Ohio is known for large earthwork complexes dating to about AD200-400. Five of these consist of a large circle, a perfect square, and a slightly smaller circle, such as the Seip Earthworks. Even more interesting, all five are located in Ross County. In the 1830s James McBride mapped a sixth site along the Great Miami River, in what today is the town of West Carrollton, Ohio. It’s hard not to wonder why this site was built at this location—did a group from the Scioto River move over to the Great Miami and start anew...or did these large, three-part enclosures begin in the Great Miami River and then move over to the Scioto River in Ross County? Or, were they all in use at the same time? What we need is more research at the site in West Carrollton. Unfortunately, not much of the site remains—it’s been covered over by roads, railroads, and buildings. But a close examination of a series of aerial photos shows the small slivers of the earthworks could remain. Check out this series of images to see how earthworks in urban settings slowly disappear.

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