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This early map of Homer from 1854 shows the Fulton property (circled in red) which housed a mound that enclosed a stone structure. An additional mound was flattened as a site for Fulton’s farmhouse. The site of the Dixon Mound is marked with a gold star.
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The Licking River once ran close to the bottom of this bluff, according to old maps. Flooding caused the collapse of the bluff, forcing the river into a new channel. In this photo, the right side of the river remains in its ancient channel, while the left side of the picture shows how the river has been pushed futher out by the collapsing bank. The bank once held a temple structure and burials.
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The cemetery across the street from the mound once housed the temple structure mentioned in early reports as one of the sites where giant bones were discovered as early as 1824.
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What remains of the high bluff at the back of the cemetery seems to have been the location for one or more sacred temples. Judging by other artifacts found in this area, the structures were most likely Adena moundbuilders, dating back potentially as far as 2,500 B.C.
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There is a direct line of sight from the high bluff, which once held an earthwork temple, and the Dixon (or Williams) Mound across the street, circled in red. The proximity suggests the sites may have been used in tandem for ritual purposes.
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The ancient mound in Homer, is a rare surviving relic of the moundbuilders culture which once flourished in central Ohio, leaving in its wake legends of giant skeletons found in mounds and temples excavated by early settlers who lacked the technology to preserve the giant bones.
GALLERY: Prehistory Homer
