The time frame from 200 BCE - 600 CE, in North American history, is known as the Middle Woodland Period. During this large span of time prehistoric native cultures began to move farther from the coasts of the continent, settle in ever larger communities, and established a far-reaching trade network. Also during this period the native inhabitants began building huge geometric earthworks as well as earthen mounds of all sizes. Thousands upon thousands of these structures were constructed during this period, across what is now the eastern United States. Primarily used for religous or ceremonial purposes, a large proportion of mounds have been found to contain elaborate tombs as well. Another unique attribute of these ancient mounds is that rarely were they part of any one neighboring community. It has been determined that many were built in numerous stages, by tribes from all over the regions which surround them. Pinson Mounds, in western Tennessee, was just such a place. Containing over a dozen mounds, along with earthworks and living platforms...ancient artifacts from as far away as south Georgia, Mobile Bay and Louisiana have been found at the site. In its time the Pinson Complex must have been a wonder to behold...even today though, it still has the power to amaze.

The first European to "discover" the site was a land speculator named Joel Pinson, whose name had been given the complex by 1820. Still, it was nearly another century before any academic interest was given the complex. Finally, in 1916, the Smithsonian Institution sent an archaeologist named William E. Meyer to study it. Meyer soon produced the first detailed maps of the site. From the 1960's until the 1990's the Pinson Mound Complex was the site of numerous excavations and studies. In 1974 it was permanently protected by Tennessee's legislature as Pinson Mounds Archaeological State Park. Today the park contains over 1,200 acres of protected land, over 6-miles of trails, and a 4,500-squre foot museum/visitor center constructed to replicate an ancient platform mound. It's an amazing piece of preserved history and one, it seems, should recieve far more attention than it does.

--------------------------------------------------------

The following are the historic features visible to the public (in order of appearance in the album):

Mound 11 Sector (habitation site)

Sauls Mound ( 72 feet; 1-300 CE )

Mound 12 ( 4.5 feet; 400-500 CE )

Mound 14 Sector (wall trench house site)

Mound 15 ( 4 feet; 1-300 CE )

Barrow Pit (ancient dig site)

Mound 10 ( 4.5 feet; 200 CE )

Mound 17 ( 6 feet )

Geometric Enclosure ( 1,200' diameter; 16.5 acres )

Mound 29 ( 12 feet; 1-300 CE )

Mound 30 ( 3.5 feet; 1-300 CE )

Mound 28 ( 13.5 feet; 1-300 CE )

Mound 31 ( 3 feet; 300-400 CE )

Twin Mounds ( 23 feet & 26 feet; 100-200 CE )

Ozier Mound ( 33 feet; 100 BCE-100 CE )

"WE WILL BE KNOWN FOREVER BY THE TRACKS WE LEAVE"

- Dakota Sioux proverb

Pinson Mounds State Archaeological Park (TN)

Pinson Mounds Trail Map
This is the official map of Pinson Mounds distributed by Tennessee State Parks...trails as well as all major features at the site are shown...
Pinson Mounds State Archaeological Park
The entrance to the Pinson Mounds site, located about 20-miles south of I-40 at Jackson, Tennessee...
Pinson Mounds Visitor Center & Museum
The Pinson Mounds Museum is one of the most unique I've seen. It's designed to replicate form of a typical native mound. I knew immediately this was going to be a great park...the thought put into this design meant it had to be...
Pinson Mounds Visitor Center & Museum
Can't say I've ever seen one of these signs before :)
Pinson Mounds Visitor Center & Museum
The interior of the museum is quite large, containing numerous artifacts, tons of info on the site, and a small theater...
Pinson Mounds Visitor Center & Museum
This is the view departing the visitor center into the acrchaeological site. Straight ahead, immediately grabbing your attention, is the 73' Sauls Mound. The following picture (Mound 11 Sector) was taken to the left as I exited the tunnel...
Mound 11 Sector
"In 1916, Smithsonian Archaeologist William Meyer designated this area as Mound 11. Archaeological investigations in 1978 revealed that this is not an earthern mound, but a natural rise that was utilized as a habitation area during the occupation of the Pinson Mounds complex." - Site Interpretive Sign
Sauls Mound
Rising 72', Sauls Mound is the highest Middle Woodland mound in the United States...and second highest of any in the country. This is the view approaching the mound from the museum. You can see the observation platform, atop the mound also. It's reached by a steep set of stairs that you'll see in a few pics...
Sauls Mound (north face)
Height: 72 feet
Base: approx. 370' by 300'
Constructed: 1-300 CE

"Sauls Mound is the central mound of the Pinson Complex. This ceremonial mound is 72 feet tall and has four corners that point to the cardinal directions - north, south, east and west. One hypothesis suggests that the top of this mound was the observation point for observing the Summer Solstice and Equinox sunrises." - Site Interpretive Sign
Sauls Mound & Visitor Center
Viewing Sauls Mound from the east with the museum visible opposite...
Sauls Mound (east face)
Height: 72 feet
Base: approx. 370' by 300'
Constructed: 1-300 CE

"Sauls Mound is the central mound of the Pinson Complex. This ceremonial mound is 72 feet tall and has four corners that point to the cardinal directions - north, south, east and west. One hypothesis suggests that the top of this mound was the observation point for observing the Summer Solstice and Equinox sunrises." - Site Interpretive Sign
Sauls Mound
A steep winding staircase leads up the south face of the mound to an observation platform atop it. Please respect the site if you visit by staying on the stairway...
Sauls Mound
Height: 72 feet
Base: approx. 370' by 300'
Constructed: 1-300 CE

"Sauls Mound got its name from a previous owner of the site (John Sauls) and is easily the most visually impressive earthwork at Pinson Mounds. The mound was built in a series of construction stages, beginning about 2,000-years ago, by dumping and compacting basket load after basket load of soil. The base of the mound is rectagular with each corner aligned with a cardinal direction. It is hard to imagine the tremendous effort and thousands of hours of labor that were required to construct this earthwork." - Site Interpretive Sign
Sauls Mound
The view looking north from atop Sauls Mound. That's the park museum across the field...
Sauls Mound
The view looking east from atop Sauls Mound. The Eastern Citadel is located in this direction (not visible)...
Sauls Mound
The view looking west from atop Sauls Mound. Ozier Mound is located in this direction (not visible)...
Sauls Mound
Another view looking north and northeast. Unseen beyond the fields on the right is Mound 28, a large mound marking the northeast corner of the complex...
Sauls Mound
The view looking south from atop Sauls Mound. The Barrow Pit, where the soil to create Sauls Mound was excavated, lies just beyond the nearest treeline...
Sauls Mound (west face)
Height: 72 feet
Base: approx. 370' by 300'
Constructed: 1-300 CE

"Sauls Mound got its name from a previous owner of the site (John Sauls) and is easily the most visually impressive earthwork at Pinson Mounds. The mound was built in a series of construction stages, beginning about 2,000-years ago, by dumping and compacting basket load after basket load of soil. The base of the mound is rectagular with each corner aligned with a cardinal direction. It is hard to imagine the tremendous effort and thousands of hours of labor that were required to construct this earthwork." - Site Interpretive Sign
Mound 12
Height: 4.5 feet
Base: 75' by 55'
Constructed: 400-500 CE

"Archaeological investigations on Mound 12 in 1975 revealed this mound was built upon a natural rise that was occupied during the early Woodland Period (ca. 800-200 BCE), prior to the major mound building at this site. Archaeologists found the primary function of the mound near the base where a multi-layered clay platform was constructed, which contained a crematory pit and associated cremations. Wood charcoal recovered from the crematory pit revealed radiocarbon dates of 460 CE, indicating its construction near the end of the Middle Woodland Period." - Site Interpretive Sign
Outer Loop
The path as it heads toward the south end of the Central Mound Group, between Mounds 12 & 15...
Mound 14 Sector
A Mississippian Wall Trench House
Base: 21' by 17'
Constructed: 1000 CE

"Archaeological investigations in this area revealed a rectangular structure known as a Wall Trench House, typically build during the Mississippian period. This house probably represented a year-round farm for one family, though 2 or 3 other homes may have been nearby. Mississippian houses were basically rectagular. The walls of this house were made by placing large posts in a narrow trench, weaving reeds between the posts, and plastering the whole house with wet clay and mud." - Site Interpretive Sign
Mound 15 (west face)
Height: ~4 feet
Base: ~150' by ~165'
Constructed: 1-300 CE

"The eastern half of this rectangular platform mound has been severely damaged by plowing and erosion, but the western portion is largely intact. No archaeological excavations have been conducted on Mound 15, but tests with a soil auger suggest it was built as a single construction event; no evidence of sand-covered summits such as those observed on Mounds 5 and 29 were found." - Site Interpretive Sign
Mound 15 (summit platform)
Height: ~4 feet
Base: ~150' by ~165'
Constructed: 1-300 CE

"The eastern half of this rectangular platform mound has been severely damaged by plowing and erosion, but the western portion is largely intact. No archaeological excavations have been conducted on Mound 15, but tests with a soil auger suggest it was built as a single construction event; no evidence of sand-covered summits such as those observed on Mounds 5 and 29 were found." - Site Interpretive Sign
The Barrow Pit
"In the middle of this field can be seen a large depression. The dirt from here was probably used to build Sauls Mound. We know the Native Americans carefully layered some of the mounds with different colors of soil, sand and clay. These colors and different materials had religious and ceremonial meaning to the Native Americans though we will never know exactly what the layers meant." - Site Interpretive Sign
The Barrow Pit
"In the middle of this field can be seen a large depression. The dirt from here was probably used to build Sauls Mound. We know the Native Americans carefully layered some of the mounds with different colors of soil, sand and clay. These colors and different materials had religious and ceremonial meaning to the Native Americans though we will never know exactly what the layers meant." - Site Interpretive Sign
The Barrow Pit & Sauls Mound
"The Native Americans did not have metal shovels or picks to dig the dirt. Instead, they probably used deer scapulae (the shoulder blade) to scrape the dirt into woven baskets. They carried the baskets to the mound dumping the contents one after another. The dirt required to build Sauls Mound would fill a line of average-sized dump trucks stretching over 26 miles!" - Site Interpretive Sign
Mound 10 (south face)
Height: 4.5 feet
Base: 200' by 131'
Constructed: 200 CE

"In 1982, archaeological investigations of Mound 10 indicated that this was a platform or ceremonial mound. A central hearth was found atop the original surface, which provided charcoal for a radiocarbon date of about 200 CE." - Site Interpretive Sign
Mound 10 (east face)
Height: 4.5 feet
Base: 200' by 131'
Constructed: 200 CE

"In 1982, archaeological investigations of Mound 10 indicated that this was a platform or ceremonial mound. A central hearth was found atop the original surface, which provided charcoal for a radiocarbon date of about 200 CE." - Site Interpretive Sign
Mound 17
Height: ~6 feet
Base: ~36' by ??'
Constructed: ?? CE

The elusive Mound 17 is, I believe, somewhere in this shot. Though marked on the park map there was no signage at the spot as with all the other mounds. If anyone has more info I'd love to learn what this mystery mound was all about...
Outer Loop
The Outer Loop heading east towards the Eastern Citadel from Mound 10...
Outer Loop
The path, still heading east, nearing the junctions with the spur trail out to the Eastern Citadel area...
Eastern Citadel Path
The side path to the Eastern Citadel...which includes the Geometric Enclosure, Mound 29 and Mound 30...
Eastern Citadel Path/Earthworks Trail Junction
The route makes a hard left barely a hundred yards in. A clearly unnatural berm rises straight ahead and extends through the woods to the right and left of here. This is the Geometric (or, Circular) Enclosure of which I'll explain some in a moment...
Geometric Enclosure
Dimensions: 1,200' diameter
Enclosed Area: 16.5 acres
Height of Wall: 5'

"In 1916 (William) Meyer called this area the 'Eastern Citadel.' It is made up of a great circle that contains Mound 29 and, then, Mound 30 just beyond. Recent research has helped to show that the roughly circular enclosure at Pinson is much like mound walls in a circular form found at other Middle Woodland ceremonial sites in the eastern United States. These enclosures were not built for defense but rather as a means to define a sacred space. The 1,200-foot diameter geometric enclosure is still clearly visible, although parts of the enclosure have been lost to erosion." - Site Interpretive Sign
Geometric Enclosure
Dimensions: 1,200' diameter
Enclosed Area: 16.5 acres
Height of Wall: 5'

"This earthen geometric enclosure is 1,200-feet in diameter. Archaeologists have suggested that this earthen enclosure defined sacred space, where various rituals or ceremonies took place. Notice the enclosure is not built on level ground, the eastern wall is about 40 feet higher in elevation than the western wall. One hypothesis suggests the Native Americans built the embankment wall around this drainage system to create a water catchment." - Site Interpretive Sign
Geometric Enclosure / Eastern Citadel
Dimensions: 1,200' diameter
Enclosed Area: 16.5 acres
Height of Wall: 5'

"In 1916 (William) Meyer called this area the 'Eastern Citadel.' It is made up of a great circle that contains Mound 29 and, then, Mound 30 just beyond. Recent research has helped to show that the roughly circular enclosure at Pinson is much like mound walls in a circular form found at other Middle Woodland ceremonial sites in the eastern United States. These enclosures were not built for defense but rather as a means to define a sacred space. The 1,200-foot diameter geometric enclosure is still clearly visible, although parts of the enclosure have been lost to erosion. Mound 29 is visible near the southeastern corner of the enclosure." - Site Interpretive Sign
Mound 29 (Eastern Citadel)
Height: 12 feet
Base: ~160' by 170'
Constructed: 1-300 CE

"Like Mound 28 to the north, this large ceremonial mound is located approximately 3,300-feet from the centrally located Sauls Mound. The Solar Calendar hypothesis suggests that this mound may have been built in this specific location to mark the Equinox sunrises (March 21 and September 21), as viewed from Sauls Mound." - Site Interpretive Sign
Mound 30 (Eastern Citadel)
Height: 3.5 feet
Diameter: ~80'
Constructed: 1-300 CE

"Located just outside the geometric enclosure, this small earthwork may be a burial mound. Test excavations in 1988 revealed a complex series of soil zones, but also suggests that the mound was built as part of a single, continuous process. The somewhat irregular shape of Mound 30 has led some to speculate that this earthwork represents a 'bird effigy.' While the 1988 test excavations did not disprove this possibility, it now appears that erosion is largely responsible for the present shape of the mound." - Site Interpretive Sign
Mound 30 (Eastern Citadel)
Height: 3.5 feet
Diameter: ~80'
Constructed: 1-300 CE

"Located just outside the geometric enclosure, this small earthwork may be a burial mound. Test excavations in 1988 revealed a complex series of soil zones, but also suggests that the mound was built as part of a single, continuous process. The somewhat irregular shape of Mound 30 has led some to speculate that this earthwork represents a 'bird effigy.' While the 1988 test excavations did not disprove this possibility, it now appears that erosion is largely responsible for the present shape of the mound." - Site Interpretive Sign
The Geometric Enclosure
Returning along the path out to the Eastern Citadel. Note the obvious rise to the left which is a part of the geometric enclosure...
The Geometric Enclosure
One of the highest visible sections of the geometric enclosure seen from the trail...
Mound 28
Height: 13.5 feet
Base: ~205' by 215'
Constructed: 1-300 CE

"The third largest mound in the Pinson Mounds complex, Mound 28 seems to mark the northeast 'corner' of the site. This earthwork and Mound 29 (located within the geometric enclosure to the south) are both situated approximately 3,300-feet from centrally located Sauls Mound. One hypothesis suggests that these mounds were built to mark the Summer Solstice (Mound 28) and the Equinox sunrises (Mound 29), as viewed from Sauls Mound." - Site Interpretive Sign
Mound 28
Height: 13.5 feet
Base: ~205' by 215'
Constructed: 1-300 CE

"Mound 28 is a very large, low platform mound that lies near the line of the Summer Solstice sunrise as viewed from atop Sauls Mound. While not the tallest mound in the Pinson complex, Mound 28 has a tremendous volume of earth fill and a very large 'foot-print' on the ground. There have been no excavations at Mound 28 and this still limits our knowledge of the internal construction sequence of this earthwork." - Site Interpretive Sign
Pinson Mounds Picnic Area
Walking back towards the museum along the northern portion of the Outer Loop the path passes through a nice little picnic area...
Outer Loop
The crest of Sauls Mound just barely pokes its head above the trees in this view from the Outer Loop, just west of the picnic area...
Outer Loop
Another shot looking across the huge field which the Outer Loop encircles...
Sauls Mound
Arriving back at the museum, with Sauls Mound once again dominating its surroundings...