- Ohio History in 2000 Words
- Mound Builders
- Native Ohioans
- The Ohio Company
- Ohio's Wood Forts
- Indian Wars
- War of 1812
- Ohio's Canals
- Ohio's Road
- Scenic Railroads / Museums
- Underground Railroad
- Civil War in Ohio
The Shrum Mound located in Campbell Park in northwest Columbus, is one of only a few remaining Adena Mounds that can still be seen in Franklin County. It is a conical Adena burial mound measuring 20' in height and about 100' in diameter and is located on a high bluff on the west side of the Scioto River. It is believed that like many of the Adena Mounds, the Shrum Mound originally was much nearer the Scioto River, but over the centuries the river has shifted slightly to the east. Today, the mound is surrounded by old quarry excavations and newer condo units. The fact that this burial mound has survived is indeed an amazing fortune.
The Adena Culture was one of the earliest organized cultures throughout the Ohio Country. They had established villages all along the Scioto and Olentangy Rivers in central Ohio. Their conical mounds were burial sites for citizens of note in their culture and from archeological surveys of other burial mounds, the larger mounds would most likely used to entomb multiple graves that were added over a period of time with additional earth added for each burial. The size of the Shrum Mound indicates it was in a highly populated area perhaps 2,000 years ago.
The mound is named for the Shrum family after Minnie R. Shrum deeded the site to the Ohio Historical Society (now called the Ohio History Connection). It is located in Campbell Park, named for former Governor James E. Campbell (1890-1892) and who later served as president of the Ohio Archaeological and Historical Society. The park was dedicated in July 1929 and in 1970 the site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
During the summer of 2015 the Ohio History Connection had all of the trees growing out of the mound cut down and removed. Fear that high winds could topple one of these trees and might destroy part of the burial site.
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