News briefs: State Fire Marshal seeks tips in Waverly arson

Chillicothe Gazette
·4 min read

WAVERLY – The Division of State Fire Marshal’s Fire and Explosion Investigation Bureau is asking for the public’s assistance in identifying the individual(s) responsible for an arson that occurred at 82 Estep Lane, Waverly.

At approximately 2:41 a.m., June 1, Waverly and Piketon Fire departments and the Sherriff’s Office responded to the barn structure fire. The State Fire Marshal’s Fire & Explosion Investigations Bureau conducted the scene investigation and determined the fire was intentionally set.

A reward of up to $5,000 is being offered by the Blue Ribbon Arson Committee for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for these fires.

Anyone who has information should contact the State Fire Marshal’s tip line at 800-589-2728.

Four-Day Summer Solstice Event Slated at Serpent Mound

PEEBLES – The Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma, the Shawnee Tribe and the Ohio History Connection are preparing to celebrate Summer Solstice at Serpent Mound from June 18-21.

Serpent Mound, 3850 Ohio 73 in Peebles, is a National Historic Landmark built by the ancient American Indians of Ohio. The effigy mound in the form of a snake with a curved tail has become an icon of Indigenous cultural achievements, primarily because of its enormous scale. It also is on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List for consideration as an internationally recognized landmark.

Serpent Mound’s American Indian builders likely created the mound in alignment with the sun's cycle. To mark the June 21 summer solstice, the longest day of the year, the Eastern Shawnee and Shawnee tribes and the Ohio History Connection are partnering to showcase the significance of Serpent Mound as a sacred American Indian site.

“The Ancient Indigenous peoples of this region—the Shawnee homelands—built these geometrically sequenced effigy mounds with careful intention. … They were built because it had sacred meaning to those Indigenous peoples,” said Chief Ben Barnes of the Shawnee Tribe. “Because of the age and location and geography, the Shawnee feel close kinship to this place. There's a lot of evidence that indicates our ancestors may well have built the serpent. And it's not just evidence in Ohio. It's evidence throughout the region, even southward into Kentucky and West Virginia. And evidence from our ceremonial traditions that we still practice today in Oklahoma. So the reason we want to be present at Serpent Mound is to destroy bad stereotypes, those racist ideas, those things that help perpetuate the notion of manifest destiny as if it was a good thing.”

“When I first became acquainted with the mounds it was just at Newark—then I quickly learned of Ohio’s many mound sites,” said Chief Glenna Wallace of the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma. “I found out that the Serpent Mound is the most famous, most mysterious and most misunderstood of the mounds in Ohio. I believe that, in an effort to protect the mounds, I have the responsibility to share what I know about them in order to protect them, and that includes being present at Serpent Mound. I’m looking forward to being there this summer and sharing an Eastern Shawnee perspective with everyone.”

“As the caretakers of Serpent Mound, we are honored to have the Shawnee Tribe and the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma join us once again for this event,” said Burt Logan, executive director and CEO of the Ohio History Connection. “Having our Tribal Partners here is vital to our commitment of sharing the authentic history of this sacred place. This collaborative observance of the summer solstice will continue to be part of our sharing the history of ancient Ohio and, specifically, Serpent Mound.”

Speakers are planned at 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. each day June 18-21, and guided tours of Serpent Mound are scheduled at 2 and 8 p.m. each day. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources will make presentations at 2 p.m. June 20-21. Speakers are expected to include:

  • Chief Ben Barnes of the Shawnee Tribe

  • Chief Glenna Wallace of the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma

  • Dr. Bret Ruby of Hopewell Culture National Historical Park and National Park Service

  • Talon Silverhorn and Aaron Crank of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources

  • Burt Logan, Jen Aultman, Dr. Brad Lepper, Bill Kennedy and Megan Wood of the Ohio History Connection

Please note that the Serpent Mound observation tower, which was built in 1908, is closed for the season because of needed repairs. The project is in the planning phase, and work is expected to begin later this year.

Event hours will be 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. June 18-20 and 5 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. June 21. Parking is $10. For more information, go to ohiohistory.org/events/summer-solstice/. For press kit materials, including photos and video, go to ohiohistory.org/summer-solstice-2022.

Meetings

The Paxton Township Board of Trustees will conduct its budget hearing for Financial Year 2023 at 7 p.m. June 20, at the Township Hall located at 202 South Mountain Street, Bainbridge. The regular scheduled meeting will follow immediately. Also the meeting scheduled for July 4 is canceled and the next meeting will be July 18 at 7 p.m. at the Township Hall .

This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: News briefs: State Fire Marshal seeks tips in Waverly arson