Indian Burial Mound

Sitting just to the right rear of the house is a small conical mound sitting in the middle of a modern housing plan. This mound has been a feature on this land long before the Cockayne family moved to the area. Most likely this mound was built by the Adena culture which existed between 1000 and 200 BC in parts of modern Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia. Whether or not the Cockayne family knew what the mound was, they protected it all the same and, for the most part, left it untouched. When Sam and John Cockayne (the last generation to own the house) split the remaining land, John and his wife, Lisa, received the mound. Upon John's passing, Lisa sold the mound to a neighbor. Through generous contributions from many community members, the Cockayne Farmstead was able to purchase back the mound in March 2005.  Thank you to the following for making this possible ...

• Chris Jackson and Jamie Vosvick, Archaeological Consultants of the MidWest, who donated their services to authenticate the Mound as prehistoric in nature
• Chadan Engineering for donating their services to survey the boundaries of the Mound
• J.K. Chase, Jr., Attorney at Law for donating legal services
• West Virginia Legislative Delegation and Former Governor Bob Wise, who recognized the importance of protecting this archaeological treasure and secured the funds to purchase and restore it to the farmhouse. In addition to former Governor Wise, a debt of gratitude is owed to that delegation:
  • Senator Jeffrey V. Kessler
  • Senator Larry J. Edgell
  • Delegate Scott Varner
  • Delegate Kenneth Tucker