Shrum Mound — Attraction in Columbus

Shrum Mound is a burial mound of the Adena cultural style... it is fairly conical with an elongated summit. There is a well worn trail to the top, and you are allowed to actually climb it.

Shrum is not an effigy mound like the Hopewell built, it is pretty tame in comparison, but the fact that it resides right in the middle of the Columbus metro-plex on the banks of the Scioto is pretty peaceful. There are no museums, just a roadside marker about the mound and the park.

I have a special connection to this place. I am of Shawnee and Delaware descent, and my ancestors were the ones who built these mounds. When I was a college student at Ohio State, I found it by accident, and came there many times while living in the Columbus area. It was a place I could come to reground myself... and some 30 years later, it still is.

If you are looking for fancy museums, and showy things, this isn't the place (I strongly recommend Mound City in Chillicothe, Newark Earthworks, Ft. Ancient outside of Cincy or the Serpent Mound outside of Seaman, OH. But if you want to find a connection back to where you come from (if you are Native) or just a place to catch a breath and relax in the busy hustle and bustle of the Columbus area... this little park, and its little mound may...

Did you know there’s an ancient Native American site right here in Columbus?

Shrum Mound is a 20-foot-tall burial mound built over 2,000 years ago by the Adena culture, one of Ohio’s earliest known civilizations. It’s one of the last remaining mounds in the city—a quiet, sacred reminder of the people who lived here long before us.

While Shrum Mound itself hasn’t been excavated, you can see artifacts from the Adena people at the Ohio History Center, just a short drive away. One of the most striking pieces is the Adena Effigy Pipe, a beautifully carved human figure that’s now Ohio’s official state artifact. The museum also displays tools, jewelry, and ceremonial items that offer a glimpse into the lives of these ancient mound builders.

If you’re in Columbus, both Shrum Mound and the Ohio History Center are worth a visit to connect with this deep and often overlooked part of our...

Theres a large; elequant brass engraved sign graciously thanking the family donation to historical society in the honor of a former governor of late1800/1900. Adjacent to that is an additional of same context. Upon the threshold, you will be face to face of the mammoth stoned archway, both carved/etched with same recognition and thoughless donation. And then... hidden in plain sight is about a 8×10" piece of plastic slapped on a semi rounded out limestone boulder from the quarry being dug nextdoor. Generosity stretched; just shy of 2 sentences (and from what I can make of the flimsy plastics' print) it said something like-The Adena Native American were a clan in Ohio whose dead were buried in tombs. STRICTLY 3 stars in honor and torch lit for the tribes and nations-dead and alive still. And I digress the other...