Secret Columbus: Shrum Mound

Photo by James DeCamp

With Halloween rapidly approaching, we could all use a little bit more weird in our lives.

And if you happened to be compiling a list of local autumn adventures that are a bit off the beaten path, we’ve got one here for you: The West Side’s Shrum Mound.

Location: 3141 McKinley Ave. (Campbell Memorial Park)

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Erected by the ancient Adena culture roughly 2,000 years ago and standing at 20 feet high while reaching 100 ft. in diameter, the Shrum Mound feels like it was plucked out of time. It feels megalithic.

And this remains true even though a row of modern apartments sits across McKinley Avenue from the site, which holds a quiet but unmistakable air of mystery and reverence.

This begins at the entranceway to the mound, as visitors pass through an antiquated stone opening. And once they make it through, the sounds of traffic from McKinley seems to vanish. There are deep (for Columbus proper, anyway) woods surrounding the mound, and with the McKinley Quarry just east of these trees, it’s even easier to get lost in the aura of the mound.

The Shrum Mound is one of the last conical burial mounds in the state of Ohio; these sites were reserved for notable community members. While the number and identity of Adena buried within aren’t known, it’s likely to have been used for multiple graves.

It’s an interesting spot both due to its historical significance as well as its unique energy. So visit all you’d like, just make sure you’re remaining respectful when you do this.

If you like this, read: From creepy caves to abandoned prisons, these are the Central Ohio haunted houses to visit this Halloween

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