Castle and prehistory of Native Americans
August 10-11
It was raining when we got up in the morning. This was the first time on this trip. We left the muddy Hidden Paradise campsite without hesitation and hit the road. Not far from Cincinnati, Ohio, was the Loveland Castle we wanted to see.
The Castle in Loveland, Ohio also known as Chateau Laroche is a story about passion of life. One man named Harry Andrews spent over 50 years working alone on his project. With his own hands, with almost no help from others, he built a castle. His inspiration was chateau in France converted into a military hospital during WWI where Andrews stationed as a paramedic.
It is told that an English officer whose life he saved knighted Andrews during WWI. Sir Andrews never married, he spent his life working with scouts. He called his troop the Knights of the Golden Trail. KOGT in short survived as the organization after Andrews’ death. Anyone can join it. The only vows are the Ten Commandments.
To build his castle Andrews needed a land. It happened that local newspaper had a promotion. Everyone who paid a one-year subscription in full received a plot of land on the banks on the Little Miami River in Loveland. Some parents of Andrew’s scouts took advantage this offer and donated the plots to him.
From the castle we went to see a prehistoric mound in the shape of a reptile. A few days ago, we saw the Effigy Mounds in Iowa. Here in Ohio, we wanted to see the world's largest preserved effigy mound. Serpent Mound resembles a giant snake with a head and a curled tail. Its body is 411 meters / 1348 feet long and has seven coils. Carbon dating suggests that the people of the Adena Culture were the original builders of the Serpent Mound around 300 BC.
Some native cultures in North and Central America recognized snakes as possessing supernatural power. This is probably why the Serpent Mound may have had a religious purpose. The burial mounds nearby indicate that the area served an important mortuary function.
It was time to go back. Last picnic and let’s go. After driving all night, we arrived home at dawn.
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