Jeffers Hopewell Prehistoric Mound

This early photograph of the Vining Hopewell Indian Mound on "Jeffers" farm, now known as the Jeffers Hopewell Prehistoric Mound, was taken around the turn of the 20th century. Two men on horseback appearing at the crest of the mound are identified as Daniel Wilcox and Bill Scott. William Vining was a Scioto Company subscriber, and the mound is located on his portion of the original land purchase. Vining arrived in Ohio in 1804, and was a tinsmith by trade. The farm remained in the Vining family until the 1920s, when it was sold to Herman Jeffers. The earthworks surrounding the mound were destroyed when the land was converted into farmland from pastures. The mound was given to the Worthington Historical Society through the Herman Plesenton Jeffers Trust in 1974. The trees on the mound help stabilize the structure. Tours of the site are conducted for school students and adults, who can appreciate the one true antiquity in Worthington's borders. The surface of the mound is easily eroded and visitors are asked to keep off the mound itself.