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Adena State
Memorial
Adena is the restored home of Thomas Worthington, one of Ohio's first U.S. Senators
and Ohio's sixth governor. The view from Worthington's hilltop estate across the valley to Mount Logan
is thought to have been the inspiration for the scene depicted on the Great Seal of Ohio.
After traveling to the Northwest Territory as a surveyor, Worthington settled in Chillicothe in 1798
with hopes of prosperity and new opportunities. These hopes were realized through extensive land and
livestock trade, grist and saw mills, grain and fruit crops, shipping and prospecting.
Worthington worked diligently to improve education in Ohio, serving as a trustee for Ohio University
and the Chillicothe Academy. He also promoted the canal system and local government. Known as the
"Father of Ohio Statehood," Worthington contributed to Ohio's bid for statehood and to the writing of
the state's first constitution.
Construction of the Adena home began in 1802. Architect Benjamin Latrobe used a modified
Georgian-style in his design for the buff-colored sandstone mansion. The home has been restored to its
former elegance, along with a smokehouse, springhouse, barn, washhouse, tenant house, and formal
gardens. Worthington chose to name the estate Adena, meaning "most beautiful." He lived in the mansion
with his wife, Eleanor, and their ten children.
The name Adena has another recognition. In 1901 archaeologist William C. Mills discovered a small,
prehistoric human likeness buried in a mound that was then part of the Adena property. The Adena Pipe
was named for the place it was found. That name later was assigned to the prehistoric people who lived
in southern Ohio from 800 BC to AD 100, identifying this well-known Eastern Woodland culture
worldwide.
Exhibits in the new Education and Visitor Center trace the history of Thomas Worthington and his
family as well as the evolution of Ohio statehood.
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