Spiro Mounds Archaeological Center - Spiro, Oklahoma

Spiro Mounds is a major Indian mound site in eastern Oklahoma that is ranked as one of the four most important prehistoric sites east of the Rocky Mountains.

Although it seems far removed from the large Mississippian era mound groups of Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia and the other Deep South states, Spiro played a critical part in the development of the Native American culture that spread across much of the Southeast and Midwest between A.D. 900 and A.D. 1540. The town maintained vast trading networks and archaeologists have found artifacts at the site that originated as far away as the Great Lakes and Florida.

Spiro Mounds also seems to have played a major role in the development of the ceremonial or religious beliefs of the Mississippian people, a culture that received its name because it is thought to have spread from the Mississippi River throughout the Southeast in around A.D. 900. Spiro is believed to have been occupied as early as A.D. 850 and research there has revealed a dramatic quantity of high quality ceremonial artifacts and artwork.

Research at the site has also revealed that the extensive complex of mounds was designed to coincide with key celestial events. The inhabitants of Spiro could mark the changing seasons by the way the sun and stars aligned with their mounds on key days of the year.

Spiro Mounds Archaeological Center is a major park owned and preserved by the Oklahoma Historical Society. It is open to the public five days each week and features a museum, walking paths, interpretive exhibits and more. To read moer about Spiro, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/SpiroMounds1.

Ocmulgee National Monument - Macon, Georgia

Ocmulgee National Monument preserves a major archaeological site of the Mississippian era located in what is now the eastern edge of the city of Macon, Georgia.

The Ocmulgee mounds, also called the "Ocmulgee Old Fields," are among the most impressive in the Deep South. The Great Temple Mound at the site is 55 feet high and overlooks a site that includes an array of other mounds and other unique Native American structures.

Established in around 900 A.D., the site was a major ceremonial and political center for an important chiefdom that flourished in the Macon area. At one time home to an estimated 1,000 people, the Ocmulgee site declined in importance in around 1100 A.D. and eventually was abandoned.

As evidence of their presence, however, the inhabitants of the site left behind a striking series of mounds and earthworks. One of the more fascinating structures was an earth lodge discovered by archaeologists as they began to investigate the mounds. Now reconstructed, the lodge was used for important council meetings and possibly religious ceremonies. Excavations revealed that special sets for 47 important leaders lined the circular wall of the structure, while an elevated platform built in the shape of a giant bird held three additional seats, undoubtedly used by the most important leaders of the town. Visitors can now enter the reconstructed lodge to see these original features.

To learn more about this important national park, please visit our new Ocmulgee pages at www.exploresouthernhistory.com/ocmulgeemounds1.

Lake Jackson Mounds - Tallahassee, Florida

As we roam the highways and byways of the South, we are occassionally reminded that we were not the first to build cities on this land. Native American sites dot the landscape.

Among the most impressive of these sites are the long abandoned ceremonial centers of the Mississippian era (A.D. 900 - A.D. 1540). These mound complexes can be found in every Southern state and have survived for more than 500 years as silent reminders that an advanced civilization once stretched from Oklahoma to the Atlantic Ocean and from the Gulf of Mexico to the Midwest.

Lake Jackson Mounds Archaeological State Park in Tallahassee, Florida, preserves the surviving mounds of one of these ceremonial complexes. Probably occupied by the ancestors of the Apalachee that the Spanish found living in the Tallahassee region when they first entered Florida, the Lake Jackson Mounds comprise one of the most impressive Native American heritage sites in Florida and the Deep South.

Our new Lake Jackson Mounds page is now online at www.exploresouthernhistory.com/lakejackson1. To learn more, just follow the link.

Emerald Mound - Natchez, Mississippi

This astounding Native American ceremonial mound is located just off the Natchez Trace Parkway outside of Natchez, Mississippi.

One of the largest "Indian mounds" in the eastern United States, Emerald Mound is believed to be more than 600 years old. It covers more than 8 acres and is topped by several smaller mounds.

Now protected by the National Park Service, the mound is one of the many historic points of interest along the Natchez Trace. If you would like to read more and see additional photographs, just go to www.exploresouthernhistory.com and look for the "Natchez Trace Parkway" heading.

Owl Creek Mounds - Natchez Trace Parkway

The Owl Creek Mounds, located off the Natchez Trace Parkway in Mississippi, are among the dozens of signficant historic sites to be found along the route of the unique national park.

The Parkway stretches from Natchez, Mississippi to the outskirts of Memphis, Tennessee and commemorates the original Natchez Trace, an important roadway used primarily during the late 1700s and early 1800s.

The Owl Creek Mounds, now maintained by the National Forest Service, are located just off the parkway south of Tupelo, Mississippi. Constructed during the Mississippian Era, they date back more than five hundred years.

To learn more, please visit our new Natchez Trace section at www.exploresouthernhistory.com. The section is not completed yet, but a number of sites - including Owl Creek - can now be explored online.

Povert Point State Historic Site - Louisiana

Located in northeastern Louisiana near Lake Providence, Poverty Point is one of the most fascinating archaeological sites in America. More than 2,000 years ago, Native Americans built a massive ceremonial and trading center here. The site is particularly spectacular because it includes a series of massive semi-circles the form a giant design that can be seen only from the air.

To learn more about Poverty Point, please visit our new Poverty Point pages by going to: http://www.exploresouthernhistory.com/povertypoint1.