Adams County, Ohio is designated as Appalachian and rich with history:

As you may expect, Adams County, Ohio is rich with history due to its bordering the Ohio River. It’s also one of the 13 states designated as Appalachian and offers some of the most beautiful land within the Ohio Valley.

At the time of its forming, in 1797, Adams County was the third county created in the Northwest Territory. The county covers approximately 584 square miles of land and approximately 2.4 square miles of water.

Adams County, named after President John Adams, was part of the Virginia Military District. The Virginia Military District became a form of payment, via tracts of land, to the Revolutionary War officers who were not paid during the war due to a shortage of cash on hand.

Nathaniel Massie, one of the largest land surveyors for the Virginia Military District, made his home for a time in Adams County, near the village of Manchester. His home, one of the first frame houses built in Ohio, overlooked the Ohio River. Manchester, previously known as Massie’s Station, was formed after Nathaniel Massie offered property to 19 men in 1790. It was the first permanent white settlement within the Virginia Military District. Massie used the settlement as a base for his survey work within the district. Nathaniel Massie later renamed Massie’s Station to Manchester after Manchester, England. During the middle of the 1800’s, the village of Manchester was the largest town within Adams County.

Adams County is well known for events that span from January to December. Each season of the year offers opportunities for visitors from around the world to hike Ohio’s Hill Country, to birdwatch in Shawnee State Forest or one of our nature preserves, to fish the scenic Ohio Brush Creek, to hunt Ohio trophy whitetails, to kayak Creek’s Bend, to discover the Quilt Barn Trail or enjoy homemade goods by our locals. And, if you’re looking to take some downtime, Adams County also offers bed and breakfasts where you can do just that while enjoying our breathtaking views.

There’s so much to do within the area that brings travelers back again and again. Some of those travelers even decide to call our beautiful Appalachian area home.

One of the draws to Adams County is the Serpent Mound State Memorial which is located in Peebles, Ohio. The Great Serpent Mound, at approximately a quarter of a mile long and approximately three foot high, is considered the largest serpent effigy within the United States.

What isn’t as well known about Serpent Mound is that it’s located on the edge of a great crater, also known as the Serpent Mound Crater or Serpent Mound Disturbance.

The crater is located on a plateau in the Brush Creek Valley and is classified as a complex crater because it has a central uplift, as well as, a transition zone, and a ring-shaped trough at the outer part of the crater. The crater is about 5 miles in diameter and lies mostly within Adams and Highland Counties with a small portion located in Pike County. It’s speculated that the odd geological features of the crater are what inspired Native Americans to construct the serpent effigy at that location.

In 2003 geologists from the Ohio State University and the University of Glasgow in Scotland corroborated that the Mound is located on the site of an ancient meteorite impact structure. Samples that were previously collected from the site in the 70’s helped further analyze that the impact crater occurred during the Permian Period, which is approximately 248 to 286 million years ago.

According to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, the Serpent Mound Impact Structure is one of only 28 confirmed impact craters within the United States.

We will try to share with you more posts, similar to this one, during each season of the year. Our hope is that you’ll be able to plan your trips to visit with us around some of the other events and activities which happen throughout the year that you may also enjoy.

Whether you travel as a family, in a group or as a single, there’s much to see and do in Adams County, Ohio that we think you’ll enjoy your trip to the area and your visit with us at the Ohio Valley Farm and Fiber Mill.

We look forward to your visit!