Odd Fellows' Cemetery Mound

The Odd Fellows' Cemetery Mound is a Native American mound in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. Located in the village of Newtown in Hamilton County,[1] the mound is an oval approximately 110 feet (34 m) long and 90 feet (27 m) wide; its height is 11.3 feet (3.4 m).[3]: 641  It is believed to have been built by the Adena culture.[1]

Odd Fellows' Cemetery Mound
Southern side of the mound
Odd Fellows' Cemetery Mound is located in Ohio
Odd Fellows' Cemetery Mound
Odd Fellows' Cemetery Mound is located in the United States
Odd Fellows' Cemetery Mound
LocationAlong Round Bottom Rd.[2]
Nearest cityNewtown, Ohio
Coordinates39°7′38.1″N 84°21′20.5″W / 39.127250°N 84.355694°W / 39.127250; -84.355694
Area0.3 acres (0.12 ha)
NRHP reference No.73001474[1]
Added to NRHPJune 18, 1973

The mound is one of the few remnants of what was once a large complex of prehistoric earthworks and other archaeological sites.[3]: 641  While multiple village sites are still in existence around Newtown, including the Perin Village Site just 0.3 miles (0.5 km) to the northwest,[3]: 646  many of the earthworks have been destroyed. Because of its location in a cemetery, the Odd Fellows' Cemetery Mound has been spared destruction; although a few graves have been dug around the mound, there has been no significant damage done as a result. A smaller mound, known as the "Odd Fellows' Cemetery Mound 2," is located within the same cemetery; it is only a small fraction of the larger mound's size. This mound has been damaged by the digging of six graves into its side; however, no artifacts are known to have been found during the interment process.[3]: 641 

For many years, the Odd Fellows' Cemetery Mound has been a landmark in the community. In 1943, a survey of Newtown performed by the Federal Writers' Project highlighted it and noted that it was "the only mound distinctly visible" in the vicinity of the village.[2] Thirty years later, the mound was listed on the National Register of Historic Places because of its potential to become an archaeological site. Four years later, the nearby Perin Village Site was granted a similar status.[1]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. ^ a b Federal Writers Project. Cincinnati: a Guide to the Queen City and Its Neighbors. Cincinnati: Wiesen-Hart, 1943, 481.
  3. ^ a b c d Owen, Lorrie K., ed. Dictionary of Ohio Historic Places. Vol. 1. St. Clair Shores: Somerset, 1999.
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