James Bradley, at about 9:00 in the morning they passed “through a thicket of small timber, and their view of what was beyond was blocked.” They were close to what is now the town of Enon, Clark County, Ohio. It was there that the Prophet Joseph Smith felt depressed in spirit and commented that they were near a site where there had been much bloodshed. Citing members of the company, Bradley continues: “We soon came out of the timber where a large farm had been cleared, and to the left of the road was a mound sixty feet high, occupying about one acre of ground. We went to the mound and found that holes had been dug in it, which disclosed that it was filled with human bones.”

According to Joseph Smith’s published history, he said on this occasion, “that whenever a man of God is in a place where many have been killed, he will feel lonesome and unpleasant, ad his spirits will sink.” In Enon there is a Native American burial site known as the Adena Mound, one of many such sites in the general region. It is very close to where Joseph had those depressing feelings. The community of Enon, has identified and preserved the site. This canonical mound is the second largest of many other such burial sites in Ohio. It has been estimated in several published sources that the mound was built up over time by Native Americans between 1200 B.C. and 800 A.D.

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Route of Zion's Camp in Ohio

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/bc/content/shared/content/images/gospel-library/magazine/ensignlp.nfo:o:2f8a.jpg

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/bc/content/shared/content/images/gospel-library/magazine/ensignlp.nfo:o:2f8c.jpg

Hopewell Earthworks now UNESCO World Heritage Site

Today, just before the 200th anniversary of Moroni's first visit to Joseph Smith, a major Hopewell earthwork, located in what Joseph described as "the plains of the Nephites" and dating to Book of Mormon times, has been recognized as the United States’ 25th addition to the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Press release:

On Sept. 19, the 21 countries on the UNESCO World Heritage Committee issued their decision to inscribe Ohio’s Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks as the United States’ 25th addition to the World Heritage List.

The Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks, which include five locations managed by the National Park Service and three managed by the Ohio History Connection, were built by Native Americans between 1,600 and 2,000 years ago. They are complex masterpieces of landscape architecture and are exceptional among ancient monuments worldwide in their enormous scale, geometric precision and astronomical alignments.

Collectively, these special and sacred places constitute Ohio’s first World Heritage Site.

https://www.ohiohistory.org/hopewell-ceremonial-earthworks-inscribed-as-ohios-first-unesco-world-heritage-site/

Mounds in the south

 

Conversation

Gregory L Little, Ed.D.

@DrGregLittle2

This map shows a 5-day driving loop to mound site in the Mid-South region. About 50 mounds could be seen on this 1200-mile excursion, but there would be more mounds than that along the route if one had more time. From: Forgotten History 5-Day Mound Tour: Travel Guide to Native American Mounds in the Mid-South.

TVA and mounds in Tennessee

I lived in Tennessee as a kid and I've been back several times. Lots of interesting archaeology still, but much of it was flooded by the TVA.

This tweet from Greg Little is a good example.

Gregory L Little, Ed.D.

@DrGregLittle2

In the 1930s the TVA & WPA excavated many mounds in the Tennessee Valley prior to new dams flooding hundreds of ancient sites. This "structure" was found at the bottom of a large mound that was 130 x 110 feet in diameter near Speedwell, Tenn. They found that a series of 8 different large buildings had been made on this spot over a vast time period. When a building was burned, burials were made, it was then covered by a layer of dirt and then a new building was built. When it burned burials were made and a new building was made. The "first" building (shown here) was made from huge logs (the post holes are along the sides) tilted inward. It was a 55 x 27 feet building (1,485 sq. ft). The mound, which they asserted had been plowed down to only half its original size, was one of several there and a large village with at least 1000 residents was located around the site. From: Bulletin 118; Smithsonian BAE (1938).

(click to enlarge)