The OES visited Conus Mound on June 16, 2001. Located in Mound Cemetery in Marietta, Ohio, Conus Mound (also called Cemetery Mound) was built by the Adena culture sometime between 800 BC to 100 AD. When the original settlers came to Marietta in 1788, the directors of the Ohio Company designated all mounds in the town as public places and made specific provisions for their preservation. Conus Mound is one of the most perfect works of the early mound builders. Thousands of these types of mounds once covered the Midwest, but farming and development have taken most of them away. This conical mound and the surrounding land was designated as a cemetery. In 1801, Mound Cemetery was officially founded. Sometime between then and the 1900s, the top of the mound was excavated, finding the remains of an Adena Indian with some of his possessions. Once they realized that this was a burial mound, excavation stopped and a patio with stairs leading up to it was erected atop the mound. On July 3, 1976, a time capsule was placed at the top of the mound commemorating the bicentennial of the United States. It is not to be opened until July 4, 2076. Most of us probably won't be around by then, but if the OES is still around, look for the update then!