Near Oakville in Lawrence County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)
Copena Burial Mound
Photographed By Sandra Hughes, August 8, 2009
1. Copena Burial Mound Marker
Inscription.
Copena Burial Mound. . Copena Indians built this mound with baskets of dirt some 2000 years ago. The Copena name was derived from their use of copper and galena (lead ore) found in their burials along with gorgets and celts. The mounds were a burial site with the dead encased in a plaster of clay covered with layers of soil. The many burial mounds within a few miles are evidence of an extensive cultural center. The perennial springs and fertile lands encircled by West Flint Creek contributed to a large population. The Copena society flourished here for hundreds of years and they raised a variety of domesticated crops. Some 17 miles north of here the Tennessee River provided an inexhaustible food supply of fresh water mussels. In the mid 1800's settlers were buried on the mounds under false stone crypts. In 1924, Smithsonian archaeologists noted three other burial mounds in the areas that were being leveled by farmers.
Copena Indians built this mound with baskets of dirt some 2000 years ago. The Copena name was derived from their use of copper and galena (lead ore) found in their burials along with gorgets and celts. The mounds were a burial site with the dead encased in a plaster of clay covered with layers of soil. The many burial mounds within a few miles are evidence of an extensive cultural center. The perennial springs and fertile lands encircled by West Flint Creek contributed to a large population. The Copena society flourished here for hundreds of years and they raised a variety of domesticated crops. Some 17 miles north of here the Tennessee River provided an inexhaustible food supply of fresh water mussels. In the mid 1800's settlers were buried on the mounds under false stone crypts. In 1924, Smithsonian archaeologists noted three other burial mounds in the areas that were being leveled by farmers.
Erected by Lawrence County Historical Commission Inc.
Location. 34° 26.735′ N, 87° 10.724′ W. Marker is near Oakville, Alabama, in Lawrence County. Marker is
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on County Route 187. Located inside Oakville Park near Copean Indian mound in a clump of trees, same side of road as mound. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Danville AL 35619, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on August 27, 2021. It was originally submitted on March 4, 2010, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. This page has been viewed 2,592 times since then and 87 times this year. Last updated on June 12, 2015, by J. Makali Bruton of Accra, Ghana. Photos:1, 2. submitted on March 4, 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.
