About Us

Inspired by the success of the Stratford Ecological Center in Delaware County, a group of basic and applied scientists and educators banded together with the private owners of the Snake Den Mounds Complex property to utilize the site as an educational resource. They founded the Snake Den Mounds Preservation Society with the expressed purpose of discovering everything they could about the unique archaeological, archaeoastronomical, anthropological, geological, ecological, historical, pre-historical, and mathematical character of this ancient sacred site and use that information to enable central Ohio students to learn about and engage with these subjects. Equally important, this society is deeply committed to the protection and preservation of the entire complex.

In 2007, archaeologist Dr. Jarrod Burks was looking for a mound group near Columbus where he could test some non-destructive surveying instruments. He discussed this with Ken Speakman who suggested that Jarrod speak with the owners of the Snake Den Mounds site. The Barr family agreed to allow Jarrod to use a magnetometer to investigate whether any ancient features could be identified that were below the surface. The survey produced astounding results immediately by discovering that what was thought to be a circular enclosure first identified by the State Archaeologist in 1897 was not a circle, but a Hopewell 'squircle'--a square with rounded corners. He also discovered that the mounds were at the center of a large earthwork enclosure and there were curious linear pits seemingly dug at intervals extending beyond the outer enclosure. 

At the urging of Clyde Gosnell and Louise Warner, the Barr family sought the help of the Appalachia Ohio Alliance (AOA) in acquiring a 17-acre preservation easement that protects the site from future development. Based on some initial research into the historical significance of the site, Dr. Bob Hines proposed that the site undergo an intense site characterization process using volunteer experts. 

The site characterization orchestrated by Hines and Burks was documented by award-winning ancient Native American videographer Gray Warriner.  Warriner volunteered his time to conducted video interviews with site owners Dean, James and Tim Barr. He did the same with volunteer experts Richard McClish (geology and paleontology), Doug Wynn (herpetology), Jarrod Burks (archaeology and Hopewell anthropology), Brad Lepper (Hopewell anthropology), Bill Romain (Hopewell archaeoastronomy), Jeff Gill (Morehead historian), Bob Hines (Loveberry historian), Paul Knoop (naturalist), Clyde Gosnell (ecologist), and Steve Goodwin (AOA land preservation acquisition expert).  These expert and Barr family interviews were used to create video programs on the geology, ecology, and archaeoastonomy at the Snake Den site and they were used in the 2017 book Snake Den Surprise. 

In 2020, the Barr family and Jarrod Burks were awarded the State of Ohio Preservation Award for the characterization and preservation of the Snake Den location. 

The Warriner conducted interviews demonstrated that the Snake Den site was a deeply rich multi-disciplinary educational resource. The State preservation award recognition, videos and the book, as well as growing number of revelations from new magnetometer studies at the site, impressed upon all involved that a dedicated non-profit focused on the Snake Den Complex needed to be formed. The Snake Den Mounds Preservation Society was created as a non-profit entity in 2021.