North Capitol in Nashville in Davidson County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)
Platform Mound
Prehistory
Photographed By Darren Jefferson Clay, May 22, 2021
1. Platform Mound Marker
On the west bank of the Cumberland River, beneath the nearby Jefferson Street Bridge, a large, flat-topped earthen mound once stood as the platform that supported significant ceremonial and domestic buildings associated with the Mississippian town that existed in the area. When antiquarian Ralph Earl, a renowned portrait painter and friend of Andrew Jackson who lived in Nashville between 1817 and 1827, excavated the site in 1821, the mound was 10 feet tall by 30 yards in diameter. Earl detected multiple construction periods in the building of the mound by Mississippian architects.
By the end of the Civil War, little evidence of the mound existed. The dirt that once formed the structure was displaced, possibly used as fill for the area's lowland terrain. In 1992, however, the Jefferson Street Bridge was replaced. Archaeologists unearthed a building that may have at one time existed on the summit of a mound that predates Earl’s discovery. Large ramped post poles were excavated with caches of dedicatory pots used for religious ceremonies at the base of the building.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Anthropology & Archaeology • Native Americans • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1817.
Location. 36° 10.351′ N, 86° 47.028′
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Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Salt Industry (here, next to this marker); Buried City (here, next to this marker); Mineral Water (here, next to this marker); Ice Age Elephant (here, next to this marker); End of an Era (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Baseball Returns (about 400 feet away); The Nashville Vols (about 500 feet away); The Negro Leagues (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Nashville.
Photographed By Darren Jefferson Clay, May 22, 2021
2. Platform Mound Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on May 24, 2021, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. This page has been viewed 220 times since then and 34 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 24, 2021, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
