Serpent Mound State Memorial Engagement Outing with Antioch College

On Friday, October 25th, Antioch College took its first National Park Trust trip to The Serpent Mound in Peebles, Ohio. We worked with Lara Mitias, Antioch’s philosophy professor, to take her Indigenous Philosophies class on the trip as our engagement outing. We had eight students, one staff member, and three family members of a student (wife and two children), totaling twelve participants.

During this outing, we were given a guided tour of the Serpent Mound and other Burial Sites that are part of the memorial. Our tour guide explained (and debunked some of) the many different theories surrounding how the Mound was built and why, including the supposed astrological, spiritual, and geographic significance. We chose it as it is not only a world-renowned site that students talk about wanting to visit, but also meaningful to the native population of Ohio. The general response from the participants after the outing was how amazing and unique the site was. We would like to return another day not only to explore the other EarthWorks in the area but also to have more time at Serpent Mound itself. Having a tour guide was a great opportunity to learn about the site, but we had little time to explore for ourselves.

Personally, this outing was impactful for me as it allowed me to reflect on how we should plan and run events in the future. This was our first outing, and I was overthinking how it should have gone. Once the trip was over, I realized that I didn’t need to take these outings so seriously. Something about the way I was feeling, combined with the historical nature, really touched something within me.