View source for Alligator Effigy Mound


The exact creature depicted in the 217-foot, nearly acre-sized mound is unknown, yet the moniker “Alligator Mound” has remained with site.  Presiding over a hilltop view of Raccoon Creek near the village of Granville, its features include appendages that appear to be a head, tail, and four limbs, though a fifth limb has been destroyed in recent centuries. Some theories for the intended representation include an opossum, a flying squirrel, or a lizard. <ref> Miller. A. (1985, July 7). “Town Proud of the Alligator.” Columbus Dispatch. </ref>  A more recent and well-argued theory posited by archaeologist Bradley Lepper is that the mound could represent an “Underwater Panther,” a Native American mythological creature that European settlers may have misinterpreted as an alligator. <ref> MaClae, D. (2001, February 7) “Mound of Mystery.” Columbus Dispatch. For the myth of the Underwater Serpent see Lepper’s article “Ohio’s ‘Alligator’” Timeline. A Publication of the Ohio Historical Society, (2001, April), 24-25.  </ref> 

==Construction== 

Originally attributed to the Hopewell culture that built the nearby Newark Earthworks, radiocarbon dating has placed the construction of Alligator Mound between 1100 and 1300 CE.   <ref> Lepper, B. (2001, April). “Ohio’s ‘Alligator’” Timeline. A Publication of the Ohio Historical Society, 24. </ref> . The site is now understood to be part of a broader cultural movement of effigy mounds construction in the Ohio River Valley region known as the Fort Ancient culture (1000 CE-1650 CE), which includes Ohio's Serpent Mound.  <ref> https://ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Fort_Ancient_Culture </ref> 

==Damage and Preservation== 

One limb of the effigy was damaged in the nineteenth century by a stone quarry dug into the hillside.  Quarrymen reported recovering “bones and charcoal” at the site.  The mound suffered from human activity such as plowing,  animal grazing, and recreational pursuits for more than a century. <ref> Lepper, B. (2001, April). “Ohio’s ‘Alligator’” Timeline. A Publication of the Ohio Historical Society, 21. </ref>   The mound was an attraction for locals, including children from the village who enjoyed playing on the mound. <ref> Moody, M. (1991, December 5). “We loved the Alligator.” The Advocate. </ref>.  The site is currently owned by the Licking County Historical Society after its purchase for $1 from the developer Robert Woods and the Bryn Du Woods Society in 1991. <ref> (1991, November 16). “Historical Society to buy Alligator Mound.” Columbus Dispatch. </ref> The Mound can be viewed from Bryn du Drive, but walking on the mound is prohibited.  

For more information on the history and archaeology of Alligator Mound see Susan Woodward and Jerry MacDonalds's ''Indian Mounds in the Middle Ohio Valley'' and Bradley Lepper's "Ohio's Alligator" in ''Timeline: A Publication of the Ohio Historical Society'', April 2001. 


J.G.
 

==References==