Fitzhugh Mounds
Encyclopedia
Fitzhugh Mounds is an archaeological site
in Madison Parish, Louisiana
from the Plaquemine
\Mississippian
period dating to approximnately 1200–1541 CE. It is the type site
for the Fitzhugh Phase(1350-1500) of the Tensas Basin Plaquemine Mississippian chronology.
s surrounding a central plaza
. The site is first mentioned in E. G. Squier
and E. H. Davis
' Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley
in 1848.
The largest mound at the site, at 30 feet (9.1 m) in height, was bulldozed and carted away to use as fill during the construction of Interstate 20. Other of the mounds have been extensively plowed by local farmers and only two of the original seven mounds remain. Mound B is 10 feet (3 m) in height. Mound D serves as an active historic cemetery and is approximately 4 feet (1.2 m) in height.
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,...
in Madison Parish, Louisiana
Madison Parish, Louisiana
-National protected areas:* Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge * Vicksburg National Military Park -Demographics:-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S...
from the Plaquemine
Plaquemine culture
The Plaquemine culture was an archaeological culture in the lower Mississippi River Valley in western Mississippi and eastern Louisiana. Good examples of this culture are the Medora Site in West Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, and the Anna, Emerald Mound, Winterville and Holly Bluff sites located...
\Mississippian
Mississippian culture
The Mississippian culture was a mound-building Native American culture that flourished in what is now the Midwestern, Eastern, and Southeastern United States from approximately 800 CE to 1500 CE, varying regionally....
period dating to approximnately 1200–1541 CE. It 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 Fitzhugh Phase(1350-1500) of the Tensas Basin Plaquemine Mississippian chronology.
Description
The site was once an impressive seven-mound complex, with four of the platform moundPlatform 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 surrounding a central plaza
Plaza
Plaza is a Spanish word related to "field" which describes an open urban public space, such as a city square. All through Spanish America, the plaza mayor of each center of administration held three closely related institutions: the cathedral, the cabildo or administrative center, which might be...
. The site is first mentioned in E. G. Squier
E. G. Squier
Ephraim George Squier was an American archaeologist and newspaper editor.-Biography:He was born in Bethlehem, New York, the son of a minister of English heritage and his Palatine German wife. In early youth he worked on a farm, attended and taught school, studied engineering, and became interested...
and E. H. Davis
Edwin Hamilton Davis
Edwin Hamilton Davis was an American archaeologist and physician who did pioneering investigations of the mound relics in the Mississippi Valley.-Medical career:...
' Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley
Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley
Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley by Americans Ephraim George Squier and Edwin Hamilton Davis is a landmark in American scientific research, the study of the prehistoric Mound builders of North America, and the early development of archaeology...
in 1848.
The largest mound at the site, at 30 feet (9.1 m) in height, was bulldozed and carted away to use as fill during the construction of Interstate 20. Other of the mounds have been extensively plowed by local farmers and only two of the original seven mounds remain. Mound B is 10 feet (3 m) in height. Mound D serves as an active historic cemetery and is approximately 4 feet (1.2 m) in height.
Location
The site is located on La 602 4 miles (6.4 km) south-southwest of its junction with I-20.See also
- Culture, phase, and chronological table for the Mississippi Valley