Yay! ancient burial mounds

Family members who own a farm that holds rare, 1,500-year-old burial mounds won't sell the site, despite the recent death of the farm's longtime resident and the high price its 20 acres could bring.

The farm is home to a rectangle-shaped mound and two circle-shaped mounds _ known as the Wright-Holder Works. They're believed to be remnants of the ancient Hopewell and Adena cultures that flourished in southern Ohio between 800 and 2,400 years ago.

The Wright-Holder Works were the northernmost known outpost of the Hopewell and one of the last remaining ancient earthworks in the Columbus area. The farm's rectangular earthwork stands 6 feet tall and stretches 130 feet by 300 feet _ rare because of its large size, said archaeologist Jarrod Burks.