The Oak Mounds is a large prehistoric earthwork mound, and a smaller mound to the west. They are located outside Clarksburg, in Harrison County, West Virginia. These mounds have never been totally excavated but they were probably built between 1 and 1000 CE by the Hopewell culture mound builders, prehistoric indigenous peoples of eastern North America. The larger mound is about 12 feet high and 60 feet in diameter. A number of burials of important persons of the culture probably occurred in these mounds.[1]
The Builders
editThe Hopewell people, are believed to be the builders, who thrived between 100 BCE and 400 CE, were a fascinating culture that left behind a legacy of impressive earthworks, intricate artifacts, and long-distance trade networks. Imagine vast ceremonial centers like the Newark Earthworks in Ohio, with geometric shapes formed from earthen mounds towering over the landscape. Attributing the Oak Mounds to the Hopewell culture isn't straightforward. While these earthen structures echo some Hopewell characteristics, inconsistencies linger. Carbon dating whispers of an earlier origin, predating the Hopewell by nearly a millennium. Stylistically, the Oak Mounds diverge from the intricate geometries of classic Hopewell earthworks. Limited archaeological investigation adds to the murkiness, leaving room for alternative narratives. Perhaps these mounds represent the handiwork of earlier cultural groups, like the Adena or ancestors of the Mississippian. Until additional research illuminates the shadows, the true builders of the Oak Mounds remain an enigma. [2] [3]
Historical Marker
editAn incorrectly worded historical marker sign is located on West Virginia Route 98 near the Veterans Administration Hospital. The sign erroneously states the direction the mounds are "[d]irectly to the east" of the sign itself; however, the mounds are actually to the west, on the far side of the West Fork River. The sign's entire inscription reads: "Oak Mounds - Directly to the east are two earthen, domed burial mounds. The larger mound is some sixty feet in diameter and twelve feet high. Excavations in 1969 revealed flint tools, pottery shards and skeletal remains of two individuals. Site dates to about 100 BC, late Woodland Period."[4]