Edgewood College Mounds
(Edgewood College Group Archeological District)
National Register of Historic Places
There is a disagreement on how many mounds have been saved from destruction. Most sources mention 12, but when they list them
the descriptions vary. For example, there is a disagreement on whether there are 6 or 7 conicals along Edgewood Drive, one or two
linears near the library and whether there is a bear effigy in the southwest corner of the site. The map on college campus shows 15
surviving mounds or their parts. Two obviously destroyed mounds include a bear that used to be in the spot of central parking lot, and
a oval just south-west of the intersection of Edgewood Drive and Woodrow Street.
Of those I checked out, the bird is in the best condition. It's well marked, and the mound itself and the entire area around it covered
with forbs and grasses - even without a fence it's unlikely that someone would want to walk through the site (see below).
The panther in the southeast corner of the campus is partially fenced, also preventing any walking over it, but unfortunately covered
with large trees and sick shrubbery - never mind the tablet next to it since you can hardly discern its shape through the bushes. Similar
fate befell the bear located just south of the Edgewood Drive, between the drive and the lake - it's marked by a tablet but can hardly be
seen (below).
Several conicals along Edgewood Drive are all covered by shrubbery and neglected. I was only able to spot 4, not 6 or 7 that's supposed
to be there. On the other end of "not-to-do-list", the tree conicals between the Campus School and Siena Apartments are mowed with
the rest of the lawn and at this point, being very low, are pretty much indistinguishable from the rest of the lanscape, being run and
walked over by kids from school and others (below).
I could not find any linears at all or bear within the fence of the campus. Apart from well-preserved bird effigy, the lack of care for such
well-known mound group listed in the National Register of Historic Places is astounding. You can find more information on this group at:
Edgewood Drive Mounds
Edgewood Drive Mounds
