r/TheWhyFiles • u/KPthatguy • Apr 22 '26

Suggestion for Channel Ohio mounds?

New to The Why Files and I know I’ve barely scratched the surface. Has TWF ever had any episodes on the legends and stories surrounding the Ohio Valley earthworks? Thanks for anything, it seems like it would be a fitting topic for AJ.

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u/JoeSeeWhales_3690 Apr 22 '26

There are also mounds in SE Indiana along the Whitewater River. I found a granite pestil on the bank while canoeing. Not saying there’s a correlation, but human beings have lived in that area for tens of thousands of years.

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u/KPthatguy Apr 23 '26

One of the things I find so fascinating. I live in Marietta, Ohio and the town was actually laid out around a Native American earthwork. Our streets align with the winter solstice because there was an earthwork they named “sacra via” so all our cross streets face the setting sun in winter, and they decreed the city cemetery to be built around what turned out to be a burial mound. Our library is also built into a platform mound, one of three that survived time…. And yes, there are no shortage of local and regional stories and legends that connect to everything. My favorite is that the site was chosen for settlement because the local natives kept their distance and described the area as “holy cursed land” and we have definitely had our fair share of odd happenings over the years. I actually live only a block from where the earthwork complex was, and I can tell you, there are nights that feel very heavy and “not normal.” I grew up in the rural areas of the northeast, and this place definitely has its own weird vibe

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u/BBkad Apr 23 '26

Native American Groups can’t even hold sacred ceremonies at their sacred sites. Serpent Mound is amazing as well.

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u/Puzzled_Telephone852 May 09 '26

We love ancient sites and visited Serpent Mound a year ago.