The Winameg Mounds

The Winameg Mounds predate the written history of the region and are evidence of early Native mound builder settlement in the area. There originally existed eleven mounds, the true height unknown due to the years of weather erosion, located in a ring around the village of Winameg. Scientific exploration was limited to an initial foray in 1892 with no major expeditions having been launched since, though the mounds themselves are estimated to have been built between 500 BCE and 500 CE in a Hopewellian style. They are listed on the National Register of Historic Places and are closely associated with the Colonel Dresden Howard estate.

The first written record of the mounds come from a county history written in 1877 which notes that while mounds are not an uncommon feature in Northwestern Ohio, the mounds in "Nesenowbo / Junenowbo" (the Pottawatomie name for Winameg which roughly translates to "The Twin Boys") stand out from others in this geographical region. The text states that they were a "circle of mounds embracing within their circumference about three acres of land. Those mounds are each distinct and from thirty to sixty feet in diameter, and from two to three feet in height and were filled with the bones of human bodies, indicating that it was the site of an ancient burying ground, or of a battlefield where many had been slain". This description and assessment of the purpose for the mounds lines up with the theory put forth by Colonel Dresden Howard, whom lived nearby, saying that the mounds pre-dated the natives living in the area and that both he and the local chief thought it was the a massive grave site due to a large, potentially civilization sundering conflict.

In 1892, Judge William H. Handy mounted his exploration of the mounds with the blessing of the Howard family. Handy delved into all eleven mounds, noting their locations and what he found within. Primarily the mounds seemed to be filled with human remains and funerary artifacts, particularly altars. He notes as well that the objects had not been disturbed prior to his investigation with several remains crumbling upon receiving contact with the air and the soil under the altars was moist, with the "baked sand, the red burned ground, the charcoal... in as perfect layers, as if placed there by the hands of a mason." Handy concluded his investigation by theorizing that the mound builders responsible for the objects he unearthed were either ancestors of the current natives, or a different race of people, including several examples of notable racist hypothesis' of the time such as the voyage of the Welsh prince Madoc.

Today, the mounds have unfortunately, been further disrupted by the initial growth of the village and its subsequent decline. One of the mounds was overtaken by the Howard estate upon its remodeling and expansion, while another was built over to construct the road that currently runs through the area. Despite this however, a marker was placed denoting the history of the mounds and their relative locations and several of the mounds themselves, can still be viewed from the Howard manor.

Reighard, Frank. A Standard History of Fulton County, Ohio. Volume 1. Chicago, Illinois. The Lewis Publishing Company, 1920.

Monagon, George. Liscombe, George. A History of Fulton County. Delta, OH. Unknown, 1877.