TOP 30 Historical monuments in Portsmouth, Ohio

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Mound Park, located at 1810 Grant Street in Portsmouth, Ohio, is home to the lone remnant of the central complex of the Portsmouth Earthworks. This historic site spans over 2000 years of human activity at the mouth of the Scioto River. Originally part of the John Simpson farmstead, Mound Park features a horseshoe-shaped mound that was once part of a larger earthworks complex that included rectangular works, concentric circles, and parallel walls linking the various groups. Archaeologists Ephraim Squier and Dr. Edwin Davis, along with local expert Dr. Giles S.B. Hempstead, conducted the first formal survey of the earthworks in 1847. The earthworks are believed to have originated in the Early Woodland period with Adena cultural groups, and were expanded during the Middle Woodland period by the Hopewell people. The purpose of the Portsmouth Earthworks remains unknown, but they likely served as a ritual center for the Hopewell Culture.