Oakville, Alabama
Encyclopedia
Oakville is a small community located in the southeast corner of Lawrence County, Alabama
. The community is unincorporated. The community has two parks, one dedicated to 20th-century African-American athlete Jesse Owens
and the other to Middle Woodland period
and Cherokee
Native Americans
.
The Jesse Owens
museum was opened in 1996. Owens was born and spent the majority of his childhood in the community before his family moved to Cleveland, Ohio
. The Jesse Owens Memorial Park and Museum is at the intersection of county road 203 and 187.
-era (1-500 CE
) prehistoric indigenous peoples
. The Copena culture developed out of the Hopewell tradition. They were named for their distinctive use of copper
and galena
, a lead ore mineral. The most significant earthworks
are a burial mound and the largest ceremonial earthwork
mound surviving in present-day Alabama. The latter is 27 feet (8.2 m) high, with a base of 1.8 acres (7,284.3 m²). The platform top has an area of 1 acres (4,046.9 m²). The Copena culture developed from the complex Hopewell tradition, whose people had a wide regional trading network across the continent.
The museum, designed in the style of a Cherokee
council house
, provides exhibits on the Copena culture, with more than 1000 archeological artifacts
excavated on site. It also includes material on the historic Cherokee nation, whose people inhabited the area at the time of European encounter. It also has an exhibit on the so-called Black Dutch
people of the area, mixed-race descendants of European and Cherokee unions. In addition to the mounds and museum, the Black Warriors’ Path goes past the mounds. Beginning in Cullman County, Alabama
it passes through the state and was long used by Native Americans. Later pioneers called it Mitchell Trace.
The park also has a lake and fishing pier. The street address for the park is 1219 County Rd. 187, Danville, Alabama
, 35619.
Lawrence County, Alabama
Lawrence County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is included in the Decatur Metropolitan Area, as well as the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. It was named after James Lawrence, a captain in the United States Navy from New Jersey. As of the 2010 census, the population was...
. The community is unincorporated. The community has two parks, one dedicated to 20th-century African-American athlete Jesse Owens
Jesse Owens
James Cleveland "Jesse" Owens was an American track and field athlete who specialized in the sprints and the long jump. He participated in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany, where he achieved international fame by winning four gold medals: one each in the 100 meters, the 200 meters, the...
and the other to Middle Woodland period
Woodland period
The Woodland period of North American pre-Columbian cultures was from roughly 1000 BCE to 1000 CE in the eastern part of North America. The term "Woodland Period" was introduced in the 1930s as a generic header for prehistoric sites falling between the Archaic hunter-gatherers and the...
and Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
.
The Jesse Owens
Jesse Owens
James Cleveland "Jesse" Owens was an American track and field athlete who specialized in the sprints and the long jump. He participated in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany, where he achieved international fame by winning four gold medals: one each in the 100 meters, the 200 meters, the...
museum was opened in 1996. Owens was born and spent the majority of his childhood in the community before his family moved to Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
. The Jesse Owens Memorial Park and Museum is at the intersection of county road 203 and 187.
Oakville Indian Mounds Park and Museum
The Oakville Indian Mounds Park and Museum is an 83 acres (335,889.4 m²) state park dedicated to ancient and historic Native American monuments. It preserves twenty 2,000-year-old mounds built by Middle WoodlandWoodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
-era (1-500 CE
Common Era
Common Era ,abbreviated as CE, is an alternative designation for the calendar era originally introduced by Dionysius Exiguus in the 6th century, traditionally identified with Anno Domini .Dates before the year 1 CE are indicated by the usage of BCE, short for Before the Common Era Common Era...
) prehistoric indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....
. The Copena culture developed out of the Hopewell tradition. They were named for their distinctive use of copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
and galena
Galena
Galena is the natural mineral form of lead sulfide. It is the most important lead ore mineral.Galena is one of the most abundant and widely distributed sulfide minerals. It crystallizes in the cubic crystal system often showing octahedral forms...
, a lead ore mineral. The most significant earthworks
Earthworks (archaeology)
In archaeology, earthwork is a general term to describe artificial changes in land level. Earthworks are often known colloquially as 'lumps and bumps'. Earthworks can themselves be archaeological features or they can show features beneath the surface...
are a burial mound and the largest ceremonial earthwork
Earthworks (archaeology)
In archaeology, earthwork is a general term to describe artificial changes in land level. Earthworks are often known colloquially as 'lumps and bumps'. Earthworks can themselves be archaeological features or they can show features beneath the surface...
mound surviving in present-day Alabama. The latter is 27 feet (8.2 m) high, with a base of 1.8 acres (7,284.3 m²). The platform top has an area of 1 acres (4,046.9 m²). The Copena culture developed from the complex Hopewell tradition, whose people had a wide regional trading network across the continent.
The museum, designed in the style of a Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
council house
Council house
A council house, otherwise known as a local authority house, is a form of public or social housing. The term is used primarily in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. Council houses were built and operated by local councils to supply uncrowded, well-built homes on secure tenancies at...
, provides exhibits on the Copena culture, with more than 1000 archeological artifacts
Artifact (archaeology)
An artifact or artefact is "something made or given shape by man, such as a tool or a work of art, esp an object of archaeological interest"...
excavated on site. It also includes material on the historic Cherokee nation, whose people inhabited the area at the time of European encounter. It also has an exhibit on the so-called Black Dutch
Black Dutch
Black Dutch is a term with several different meanings in United States dialect and slang. It generally refers to racial, ethnic, or cultural roots. Its meaning has varied in different parts of the nation and at different times...
people of the area, mixed-race descendants of European and Cherokee unions. In addition to the mounds and museum, the Black Warriors’ Path goes past the mounds. Beginning in Cullman County, Alabama
Cullman County, Alabama
Cullman County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of Colonel John G. Cullmann. As of 2010, the population was 80,406. Its county seat is the town of the same name, Cullman, Alabama. It is a "moist" county in terms of availablity of alcoholic beverages, which means...
it passes through the state and was long used by Native Americans. Later pioneers called it Mitchell Trace.
The park also has a lake and fishing pier. The street address for the park is 1219 County Rd. 187, Danville, Alabama
Danville, Alabama
Danville is an unincorporated community in Morgan County, Alabama, United States, and is included in the Decatur Metropolitan Area, as well as the larger Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. A noteworthy Danville native was world famous gold medalist at the 1936 Summer Olympics, Jesse Owens....
, 35619.
External links
- "Friends of Oakville Mounds, Inc., Alabama Grassroots Clearinghouse, Auburn University
- Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce: Area Attractions