Near Oakville in Lawrence County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)

Oakville Indian Mound

Photographed by Sandra Hughes, August 8, 2009

1. Oakville Indian Mound Marker

Inscription. Rising 27 feet high, this is the largest woodland mound in Alabama, with a base covering 1.8 acres and a flat top of over one acre. Built by prehistoric Copena Indians, the mound is 2,000 years old and constructed from earth probably carried one basket at a time from the Oakville pond area, 300 yards to the east. The Copena, named for their use of copper and galena, were prolific mound builders, as shown by the remains of over 20 mounds in the surrounding area. They were primarily farmers and hunter~gatherers who engaged in ritual burials, with the dead often encased in a putty mixture of clay, ash and crushed shells. They were great traders in conch shells, marble, greenstone, copper and galena, all of which were found as mortuary offerings during the 1924 Smithsonian excavation of the Alexander Mound four miles to the southwest. Although the Oakville mound has never been excavated, it was the center of the Copena society of the Moulton Valley and was used for ceremonial, religious, social and cultural purposes.

Erected by Lawrence County Historical Commission Inc.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

this topic list: Indigenous Peoples and Communities. A significant historical year for this entry is 1924.

Location. 34° 26.529′ N, 87° 10.717′ W. Marker is near Oakville, Alabama, in Lawrence County. It is on County Road 187. Located inside Oakville Indian Mound Park at foot of Indian Mound near steps. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1219 Co Rd 187, Danville AL 35619, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in North Alabama.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

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 Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Creek Indian Removal (a few steps from this marker); Cherokee Indian Removal (a few steps from this marker); Streight's Raid (about 300 feet away, measured in

Oakville Indian Mound, Cherokee Indian Removal, Creek Indian Removal image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sandra Hughes, August 8, 2009

2. Oakville Indian Mound, Cherokee Indian Removal, Creek Indian Removal

Oakville Indian Mound (middle) Creek Indian Removal (left) Cherokee Indian Removal (right)

a direct line); Cherokee Council House Museum (about 700 feet away); Doublehead (about 700 feet away); Town of Oakville (approx. 0.2 miles away); Historic Indians (approx. ¼ mile away); Copena Burial Mound (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Oakville.

Also see . . . Oakville, Alabama - Wikipedia. (Submitted on March 5, 2010, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA.)

Oakville Indian Mound Marker on right by stairs up the mound. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, August 27, 2021

3. Oakville Indian Mound Marker on right by stairs up the mound.

Credits. This page was last revised on March 19, 2025. It was originally submitted on March 4, 2010, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. This page has been viewed 2,598 times since then and 52 times this year. Last updated on June 12, 2015, by J. Makali Bruton of Washington, District of Columbia. Photos: 1. submitted on March 4, 2010, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. 2. submitted on September 21, 2010, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. 3. submitted on August 27, 2021, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.