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64-573: Lake Jackson Mounds Archaeological State Park (8LE1) is one of the most important archaeological sites in Florida , the capital of chiefdom and ceremonial center of the Fort Walton Culture inhabited from 1050–1500. The complex originally included seven earthwork mounds , a public plaza and numerous individual village residences. One of several major mound sites in the Florida Panhandle ,

128-504: A long-nosed god maskette (an object thought to be associated with ritual adoption and also worn as ear-rings by the Resting Warrior) and clothing which are all motifs associated with the falcon dancer/warrior/chunkey player including the columnella pendant, large shell beads, bellows apron (scalp motif), and the long-waist sash. This plate was one of 14 recovered from the mound, along with 11 copper axes, many copper headdress ornaments,

192-482: A 200-year period. Some of the terraces and aprons on the mound seem to have been added to stop slumping of the enormous mound. Although the mounds were primarily meant as substructure mounds for buildings or activities, sometimes burials did occur there. Intrusive burials occurred when a grave was dug into a mound and the body or a bundle of defleshed, disarticulated bones was deposited into it. Mound C at Etowah has been found to have more than 100 intrusive burials into

256-494: A Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and that will contain both locational information and a combination of various information. This tool is very helpful to archaeologists who want to explore in a different area and want to see if anyone else has done research. They can use this tool to see what has already been discovered. With this information available, archaeologists can expand their research and add more to what has already been found. Traditionally, sites are distinguished by

320-640: A T-shaped tract containing 11.5 acres (4.7 ha) was purchased by the State of Florida and designated the Lake Jackson Mounds State Archaeological Site , to be administered by the then Florida Department of Natural Resources. At the time of this purchase, three-quarters of Mound 2 was in the park, all of Mound 4 was included in the park, and about half of Mound 5, with the remaining other mounds still privately owned. Later more tracts were purchased and as of 2007, only Mound 1 remained outside

384-530: A brief glimpse into the Florida Territorial Period (1820-1860).  The land was owned by Colonel Robert Butler as part of a larger estate.  The second trail is 2.2 miles and consists of a nature trail that meanders through the natural growth of native plants and trees.  Visitors on this trail may be able to see a grist mill from the 1800s while hiking. The Florida State Parks website for Lake Jackson Mounds Archaeological State Park provides

448-775: A central aspect of their overarching religious practices and beliefs. These platform mounds are usually four-sided truncated pyramids , steeply sided, with steps built of wooden logs ascending one side of the earthworks . When Europeans first arrived in North America, the peoples of the Mississippian culture were still using and building platform mounds. Documented uses for Mississippian platform mounds include semi-public chief 's house platforms, public temple platforms, mortuary platforms, charnel house platforms, earth lodge /town house platforms, residence platforms, square ground and rotunda platforms, and dance platforms. Many of

512-531: A ceremonial mace in one hand and a severed head in the other. The figure wears an elaborate headdress with an ogee symbol and a bi-lobed arrow motif. Actual copper ogee plates used as headdress were found in burials at Etowah. These motifs are also found on sculptures and shell engravings from the Spiro site, such as the ogee headdress-wearing " Resting Warrior or Big Boy statue ". The ogee is usually associated with underworld figures. The figure also appears to be wearing

576-468: A dog were found on top of one of the clay levels that was an earlier top surface of the mound. Mound 1 was partially excavated in the mid to late 1950s by Charles H. Fairbanks and Hale G. Smith for the Department of Anthropology at Florida State University . All information from the excavation except for a single photo and a partial list of artifacts found are currently missing and presumed lost. Mound 1

640-500: A few polished-stone celts , marine-shell drinking cups of the type historically used for the black drink ritual, and pottery vessels and a few non-local materials such as mica, graphite pigment, red ocher and stone discoidals . All of the copper pieces came to Lake Jackson by way of the Etowah site which shows that the two sites had a long-running relationship, trading their specific local prestige products to each other. The Etowahans prized

704-503: A great deal of information, including a downloadable map of the park. The park encompasses six out of seven of the known mounds, with two of the largest mounds visible to visitors who use the picnic tables. There is an interpretive exhibit aspect of the park that shares knowledge about the Native Americans who once occupied the site. This is located in the pavilion with the picnic tables. Archaeological excavations have been ongoing at

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768-420: A mortuary mound by its builders. At the end of its construction, it was 5 m in height and 44 by 48 m at the base (16 ft × 144 ft × 157 ft). Based on radiocarbon dating done during excavations, the mound is known to have been constructed between 760 years and 475 years Before Present (based on 1950 as present), or approximately between 1190 and 1475. Below ground level of Mound 3,

832-431: A new layer of fill added, along with a new structure on the now higher summit. Sometimes the surface of the mounds would get a several inches thick coat of brightly colored clay. These layers also incorporated layers of different kinds of clay, soil and sod, an elaborate engineering technique to forestall slumping of the mounds and to ensure their steep sides did not collapse. This pattern could be repeated many times during

896-430: A period of time this structure was then burned and the first 48 centimetres (1.57 ft) of mound layer was erected over it. The first burial is included in this layer. The mound was built up in intervals, with new levels being added in stages. The bulk of the mound fill was a mixture of scraped up midden materials. White sand from the lake shore was used as a first layer in each new episode, followed by mound fill and then

960-447: A platform mound with certainty. The layout and arrangement of the mounds in the central area of the site suggests that there may have been two large plaza areas. Mounds 2, 3, 4, and 5 form a large rectangular shape that was mostly free of debris. Mounds 2, 3, 6, and 7 also form a rectangular shape that suggests it too was a plaza. Both plazas would have had Butler's Mill Creek (a small stream that once bisected these areas, but whose course

1024-401: A red clay from nearby hills was put on in a thin layer as a final cap. The pattern of deposits of fill demonstrated that the earth was intentionally brought to the site, in baskets as individual basket loads could be detected during excavations. Postholes found on the mound summit indicated that buildings with encircling palisades were erected on the flat top. The last structure erected on

1088-683: A sequence of natural geological or organic deposition, in the absence of human activity, to constitute a site worthy of study. Archaeological sites usually form through human-related processes but can be subject to natural, post-depositional factors. Cultural remnants which have been buried by sediments are, in many environments, more likely to be preserved than exposed cultural remnants. Natural actions resulting in sediment being deposited include alluvial (water-related) or aeolian (wind-related) natural processes. In jungles and other areas of lush plant growth, decomposed vegetative sediment can result in layers of soil deposited over remains. Colluviation ,

1152-412: A site as well. Development-led archaeology undertaken as cultural resources management has the disadvantage (or the benefit) of having its sites defined by the limits of the intended development. Even in this case, however, in describing and interpreting the site, the archaeologist will have to look outside the boundaries of the building site. According to Jess Beck in "How Do Archaeologists Find Sites?"

1216-453: A site worthy of study. Different archaeologists may see an ancient town, and its nearby cemetery as being two different sites, or as being part of the same wider site. The precepts of landscape archaeology attempt to see each discrete unit of human activity in the context of the wider environment, further distorting the concept of the site as a demarcated area. Furthermore, geoarchaeologists or environmental archaeologists would also consider

1280-498: A successor. The mounds location on private property outside the state owned park meant it was not protected as the mounds inside the park are and it was leveled for use as fill dirt in the winter of 1975–1976. Before it was dug away B. Calvin Jones , an archaeologist with the State of Florida Bureau of Historic Sites and Properties, conducted a salvage operation. He recovered 24 burials from Mound 3, with others known to have been lost in

1344-500: Is a branch of survey becoming more and more popular in archaeology, because it uses different types of instruments to investigate features below the ground surface. It is not as reliable because although they can see what is under the surface of the ground, it does not produce the best picture. Archaeologists still have to dig up the area in order to uncover the truth. There are also two most common types of geophysical survey, which is, magnetometer and ground penetrating radar. Magnetometry

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1408-412: Is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology and represents a part of the archaeological record . Sites may range from those with few or no remains visible above ground, to buildings and other structures still in use. Beyond this,

1472-456: Is known about the construction sequence or what structures may have been built upon it. There was limited work done on the mound in 1947 by John Griffin , in a salvage cleanup effort of a looters trench. He found a series of fill layers of black muck, various soil types, and caps of red clay, but as the cut was not through the entire mound or located near any structures he could not learn much about its construction sequence or definitive purpose. It

1536-565: Is parking available and restroom facilities onsite. Pets are allowed as long as they are kept on the leash. The park is home to an endangered species of plant, the Trillium reliquum . It was discovered by hikers in February 2010. This species was previously thought to inhabit only parts of Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working to catalog the population. Archaeological site An archaeological site

1600-430: Is the only mound not currently located within the boundaries of the park and remains privately owned. Mound 4 was built between 1250 and 1400. It was started when a layer of white sand was laid down over a previous habitation area and covered with 60 centimetres (2.0 ft) of basket-loaded mound fill and covered with a red-clay cap. It had several more similar construction phases. A series of postholes were discovered at

1664-629: Is the technique of measuring and mapping patterns of magnetism in the soil. It uses an instrument called a magnetometer, which is required to measure and map traces of soil magnetism. The ground penetrating radar is a method that uses radar pulses to image the subsurface. It uses electromagnetic radiation in the microwave band of the radio spectrum and detects the reflected signals from subsurface structures. There are many other tools that can be used to find artifacts, but along with finding artifacts, archaeologists have to make maps. They do so by taking data from surveys, or archival research and plugging it into

1728-544: The Late Lake Jackson II phase , all 7 mounds had been started and most had seen numerous construction episodes. Mound 5 and Mound 6 were possibly finished, and Mounds 2, 3, and 4 were under way but had not had their final stages reached yet. The area to the south and west of Mound 4 and the area between Mounds 2 and 4 continues to be occupied. There is dense occupation north of Mound 2. In the Lake Jackson III phase ,

1792-773: The Southeastern Ceremonial Complex or SECC. Similar artifacts have been found at the Spiro site in Oklahoma, the Moundville site in Alabama and Etowah Mounds in northwestern Georgia. Stylistic analysis has shown that of the three, Lake Jackson had the closest ties with Etowah. The burials found in Mound 3 were ranked into 3 levels: the elite who were buried with the most-elaborate copper items, pearl beads and shark-teeth-adorned clothing,

1856-573: The area, and if they have the money and time for the site, they can start digging. There are many ways to find sites, one example can be through surveys. Surveys involve walking around analyzing the land and looking for artifacts. It can also involve digging, according to the Archaeological Institute of America, "archaeologists actively search areas that were likely to support human populations, or in places where old documents and records indicate people once lived." This helps archaeologists in

1920-573: The areas with numerous artifacts are good targets for future excavation, while areas with a small number of artifacts are thought to reflect a lack of past human activity. Many areas have been discovered by accident. The most common people who have found artifacts are farmers who are plowing their fields or just cleaning them up, and they often find archaeological artifacts. Many people who are out hiking and even pilots find artifacts, and they usually end up reporting them to archaeologists for further investigation. When they find sites, they have to first record

1984-559: The boundary of the park. The large park has areas for such activities as trails for hiking and wooden tables for picnicking . The Lake Jackson Mounds Archaeological State Park is recognized as part of the Native American Heritage Trail under the Florida Division of Historical Resources. There are also two trails available for hiking throughout the park.  The first one is a 0.75 mile interpretive trail that gives

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2048-428: The burial of a site by sediments moved by gravity (called hillwash ) can also happen at sites on slopes. Human activities (both deliberate and incidental) also often bury sites. It is common in many cultures for newer structures to be built atop the remains of older ones. Urban archaeology has developed especially to deal with these sorts of site. Many sites are the subject of ongoing excavation or investigation. Note

2112-644: The central part of the site is occupied more intensively especially around Mound 2 and spreading north. Mounds 4, 5, and 6 are completed before the beginning of the phase, and Mounds 2 and 3 are finished during the phase. After this point at about 1500, the site is virtually abandoned. There is occasional evidence that the site is still visited in the succeeding Velda phase (1500-1633), but very few artifacts or evidence of habitation from this time period have been found. Archaeologists use changes in ceramic styles to determine timelines for sites and entire regions. The ceramics found at Lake Jackson have been reconstructed into

2176-428: The definition and geographical extent of a "site" can vary widely, depending on the period studied and the theoretical approach of the archaeologist. It is almost invariably difficult to delimit a site. It is sometimes taken to indicate a settlement of some sort, although the archaeologist must also define the limits of human activity around the settlement. Any episode of deposition, such as a hoard or burial, can form

2240-499: The destruction of the mound. Seven of the twelve levels that had been the top of the mound had graves dug into them. Graves dug into the other levels may have been lost as the mound was destroyed. The burials were in deep pits, some lined with split logs, but each grave was kept track of as none were dug down into previous graves. Before burial the bodies were wrapped in cloth and an embossed copper plate placed on their chest. They were then wrapped in leather and cane matting and placed into

2304-631: The difference between archaeological sites and archaeological discoveries. Platform mound The indigenous peoples of North America built substructure mounds for well over a thousand years, starting in the Archaic period and continuing through the Woodland period . Many different archaeological cultures ( Poverty Point culture , Troyville culture , Coles Creek culture , Plaquemine culture and Mississippian culture ) of North Americas Eastern Woodlands are specifically well known for using platform mounds as

2368-439: The final layer of the mound, with many grave goods added, such as Mississippian copper plates ( Etowah plates ), monolithic stone axes, ceremonial pottery and carved whelk shell gorgets . Also interred in this mound was a paired set of white marble Mississippian stone statues . A long-standing interpretation of Mississippian mounds comes from Vernon James Knight , who stated that the Mississippian platform mounds were one of

2432-482: The following sequences using these ceramic markers. appendages In the center of the complex is Mound 2, the largest and the best-preserved mound at the site, it measures 36 ft high and 272 ft by 312 ft at the base (11 m × 83 m × 95 m). Like all of the mounds at the site where an original shape can be determined, it is a simple truncated-pyramidal platform mound . Very little excavation has taken place at this mound, so not much

2496-420: The future. In case there is no time or money during the site's discovery, archaeologists can come back and visit the site for further digging to find out the extent of the site. Archaeologist can also sample randomly within a given area of land as another form of conducting surveys. Surveys are very useful, according to Jess Beck, "it can tell you where people were living at different points in the past." Geophysics

2560-565: The life of a site. The large amounts of fill needed for the mounds left large holes in the landscape now known by archaeologists as " borrow pits ". These pits were sometimes left to fill with water and stocked with fish. Some mounds were developed with separate levels (or terraces) and aprons, such as Emerald Mound , which is one large terrace with two smaller mounds on its summit; or Monks Mound , which has four separate levels and stands close to 100 feet (30 m) in height. Monks Mound had at least ten separate periods of mound construction over

2624-442: The locations of Mounds 3 and 4, as well as areas north of Mounds 2 and 4. Mound 5 was begun and Mound 2 was started during this time. Mounds 3, 4, and 6 were probably not yet started. No evidence exists for occupation in the vicinity of Mound 6. A small area around Mound 5 continued to be occupied during early Lake Jackson II. The areas north of Mound 4 and between Mounds 2 and 4 show evidence of dense occupation during this time. During

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2688-418: The middle rank who were interred with stone axes or shell/bead necklaces, and the low-ranked who did not have any high-status grave goods. The iconography of the items also slowly changes with time, growing more complex and numerous and thought by archaeologists to be evidence of influences from other elite polities and the development of a full-fledged local warrior class. At least ten of the burials unearthed at

2752-584: The mound were of "elite war leaders". The most elaborate embossed copper plate found in Mound C greatly resembles the two Rogan plates found in Mound C at the Etowah Site. The three plates are in the Classic Braden style associated with Cahokia, and it is generally thought that the plates were manufactured there before ending up at sites in the Southeast. The Lake Jackson plate depicts a winged dancing figure holding

2816-586: The mounds are laid out to reflect this alignment, although it is unclear if this is symbolic or merely the result of the lake arm's orientation. During the Lake Jackson I phase the site consisted of small village possibly with the beginnings of Mound 2 started. During the Early Lake Jackson II phase the population and the habitation areas of the site expanded greatly. Many of the areas that would later become mounds were village areas at this time, including

2880-532: The mounds were the result of multiple episodes of mound construction, with the mound becoming larger with each event. The site of a mound was usually a site with special significance, either a pre-existing mortuary site or civic structure. This site was covered with a layer of basket-transported soil and clay known as mound fill, and a new structure constructed on its summit. At periodic intervals, averaged about twenty years, these structures would be removed, possibly ritually destroyed as part of renewal ceremonies, and

2944-471: The north. The mounds were the result of skilled planning, knowledge of soils and organization of numerous laborers over the period of many years. The ceremonial plaza was a large flat area, constructed and leveled for this purpose, where ritual games and gatherings took place. The area around the mounds and plaza had several areas of heavy village habitation with individual residences, where artisans and workers lived. There were also communal agricultural fields in

3008-606: The park for many years. Any artifacts recovered during these excavations are property of the Florida Division of Historic Resources. They are housed in a storage facility that meets the requirements for curating artifacts under the 36 CFR Part 79 under the Code of Federal Regulations for Section 106 compliance. Artifacts recovered from various excavations at the park include pottery sherds, shells, flint and other stone tool fragments, burial objects made of copper, mica, and other materials. Vegetative artifacts were also located. Admission to

3072-548: The park is located in northern Tallahassee , on the south shore of Lake Jackson . The complex has been managed as a Florida State Park since 1966. On May 6, 1971, the site was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places as reference number 71000241. The site was built and occupied between 1000 and 1500 by people of the Fort Walton culture , the southernmost expression of the Mississippian culture . The scale of

3136-428: The park is low, costing $ 3 per vehicle and is collected using the honor system. Pedestrians and visitors on bikes are charged only $ 2. The park is open for visiting from 8:00am until sunset every day. There are many different activities available at the park, including birding, hiking, picnicking, and wildlife viewing. Guided tours are available and must be booked two weeks in advance for groups up to 50 visitors. There

3200-407: The prepared pit graves and split logs placed over them. This entire procedure of wrapping the body is reminiscent of " bundling ", a practice used for sacred objects which has a long history among Native North Americans. A selection of other grave goods have been found wrapped in the bundles. In the sequence from lower to higher levels (oldest to more recent), the grave goods became more elaborate. In

3264-465: The presence of both artifacts and features . Common features include the remains of hearths and houses. Ecofacts , biological materials (such as bones, scales, and even feces) that are the result of human activity but are not deliberately modified, are also common at many archaeological sites. In the cases of the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic eras, a mere scatter of flint flakes will also constitute

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3328-421: The residents as the historic Muskogean -speaking Apalachee people. Other related Fort Walton sites are located at Velda Mound (also a park), Cayson Mound and Village Site and Yon Mound and Village Site . When the site was abandoned it was a large complex (19.0 hectares or 47 acres) that included seven platform mounds , six arranged near a plaza and a seventh (Mound 1) located 250 metres (820 ft) to

3392-588: The site and the number and size of the mounds indicate that this was the site of a regional chiefdom , and was thus a political and religious center. After the abandonment of the Lake Jackson site the chiefdom seat was moved to Anhaica (rediscovered in 1987 by B. Calvin Jones and located within DeSoto Site Historic State Park ), where in 1539 it was visited by the Hernando de Soto entrada, who knew

3456-487: The summit by John Griffin in 1947, but due to time constraints with the work season he could not proceed any further. Mound 5, the smallest mound at the site, went through at least two phases of mound construction. It was built over a former village area but did not receive a coat of white sand before mound construction as did Mound 4. It seems to have been abandoned sometime during the Late Lake Jackson phase. Mound 6

3520-440: The summit measured 7.3 by 9.3 metres (24 by 31 ft) and was aligned in a north–south axis just like the mound itself. This rectangular structure is unusual for Apalachee architecture, as most of their structures were round in shape. Archaeologists theorize this may be because of outside influences from other Mississippian centers where rectangular structures are common. The period burning, new fill layer, cap, and structure cycle

3584-472: The surrounding countryside, where the people cultivated maize in the rich local soil, the major reason such a dense population and large site were possible. Only a few of the mounds in the park have been systematically excavated by archaeologists . The site itself is oriented on an east–west axis, oriented perpendicular to the north–south axis of the Meginnis Arm, a nearby extension of Lake Jackson. All of

3648-537: The three "sacra", or objects of sacred display, of the Mississippian religion – also see Earth/fertility cult and Southeastern Ceremonial Complex . He based his theory on analogy to ethnographic and historic data on related Native American tribal groups in the Southeastern United States. Knight suggests a microcosmic ritual organization based around a "native earth" autochthony , agriculture, fertility, and purification scheme, in which mounds and

3712-422: The upper levels, the grave goods included many objects made of copper , beads made of shell and pearl , and pipes associated with ritual use of tobacco . Although most of the burials were of elite men, the graves included one woman (buried with the most elaborate falcon dancer copper plate) and a child of about eleven years of age, probably of the elite class. One of the bodies had been cremated . The bones of

3776-556: The whelk shells from the Gulf Coast for the making of shell gorgets and ritual drinking cups and the Lake Jackson elites valued the prestigious Etowah plates and other copper objects. This monopoly on the shell trade by the Etowahans lasted until the fall of the chiefdom in about 1375, after which the elite status goods used in burials in Mound 3 come from other locations, mostly the northern Georgia and eastern Tennessee area. In May 1966,

3840-399: Was a village midden showing residential occupation at this spot before the construction of the mound began. The first activity other than village occupation is a leveling of the location and pit dug and filled with 35 stone projectile points and burned organic material. This is covered over with a layer of clay and structure erected. This building may have been used for feasting rituals. After

3904-548: Was also built on top of an earlier habitation area, and was also given a layer of light-colored sand before the mound was started. Several layers were added over the years and evidence for habitations structures was found on the successive summits. Artifacts found in the mound date to 1250 to 1400, during the Late Lake Jackson II phase. Mound 7 has never been excavated and has almost nothing known about it. Its seriously degraded shape does not even permit its identification as

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3968-561: Was altered in historic times) running through it. Excavations have shown that a clean area between Mounds 2 and 4 was a plaza, but not enough work has been done at the rest of the site to confirm the larger dimension suggested by the first arrangement or the existence of a plaza at the second arrangement at all. Artifacts found at the Lake Jackson site include plain and repoussé copper plates , copper headdress badges, engraved shell gorgets , pearl beads, copper axes, and stone and ceramic pipes. Many of these pieces had motifs representative of

4032-465: Was most likely the first mound started at the site, early in Fort Jackson's history. If it is similar to mounds at other sites, then it was the house platform of the ruler of the site, who was also possibly a paramount chief over many other sites. Located 50 metres (160 ft) across a plaza to the south of Mound 2 is Mound 3, the third-largest and third-tallest mound at the site. Mound 3 was used as

4096-479: Was repeated twelve times in the 250-year lifespan of the mound. Based on studies at Cahokia (a very large mound center in Illinois) and other Mississippian culture sites, scholars believe that structures were destroyed and the mounds "renewed" with new higher layers of fill and new colored clay caps. The time span in between renewals at many sites suggests the average lifespan of a ruler and their death and replacement by

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