Mound Street in Columbus: How the road was named

Why is Mound Street Mound Street?

This week's What's Up With That query has a historical flair, as a Dispatch reporter suggested I track down the backstory on downtown Columbus' Mound Street.

So, where did Mound Street get its name? Here's what to know.

Mound Street history

Historian and author Ed Lentz wrote about the street name's provenance in a 2022 column for The Dispatch.

According to Lentz, the Native American tribes who historically lived in Ohio left behind earthen enclosures for burial, ceremony and defense, otherwise known as mounds. (Central Ohioans will likely be most familiar with Newark’s Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks , which in 2023 became Ohio’s first UNESCO World Heritage site and 25th in the U.S.) More: Trump withdraws United States from UNESCO. How will