Moundville in Hale County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)

Moundville Archaeological Park

Alabama Indigenous Mound Trail

Photographed by Mark Hilton, January 19, 2020

1. Moundville Archaeological Park Marker

Inscription.
I do not think in the Southern States there is a group of Mounds to compare to Moundville, in the arrangement and state of preservation of the mounds.
- Clarence B. Moore, amateur archaeologist, 1910

Spanning more than 300 acres, Moundville Archaeological Park preserves the largest indigenous mound complex in the Southeast and the remains of a civilization that dominated most of present-day Alabama between AD 1120 and AD 1650.

Aside from its twenty-nine mounds arranged around an open plaza, archaeological deposits have revealed the rich ceremonial, social, and political lives of the city's inhabitants. The remains of houses, ceremonial and civic buildings, heaps of accumulated trash, a mile-long bastioned palisade, leveled plazas, and the footprints of still other mounds are present within the Park.

For nearly two hundred years, Moundville and its surrounding population of 5,000 was unmatched in size by any other North American indigenous settlement, and its influence was felt throughout the region. Moundville's skilled craftspeople produced religious and political objects according to a well-defined artistic system. Archaeologists have discovered unique art objects originating from Moundville at other major mound centers throughout the Southeast, indicating that those peoples cultivated relationships with the people of Moundville.

This site is very important to numerous Southeastern indigenous tribes who assert an ancestral connection with those who built and occupied Alabama’s ancient mounds. The earthwork landscapes and the objects and information recovered from them reveal a rich cultural tradition that still thrives today among these tribes. Our indigenous mound sites represent a heritage for all Alabamians to cherish, and it is important that we protect and preserve them for future generations.

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Erected 2019

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by Moundville Archaeological Park, Alabama Historical Commission, the University of Alabama Center for Economic Development, the University of Alabama Museums.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Anthropology & Archaeology • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Parks & Recreational Areas • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Alabama Historical Commission, and the National Historic Landmarks series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1910.

Location. 33° 0.165′ N, 87° 37.689′ W. Marker is in Moundville, Alabama, in Hale County. It is on Mound Parkway 0.6 miles west of Alabama Route 69, on the right when traveling west. Located right next to the Admissions building. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 634 Mound State Parkway, Moundville AL 35474, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

and in the Black Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Moundville Archaeological Park Marker at the Admissions building. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, January 19, 2020

2. Moundville Archaeological Park Marker at the Admissions building.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: A different marker also named Moundville Archaeological Park (within shouting distance of this marker); Politics and Power (approx. 0.3 miles away); Mound B (approx. 0.4 miles away); a different marker also named Politics and Power (approx. 0.4 miles away); Earthlodge (approx. 0.4 miles away); Mound Arrangement (approx. 0.4 miles away); A Perspective of Power (approx. 0.4 miles away); The CCC and Moundville (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Moundville.

More about this marker. There is a fee charged for entry to the park.

Also see . . . Wikipedia article on the Moundville Archaeological Park. (Submitted on January 19, 2020, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)

View from marker towards some of the 29 mounds. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, January 19, 2020

3. View from marker towards some of the 29 mounds.

Entrance sign at Highway 69. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, January 19, 2020

4. Entrance sign at Highway 69.

The Moundville Site is a National Historic Landmark (1965). image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, January 19, 2020

5. The Moundville Site is a National Historic Landmark (1965).

An exhibit located in the Jones Archaeological Museum. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, January 19, 2020

6. An exhibit located in the Jones Archaeological Museum.

Part of the “Lost Realm of the Black Warrior” exhibit featuring more than 200 ancient artifacts, and recreated scenes with life-like figures.

The Rulers of Moundville exhibit located in the Jones Archaeological Museum. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, January 19, 2020

7. The Rulers of Moundville exhibit located in the Jones Archaeological Museum.

Park entrance fee covers the museum.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 1, 2020. It was originally submitted on January 19, 2020, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 589 times since then and 37 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on January 19, 2020, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. 6, 7. submitted on January 20, 2020, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.