National Register of Historic Places

Ratcliffe Mound

Londonderry, Vinton County, Ohio
Listed
August 27, 1975
Type
Site
Period
Pre Contact
Ref No.
75001548

About this property

The Ratcliffe Mound (33-Vi-3) is a Native American mound in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. Located in western Vinton County, it lies to the east of the community of Londonderry, at the bottom of a steep-walled valley. Sitting in the middle of farm fields near a stream, the mound is isolated in open countryside; there are no nearby woodlots. The mound is a circular cone in shape, 14 feet (4.3 m) high and 86 feet (26 m) in diameter. Unlike those of many Native American mounds, the identity of the Ratcliffe Mound's builders is unknown. Two cultures from the Woodland period, the Adena and Hopewell, built large numbers of mounds in southeastern Ohio, and the Adena are known to have built a group of six mounds in the Vinton County village of Zaleski, but the Ratcliffe Mound lacks features that enable archaeologists to identify its builders. Neither of these two cultures typically built mounds in locations such as that of the Ratcliffe, and no identifiable artifacts have been found in the vicinity of the mound, so no identification can be made in the mound's present state. Furthermore, no archaeological excavation has been conducted at the Ratcliffe Mound, so no artifacts have been recovered from it. Despite the inability of archaeologists to classify the mound's origins, it is likely to be a valuable archaeological site if investigated. In recognition of its archaeological value, the Ratcliffe Mound was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

Location

Londonderry, Vinton County, Ohio

Categories

PREHISTORIC
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Overview
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The Land
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Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
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Conflict & War
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The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
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Rivers & Rail
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Notable People
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Historical Maps
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Finds & Access
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Literature
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Questions about this property

When was Ratcliffe Mound listed on the National Register?

Ratcliffe Mound was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 27, 1975.

What type of historic resource is Ratcliffe Mound?

Ratcliffe Mound is classified as a site in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Ratcliffe Mound?

The period of significance for Ratcliffe Mound is recorded as the pre_contact era.

Can I research the history near Ratcliffe Mound?

Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Ratcliffe Mound will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

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