Troyville Earthworks
Encyclopedia
Troyville Earthworks is a Woodland period
Native American
archaeological site
with components dating from 100 BCE to 700 CE during the Baytown
to the Troyville-Coles Creek periods
. It once had the tallest mound in Louisiana at 82 feet (25 m) in height. It is located in Catahoula Parish, Louisiana
in the town of Jonesville
. The site is the type site
for the Troyville culture
of the lower Ouachita and Tensas River valleys. Before it was destroyed for bridge approach fill in 1931, Troyville was one of the largest mound groups in North America.
, Ouachita
, and Little Rivers
. It had nine platform mound
s and a perimeter embankment that were built before 700 CE. A historian, John W. Monette, in 1844 described the complex as occupying close to 400 acres and noted the existence of twelve small mounds and one large one. The embankment was started during the Middle Baytown period
, with periodic repair work taking place during the Late Baytown period. The largest mound, Mound 5 ( also known as the “Great Mound” ), was 82 feet (25 m) in height. It was the tallest precolumbian mound in Louisiana and the second tallest in North America. Its base covered an acre of ground and had three levels, the bottom two rectangular and the third on the top a truncated conical mound. Monette described the lower level of Mound 5 as being 300 feet (91.4 m) by 150 feet (45.7 m) at its base and rising to the height of 30 feet (9.1 m). He described the conical mound at the top as 30 feet (9.1 m). Measurements for the smaller mounds at the site were about 12 feet (3.7 m) to 20 feet (6.1 m) in height with bases measuring 150 feet (45.7 m) by 60 feet (18.3 m). Four of the mounds were surrounded on the southern and western side of the plaza by the embankment, which measured 10 feet (3 m) in height, 10 feet (3 m) in width and 100 feet (30.5 m) across.
By the time of the American Civil War
, the mound had been reduced in size to 50 feet (15.2 m) in height. During the Civil War, the mound was reduced even further when some of its fill was removed to construct Confederate
rifle pits. In 1871 the town of Jonesville was founded on the site and more of Mound A's fill was used to fill ditches (borrow pit
s created by the removal of earth to construct the mounds themselves) and level the land as the town grew. The townspeople frequently camped out on the mounds during flooding.
In 1883 the site was visited by the prominent ethnologist Cyrus Thomas
, who described the group as then consisting of six mounds within an embankment, with some of the smaller mounds having been largely destroyed. One had been turned into a modern cemetery, which can still be seen today on the grounds of the local Methodist Church. The Great Mound had also been reduced, by this time it was only 45 feet (13.7 m) in height, 270 feet (82.3 m) in length and 180 feet (54.9 m) in width. In 1931 the mound was drastically reduced in size, the majority of its remaining mass being used as fill for a nearby bridge approach. Today the mound is only 3 foot (0.9144 m) in height.
was the first European to make note of the mound site in his report to Thomas Jefferson
for the Red River expedition of 1804. It is the first written description of an archaeological site in Louisiana.
In 1931 and 1932 the Smithsonian
archaeologist Winslow Walker excavated parts of the site. He found woven cane matting, palmetto fronds, and wooden planks within the mound, materials used by the Native Americans as part of the complex engineering to build the large structure. These materials had been used to construct a "cane dome", which had been layered like a, onion by alternating layers of split cane and mound fill, and was used to strengthen the structure. The builders also used different colors of dirt, including blue clays and red clays. Walker also discovered a log palisade
and steps made of tree trunks up one corner of the mound. He published a 103-page booklet on his work.
In the late 2000s parts of the site were being investigated for purchase by The Archaeological Conservancy
, a nonprofit organization that plans to protect the site from future degradation. The Conservancy purchased the site of Mound 4 and the old house located on the property was demolished. The Conservancy plans to landscape and fence the site and use it as a research preserve.
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...
Native American
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...
archaeological site
Archaeological site
An archaeological site is a place in which evidence of past activity is preserved , and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology and represents a part of the archaeological record.Beyond this, the definition and geographical extent of a 'site' can vary widely,...
with components dating from 100 BCE to 700 CE during the Baytown
Baytown culture
The Baytown culture was a Pre-Columbian Native American culture that existed from 300 to 700 CE in the lower Mississippi River Valley, consisting of sites in eastern Arkansas, western Tennessee, Louisiana, and western Mississippi. The Baytown Site on the White River in Monroe County, Arkansas is...
to the Troyville-Coles Creek periods
Coles Creek culture
Coles Creek culture is a Late Woodland archaeological culture in the Lower Mississippi valley in the southern United States. It followed the Troyville culture. The period marks a significant change in the cultural history of the area...
. It once had the tallest mound in Louisiana at 82 feet (25 m) in height. It is located in Catahoula Parish, Louisiana
Catahoula Parish, Louisiana
Catahoula Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Its seat is Harrisonburg, located on the Ouachita River, which forms the eastern boundary of the parish. In 2000, the population of the parish was 10,920.-Prehistory:...
in the town of Jonesville
Jonesville, Louisiana
Jonesville is a town in Catahoula Parish, Louisiana, at the confluence of the Ouachita, Tensas, and Little rivers. The three rivers become the Black River at Jonesville though the "Black" is primarily the continuation of the Ouachita River. A new bridge has been built over the Black River...
. The site is the type site
Type site
In archaeology a type site is a site that is considered the model of a particular archaeological culture...
for the Troyville culture
Troyville culture
The Troyville culture is an archaeological culture in areas of Louisiana and Arkansas in the Lower Mississippi valley in the southern United States. It was a Baytown Period culture and lasted from 400 to 700 CE during the Late Woodland period...
of the lower Ouachita and Tensas River valleys. Before it was destroyed for bridge approach fill in 1931, Troyville was one of the largest mound groups in North America.
Site description
The site is at the confluence of the TensasTensas River
The Tensas River is a river in Louisiana in the United States. The river, known as Tensas Bayou in its upper reaches, begins in East Carroll Parish in the northeast corner of the state and runs roughly southwest for more or less in parallel with the Mississippi River...
, Ouachita
Ouachita River
The Ouachita River is a river that runs south and east through the U.S. states of Arkansas and Louisiana, joining the Tensas River to form the Black River near Jonesville, Louisiana.-Course:...
, and Little Rivers
Little River (Louisiana)
The Little River is a tributary of the Ouachita River in central Louisiana in the United States. Via the Ouachita and Red rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River...
. It had nine platform mound
Platform mound
A platform mound is any earthwork or mound intended to support a structure or activity.-Eastern North America:The indigenous peoples of North America built substructure mounds for well over a thousand years starting in the Archaic period and continuing through the Woodland period...
s and a perimeter embankment that were built before 700 CE. A historian, John W. Monette, in 1844 described the complex as occupying close to 400 acres and noted the existence of twelve small mounds and one large one. The embankment was started during the Middle Baytown period
Baytown culture
The Baytown culture was a Pre-Columbian Native American culture that existed from 300 to 700 CE in the lower Mississippi River Valley, consisting of sites in eastern Arkansas, western Tennessee, Louisiana, and western Mississippi. The Baytown Site on the White River in Monroe County, Arkansas is...
, with periodic repair work taking place during the Late Baytown period. The largest mound, Mound 5 ( also known as the “Great Mound” ), was 82 feet (25 m) in height. It was the tallest precolumbian mound in Louisiana and the second tallest in North America. Its base covered an acre of ground and had three levels, the bottom two rectangular and the third on the top a truncated conical mound. Monette described the lower level of Mound 5 as being 300 feet (91.4 m) by 150 feet (45.7 m) at its base and rising to the height of 30 feet (9.1 m). He described the conical mound at the top as 30 feet (9.1 m). Measurements for the smaller mounds at the site were about 12 feet (3.7 m) to 20 feet (6.1 m) in height with bases measuring 150 feet (45.7 m) by 60 feet (18.3 m). Four of the mounds were surrounded on the southern and western side of the plaza by the embankment, which measured 10 feet (3 m) in height, 10 feet (3 m) in width and 100 feet (30.5 m) across.
By the time of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, the mound had been reduced in size to 50 feet (15.2 m) in height. During the Civil War, the mound was reduced even further when some of its fill was removed to construct Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
rifle pits. In 1871 the town of Jonesville was founded on the site and more of Mound A's fill was used to fill ditches (borrow pit
Borrow pit
A borrow pit, also known as a sand box, is a term used in construction and civil engineering. It describes an area where material has been dug for use at another location. Borrow pits can be found close to many major construction projects...
s created by the removal of earth to construct the mounds themselves) and level the land as the town grew. The townspeople frequently camped out on the mounds during flooding.
In 1883 the site was visited by the prominent ethnologist Cyrus Thomas
Cyrus Thomas
Cyrus Thomas was a U.S. ethnologist and entomologist prominent in the late 19th century and noted for his studies of the natural history of the American West.-Biography:Thomas was born in Kingsport, Tennessee...
, who described the group as then consisting of six mounds within an embankment, with some of the smaller mounds having been largely destroyed. One had been turned into a modern cemetery, which can still be seen today on the grounds of the local Methodist Church. The Great Mound had also been reduced, by this time it was only 45 feet (13.7 m) in height, 270 feet (82.3 m) in length and 180 feet (54.9 m) in width. In 1931 the mound was drastically reduced in size, the majority of its remaining mass being used as fill for a nearby bridge approach. Today the mound is only 3 foot (0.9144 m) in height.
Excavations
The site takes its name from the Troy Plantation, which was part of a Spanish land grant of 1,000 acres made to John Hebrard in 1786. William DunbarWilliam Dunbar (explorer)
William Dunbar was a ScotsAmerican merchant, naturalist, astronomer and explorer.-Life:William Dunbar was born in Duffus House, Duffus Parish near Elgin, Scotland. His family's roots can be traced back to at least the tenth century...
was the first European to make note of the mound site in his report to Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
for the Red River expedition of 1804. It is the first written description of an archaeological site in Louisiana.
In 1931 and 1932 the Smithsonian
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
archaeologist Winslow Walker excavated parts of the site. He found woven cane matting, palmetto fronds, and wooden planks within the mound, materials used by the Native Americans as part of the complex engineering to build the large structure. These materials had been used to construct a "cane dome", which had been layered like a, onion by alternating layers of split cane and mound fill, and was used to strengthen the structure. The builders also used different colors of dirt, including blue clays and red clays. Walker also discovered a log palisade
Palisade
A palisade is a steel or wooden fence or wall of variable height, usually used as a defensive structure.- Typical construction :Typical construction consisted of small or mid sized tree trunks aligned vertically, with no spacing in between. The trunks were sharpened or pointed at the top, and were...
and steps made of tree trunks up one corner of the mound. He published a 103-page booklet on his work.
In the late 2000s parts of the site were being investigated for purchase by The Archaeological Conservancy
The Archaeological Conservancy
The Archaeological Conservancy is a 5013 non-profit organization that acquires and preserves archaeological sites in the United States. Whereas nearly every other nation protects all archaeological sites within its borders as part of its national patrimony, in the United States archaeological...
, a nonprofit organization that plans to protect the site from future degradation. The Conservancy purchased the site of Mound 4 and the old house located on the property was demolished. The Conservancy plans to landscape and fence the site and use it as a research preserve.
See also
- Monks Mound
- Culture, phase, and chronological table for the Mississippi Valley
External links
- Troyville Earthworks I: Ancient Mounds Trail - Louisiana Historical Markers on Waymarking.com
- Troyville Earthworks II: Ancient Mounds Trail - Louisiana Historical Markers on Waymarking.com
- Jonesville site (Troyville Great Mound)
- The builders of the Great Mound at Jonesville
- Great Mound was once the tallest in North America