Tremper Mound and Works

Tremper Mound and Works, a Hopewell site in southern Ohio overlooking the Scioto River, is one of the Scioto valley’s notable ceremonial earthworks. It features a large oval enclosure and a distinctive central mound whose shape has sometimes been seen as an effigy but remains unproven. Excavation in 1915 revealed that the mound covered a substantial wooden structure with smaller chambers rather than a simple burial feature. One chamber held more than 500 deliberately broken objects, including many carved effigy pipes. Later testing traced most of the pipestone to northwestern Illinois, showing long-distance Hopewell exchange networks and underscoring the site’s importance for understanding Hopewell ceremony and craftsmanship.

Rosemount, Ohio · United States