The site was partially excavated in 1869 when a vertical shaft was sunk from the top to the base, with two horizontal tunnels extending from it. Investigators found one skeleton covered with bark and yellow clay, eight feet down, entombed in a sitting posture and facing east. Below this there were layers of ashes and charcoal, which may represent successive cremation burials or periodic fires used for ritual or other purposes. During the exploration of the mound in 1869, a feature was found at 24 feet that was considered an important find. It consisted of what appeared to be a decayed post, approximately one foot in diameter and resting perpendicularly upon a foundation of stone approximately four feet in diameter. A second feature thirty-seven feet from the top surrounded with logs was also discovered. Throughout the vertical shaft, various layers of what appeared to be ashes were encountered, indicating that the mound was built in several stages over a great many years. The purpose of the mound has never been clearly defined. The very height of the mound has given rise to the speculation that fires may have been set for signaling. It has been classified as burial, signal or sacrificial, although it may have served all three functions. Certainly, it was used as a place of burial for the Adena people.