A LESSON ON MOUNDS — Steubenville Woman’s Club President Dr. Suzanne Curn-Escobar welcomed John Boileigh as guest speaker for the club’s November meeting. Boileigh is an archaeologist with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Mineral Resources Management. -- Julie Stenger

STEUBENVILLE — Members of the Steubenville Woman’s Club met at Steeple Chase Lodge for their November meeting.

Those in attendance had the opportunity to hear from guest speaker John Boileigh, a local archaeologist for the Division of Mineral Resources Management, which is part of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

Boileigh explained to the women about the prehistoric mounds which are located along the Ohio River from Pittsburgh to Moundsville. He commented on the three classes of mounds, which were strong, cultural places for the people who resided in the area long ago.

Boileigh mentioned a few theories as to what historians and archaeologists believe the mounds had been used for and offered what is actually known about the mounds, briefly discussing various groups of Native Americans. His focus was on two of the more-popular Indian groups in the area responsible for the mounds — the Adena and the Hopedale Indians.

He commented as to how people simply could not believe Native Americans were the ones who actually built the mounds.

“Who didn’t build the mounds?” Boileigh asked the club women. “Giants. Aliens. The only ones were the Indians,” he responded, adding no one could accept the fact Indians were capable of building the large, rounded structures.

He referred to William C. Mills, who in 1914 was one of the first archaeologists in Ohio and who created a map of every mound in the state.

Boileigh went on to discuss effigy pipes which have been found in mounds, saying they were often shaped in the form of an animal or human.

Mounds were built prior to the invention of the wheel and had to be constructed using one basket of dirt at a time, Boileigh announced.

The dirt was dug using a digging stick which could be made out of elk antlers, he said.

The mounds were built on a secondary river terrace so as not to have the river flood and destroy the mounds which often contained human remains. Boileigh said conical mounds can still be found throughout the area, giving the example of Grave Creek Mound in Moundsville, which served as a burial mound.

Effigy mounds were in the shapes of such things as snakes. He provided examples of Ohio mounds, noting Monks Mound is around 10 stories high.

“When the first European settlers came here, there were 10,000 mounds in Ohio,” Boileigh exclaimed. Although there are not near that number today, there are still many within Ohio.