Jacob Lawres, the first settler to own the land on which Miamisburg Mound stands, purchased 175 acres of raw timberland in 1806, and his deed was signed by President Thomas Jefferson. The first pioneer settlers of southwestern Ohio discovered and marveled at the mound and speculated about its builders, and early artists and photographers came to capture it on canvas and film. During the 1869 excavation, public interest was so great that a special police force was assigned to prevent encroachment by the crowds. The site became a park in 1920 when Charles F. Kettering of Dayton purchased it from the heirs of John Treon, and he gave the land and mound to the Ohio Historical Society in 1929. During the New Deal of the 1930's, the Federal Recovery Administration and the Civilian Conservation Corps improved many Ohio Historical Society sites to make them easier and more attractive to visit; at these sites, the CCC put unemployed men to work building features such as picnic shelters, tables, and benches, and many of those substantial stone or wood-frame structures later gained historical interest of their own for their connection to New Deal efforts during the Great Depression. Mr. and Mrs. E,J, Miller donated an additional two and one-half acres in 1936. Managed on behalf of the Ohio Historical Society by the City of Miamisburg, Miamisburg Mound remains one of the last visible remnants of the Adena Culture in the Miami Valley. Over the years, the mound has changed: the path that once wound to the top is gone, and today one hundred and sixteen stone steps and protective fencing have been added.