Grave Creek Mound
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| Grave Creek Mound | |
|---|---|
| (U.S. National Historic Landmark) | |
 |
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| Location: | Moundsville, West Virginia |
| Added to NRHP: | 1966[1] |
| Reference #: | 66000751[1] |
| Governing body: | State |
At 62 feet high and 240 feet in diameter, the Grave Creek Mound is the largest conical type burial mound in the United States of America. It is located in Moundsville, West Virginia. In 1838, much of the archaeological evidence in this mound was destroyed when several non-archaeologists tunneled into the mound. To gain entrance to the mound, two shafts, one vertical and one horizontal were created. This led to the most significant discovery of two burial vaults. This mound, along with the Serpent Mound and the Criel Mound, was the product of the Adena culture.
Grave Creek Mound is the largest conical type of any of the mound builder structures. Construction of the mound took place in successive stages from about 250-150 B.C., as indicated by the multiple burials at different levels within the structures. In 1838, road engineers measured its height at 69 feet and its at the base as 295 feet. Originally a moat of about 40 feet in width and five feet in depth with one causeway encircled it.
The Grave Creek Mound was believed to have first been "discovered" by Constantine O'Neal in 1770, one of the first white settlers in the area that later became Marshall County, West Virginia. This was a full 33 years before Lewis & Clark wrote about the mound in their journals during their expedition after the Louisiana Purchase.[citation needed]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b National Register of Historical Places - West Virginia (WV), Marshall County. National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service (2007-02-08).
[edit] External links
Categories: National Historic Landmarks of the United States | Articles with unsourced statements since March 2007 | All articles with unsourced statements | Mound builders | Archaeological sites in the United States | Landmarks in West Virginia | History of West Virginia | Mounds of West Virginia | Registered Historic Places in West Virginia
