Field Notes Ohio

Ohio's parks, forests and wildlife areas with camping, the ancient mounds beside them, and the Buckeye Trail that links them. Stories, trails, wildlife, and where to eat and fuel up nearby. Book campsites on ReserveOhio.
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The Buckeye TrailA 1,444-mile blue-blazed loop around Ohio, with all 26 sections.
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Mounds & Earthworks43 ancient sites, including the Great Serpent Mound and the Newark Earthworks.
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Historic Sites39 places, from Fort Steuben and Zoar to Camp Chase and the Rankin House, from the frontier to the Civil War.
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Road Trips33 drives, from the Lincoln Highway to the Morgan Heritage Trail.
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Lake Erie Beaches20 public beaches from Conneaut to Toledo and the islands, with a map.
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Oddities & Roadside Attractions19 giants, ghosts and folk-art stops, plus a Mothman just over the line.
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Caves & Caverns12 show caverns, recess caves and rock shelters, with a map.
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Waterfalls34 falls from the Cuyahoga Valley to the Hocking Hills, with trail notes and a map.
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Explore Ohio

One map for every park, mound, historic site, beach, cave, waterfall and oddity in the app.

Lake ErieWest Virginia27 places277 places77 places73 places35 places519 places1913 places1319 places1916 places168 places810 places1010 places109 places98 places820 places204 places43 places3Barkcamp State Park4 places47 places77 places76 places69 places917 places173 places3Harrison Lake State Park2 places2Forked Run State Park3 places32 places26 places610 places103 places32 places2

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117 parks in 7 regions

David Stitt Mound

Chillicothe · Ross County · Southern Ohio
A big subconical mound on high ground near Chillicothe
National Register of Historic Places

Visiting information you can trust

Check before driving — this site is seasonal, approximate, privately run, or otherwise uncertain. Confirm hours and access with the official source above.
Content last reviewed
September 2026 — this is when Field Notes Ohio's content was last checked, not a live status.
Location confidence
Approximate — boundary or exact point not confirmed
Use the listed address for directions; treat the map pin as a general area.

Prices, hours, closures, campsite availability and trail conditions shown elsewhere on this page are not live — always confirm with the official source before you go.

A sizable Adena mound near Chillicothe, listed for what may still lie inside it.

Size
About 19.4 feet high with a diameter of about 130 feet
Shape
Sub-conical
Setting
On elevated land a good distance from the Scioto River
Inside
Adena mounds often cover log charnel houses, so bones and traces of wooden buildings may remain
Listed
National Register of Historic Places, 1972

The story

The David Stitt Mound stands on elevated land near Chillicothe in Ross County, well away from the Scioto River. It is sub-conical, about 19.4 feet high and about 130 feet across. Because the Adena typically built their mounds over log charnel houses, bones and traces of wooden structures may still be inside, which is why it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972 as a potential archaeological site.

Related sites

What the Mound May Still Hold

Chillicothe is the heart of Adena country, and the big mounds are the famous ones: the Adena Mound, Story Mound, Mound City. The David Stitt Mound is one of the quieter ones. It is large, high above the river, and mostly unstudied.

What is inside is unknown, and that is why it is protected.

Behind the legend

The National Register describes the possibility of charnel houses and bones as an expectation based on how the Adena built, not something that has been found. The record does not say who first named the mound for David Stitt.

If you go

See the Adena Mound and Story Mound entries for mounds you can visit in Chillicothe.

Visiting

Status
Not developed for visitors
Managed by
Check locally
Hours
There is no public visitor information for this site; do not enter private land.
Please note
Please respect private property.

Parks nearby

Great Seal State Park
About 6 miles · The hills of Ohio's state seal, north of Chillicothe.
Open
Scioto Trail State Park
About 8 miles · State park and forest with a CCC lake.
Open

Details last checked 2026-09-22. Confirm hours and prices before you go.