Near Mount Gilead in Montgomery County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Preservation and the Archaeological Record

Photographed by Paul Jordan, September 3, 2010

1. Preservation and the Archaeological Record Marker

Inscription. Organic materials, including the human body, decompose when buried in the ground. Clothing made of animal skins or hides does not survive after many years of burial. Likewise, most pigments used to paint the body do not survive. Foodstuffs placed in ceramic pots, gourd containers, or shell cups, also disappear except for microscopic or chemical evidence. Therefore while archaeologists are extremely careful to recover all traces of organic materials, interpretation of these burial practices is based largely on tradition and historical research.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Anthropology & Archaeology.

Location. 35° 10.974′ N, 79° 55.759′ W. Marker is near Mount Gilead, North Carolina, in Montgomery County. It can be reached from Town Creek Mound Road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 509 Town Creek Mound Road, Mount Gilead NC 27306, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in North Carolina’s Piedmont.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Burial Huts at Town Creek (a few steps from this marker); Town Creek Indian Mound (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Town Creek Indian Mound Prairie Reconstruction (about 500 feet away); Town Creek (approx. 4.6 miles away); Haywood Motor Company

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(approx. 4.6 miles away); McAulay Bros. Store (approx. 4.7 miles away); Ingram McAulay Hardware & Furniture (approx. 4.7 miles away); Ross & Ingram Grocery (approx. 4.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Mount Gilead.

More about this marker. Marker is on the exit door to the burial hut.

Photographed by Paul Jordan, September 3, 2010

2. Preservation and the Archaeological Record Marker

The marker is located on the exit door of the burial hut.

The Burial Mound at Town Creek image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Paul Jordan, September 3, 2010

3. The Burial Mound at Town Creek

The Gate to the Burial Mound image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Paul Jordan, September 3, 2010

4. The Gate to the Burial Mound

Town Creek Indian Mound image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Paul Jordan, September 3, 2010

5. Town Creek Indian Mound

The sign at the entrance

Credits. This page was last revised on March 9, 2021. It was originally submitted on October 24, 2010, by Paul Jordan of Burlington, N. C., U. S. A.. This page has been viewed 833 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on October 24, 2010, by Paul Jordan of Burlington, N. C., U. S. A.. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.