Symmes Hollow Earth Theory - Hamilton, Ohio
N 39° 23.719 W 084° 33.725
16S E 709936 N 4363482
A monument to John C. Symmes [1779-1828] and his theory that the earth is hollow and habitable.
Waymark Code: WM3AHJ
Location: Ohio, United States
Date Posted: 03/05/2008
Views: 119
The Symmes Theory of Concentric Earths
UFOs don't come from outer space. They come from "inner space" - another world inside our earth. That, at least, was the pioneering theory of Captain John Cleves Symmes, of Hamilton. The earth, he believed, was not a solid globe; it's made up of concentric spheres and polar voids. In other words, hollow - with large holes at the North and South Poles that would allow access to the inner earth. He also believed people were living there.
Captain Symmes wasn't just somebody's eccentric uncle who went around babbling about strange beliefs. He was a highly respected military officer who had been decorated for bravery during the War of 1812. In his time, he was a respected philosopher. So when he said the earth was hollow, many people listened to him.
Symmes even went so far as to petition Congress to send an expedition to the top of the earth to test his theory and find the hole. While he was unable to convince a majority of Congress to go along with his trip - amazingy, 25 members did vote in favor of the expedition - he published the Symmes Theory of Concentric Spheres and sent it to educators in America and Europe to help fan the flames of interest in his theory. (In his book, Symmes suggested that the hole at the North Pole was 4,000 miles in diameter; the hole at the South Pole was 6,000 miles in diameter.)
Even after Peary's discovery of the North Pole (with no sign of an accompanying 4,000 mile hole), many people still believed in Symmes's theories. Even today there are still proponents of the Hollow Earth Theory.
In Hamilton, at least, there are holes at the ends of the earth - atop the Symmes memorial statue, in a park located between Third and Fourth Streets.
~From the book Ohio Oddities by Neil Zurcher, ISBN 1-886228-49-3
Type: Roadside Oddities
Referenced in (list books, websites and other media):
From the book Ohio Oddities by Neil Zurcher, ISBN 1-886228-49-3
Website Reference: [Web Link]
Additional Coordinates: Not Listed
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