"The Ohio and Erie Canal was a canal constructed during the 1820s and early 1830s in Ohio. It connected Akron with the Cuyahoga River near its outlet on Lake Erie in Cleveland, and a few years later, with the Ohio River near Portsmouth. It also had connections to other canal systems in Pennsylvania. The canal carried freight traffic from 1827 to 1861, when the construction of railroads ended demand. From 1862 to 1913, the canal served as a water source for industries and towns. During 1913, much of the canal system was abandoned after important parts were flooded severely."
So anyways back to our horrible story. Reservoirs were created in places to provide water for the canal. Buckeye Lake was one of these. Prior to this a great swamp sat where the lake is now. So the engineers decided they could build a dike or dam and turn the swamp into a lake. So where to get material for the dam? Well about a mile away from what is now the upper end of the lake now was a great stone pyramid or mound. What???? A stone pyramid in Middle America??? No way there is no such thing!!! Well, not any more that is. In 1831 thru 1832, 75 teams were hired to haul stones from the mound to create the dam. 75 teams pulling wagons of stones for two years. The newspaper records say they hauled up to 15,000 wagon loads of stones from the mound to the dam site. 15,000 wagon loads of stones!
The base of the mound was 182 feet in diameter with a shallow trench surrounding the base and then a wall surrounding the mound with an opening on the east end of the enclosure and an open field on the west side of the mound within the enclosure. Early pioneer accounts mention the large number of rattlesnakes that inhabited the stone mound. The mound was at least 57 feet high but reports say some early pioneers threw stones down from the top looking for artifacts and probably ten feet was already missing from the top.
After all the stones were removed it was discovered the stones were covering 16 smaller mounds of earth around the outer circumference of the mound. Once the stones were removed, the exposed mounds were left alone until 1850 when a some local farmers dug into one of the mounds and uncovered a burial site and a number of artifacts. The burial site was covered with some remarkably preserved logs laid side-by side creating a wood slab. Over time the smaller mounds have been reduced by farming till they have sunk and disappeared into farmland.
Imagine that, a stone pyramid or mound in Ohio! So I've never heard of such a thing and I've always been interested in Ohio history. How could anyone much less the government financing the canal destroy such a national treasure. Never looked at by anyone trained in archeology just loaded up and hauled away and dumped for a dam. Then the small mounds underneath just plowed under till they too are gone. Again never looked at by anyone. This could have completely changed everything we think we know about ancient Ohio history, what a disgrace.
Here is a lame drawing of the mound from the time...
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