Old Town (Franklin, Tennessee)
Encyclopedia
Old Town is a historic Native American village and mound complex site in Williamson County
, Tennessee
near Franklin
. The site includes the remnants of a Native American
village and mound complex of the Mississippian culture
, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
as Old Town Archaeological Site (40WM2).
village and mound complex is located at the confluence of the Harpeth River
and Dolorson Creek on the Harpeth River branch of the Natchez Trace
. Archaeological investigations of the 12 acres (4.9 ha) site have uncovered artifacts dating from approximately 900 to 1450. The earliest archaeological investigations of the site were in 1868 by Dr. Joseph Jones, a local medical doctor. He described it in his book Aboriginal Remains of Tennessee, published by the Smithsonian Institution
in 1876. The village area was surrounded by steep earthworks running in a 2470 feet (752.9 m) semicircle, portions of which were topped by a wooden palisade
that is interpreted as having been intended as a protective fortification
. Within the enclosure, the village area includes several large earthen mounds a plaza
and associated village areas. Jones described the mound grouping as including two platform mound
s and two burial mounds. Mississippian mound complexes such as the Old Town complex are thought to have been regional centers for civic and ceremonial activity, as well as serving as the permanent residences of ruling elites. The mounds are located within the embankments. The largest of the rectangular platform mounds, Mound A, was 112 feet (34.1 m) on its longer side by 65 feet (19.8 m) on the shorter side and 11 feet (3.4 m) in height. The second, Mound B, was 70 feet (21.3 m) by 65 feet (19.8 m) at its base and 9 feet (2.7 m) in height. Located across a plaza area was a 30 feet (9.1 m) by 20 feet (6.1 m) in diameter 2.5 foot (0.762 m) high burial mound. The remaining burial mound is the location of the Thomas Brown House
.
In 1984 and 1991, the Tennessee Division of Archaeology
conducted brief salvage excavations at the Old Town site in anticipation of construction and renovation projects. The artifacts collected allowed researchers to place Old Town's primary period of habitation at between 1250 and 1450. Radiocarbon dating
of charcoal
uncovered from a prehistoric trash pit returned a date of 1214.
s. Jones opened up at least 50 examples during his investigations. In this type of burial, which was commonly used by Mississippian people in the central basin of Middle Tennessee
, the dead were interred in shallow rectangular excavations lined with large thin slabs of limestone
. A "nearly form-fitting" pit was dug to hold the person's remains, the bottom and sides were lined with appropriately sized rock slabs, the person's remains were laid inside, and the resulting box was covered with another stone slab. Most of these individual graves were located along the banks of the river and creek.
"Old Town" also is a name given to the Thomas Brown House
, built nearby to the mound complex site in the 1840s or 1850s, "Old Town" is also reflected in the name of the nearby Old Town Bridge
that carried the Harpeth River
branch of the Natchez Trace
over Brown's Creek.
Williamson County, Tennessee
Williamson County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2010 US Census, the population was 183,182. The County's seat is Franklin, and it is part of the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county is named after Hugh Williamson, a...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
near Franklin
Franklin, Tennessee
Franklin is a city within and the county seat of Williamson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 62,487 as of the 2010 census Franklin is located approximately south of downtown Nashville.-History:...
. The site includes the remnants of a 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...
village and mound complex of the Mississippian culture
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....
, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
as Old Town Archaeological Site (40WM2).
Site description
The Mississippian cultureMississippian 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....
village and mound complex is located at the confluence of the Harpeth River
Harpeth River
The Harpeth River, long, is one of the major streams of north-central Middle Tennessee and one of the major tributaries of the Cumberland River...
and Dolorson Creek on the Harpeth River branch of the Natchez Trace
Natchez Trace
The Natchez Trace, also known as the "Old Natchez Trace", is a historical path that extends roughly from Natchez, Mississippi to Nashville, Tennessee, linking the Cumberland, Tennessee and Mississippi rivers...
. Archaeological investigations of the 12 acres (4.9 ha) site have uncovered artifacts dating from approximately 900 to 1450. The earliest archaeological investigations of the site were in 1868 by Dr. Joseph Jones, a local medical doctor. He described it in his book Aboriginal Remains of Tennessee, published by the Smithsonian Institution
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...
in 1876. The village area was surrounded by steep earthworks running in a 2470 feet (752.9 m) semicircle, portions of which were topped by a wooden 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...
that is interpreted as having been intended as a protective fortification
Fortification
Fortifications are military constructions and buildings designed for defence in warfare and military bases. Humans have constructed defensive works for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex designs...
. Within the enclosure, the village area includes several large earthen mounds a 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...
and associated village areas. Jones described the mound grouping as including two 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 two burial mounds. Mississippian mound complexes such as the Old Town complex are thought to have been regional centers for civic and ceremonial activity, as well as serving as the permanent residences of ruling elites. The mounds are located within the embankments. The largest of the rectangular platform mounds, Mound A, was 112 feet (34.1 m) on its longer side by 65 feet (19.8 m) on the shorter side and 11 feet (3.4 m) in height. The second, Mound B, was 70 feet (21.3 m) by 65 feet (19.8 m) at its base and 9 feet (2.7 m) in height. Located across a plaza area was a 30 feet (9.1 m) by 20 feet (6.1 m) in diameter 2.5 foot (0.762 m) high burial mound. The remaining burial mound is the location of the Thomas Brown House
Thomas Brown House (Franklin, Tennessee)
Old Town, also known as the Thomas Brown House, is a house in Franklin, Tennessee at Old Town that was built by Thomas Brown some time between 1842 and 1854. It is a two-story frame structure built on an "I-House" plan, an example of vernacular architecture showing Greek Revival influences...
.
In 1984 and 1991, the Tennessee Division of Archaeology
Tennessee Division of Archaeology
The Tennessee Division of Archaeology is a division of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation responsible for managing prehistoric archaeological sites on lands owned by the U.S...
conducted brief salvage excavations at the Old Town site in anticipation of construction and renovation projects. The artifacts collected allowed researchers to place Old Town's primary period of habitation at between 1250 and 1450. Radiocarbon dating
Radiocarbon dating
Radiocarbon dating is a radiometric dating method that uses the naturally occurring radioisotope carbon-14 to estimate the age of carbon-bearing materials up to about 58,000 to 62,000 years. Raw, i.e. uncalibrated, radiocarbon ages are usually reported in radiocarbon years "Before Present" ,...
of charcoal
Charcoal
Charcoal is the dark grey residue consisting of carbon, and any remaining ash, obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. Charcoal is usually produced by slow pyrolysis, the heating of wood or other substances in the absence of oxygen...
uncovered from a prehistoric trash pit returned a date of 1214.
Stone box graves
Burials at the site were of a type known as stone box graveStone box grave
Stone box graves were a method of burial employed by Native Americans of the Mississippian culture in the American Midwest and Southeast. Their construction was especially common in the Cumberland River Basin around Nashville, Tennessee-Construction:...
s. Jones opened up at least 50 examples during his investigations. In this type of burial, which was commonly used by Mississippian people in the central basin of Middle Tennessee
Middle Tennessee
Middle Tennessee is a distinct portion of the state of Tennessee, delineated according to state law as the 41 counties in the Middle Grand Division of Tennessee....
, the dead were interred in shallow rectangular excavations lined with large thin slabs of limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
. A "nearly form-fitting" pit was dug to hold the person's remains, the bottom and sides were lined with appropriately sized rock slabs, the person's remains were laid inside, and the resulting box was covered with another stone slab. Most of these individual graves were located along the banks of the river and creek.
NHRP sites at location
A larger, 41 acres (16.6 ha), area was listed as the "Old Town Archaeological Site" on the National Register in 1989 as part of the Mississippian Cultural Resources of the Central Basin (900 to 1450) Multiple Property Submission."Old Town" also is a name given to the Thomas Brown House
Thomas Brown House (Franklin, Tennessee)
Old Town, also known as the Thomas Brown House, is a house in Franklin, Tennessee at Old Town that was built by Thomas Brown some time between 1842 and 1854. It is a two-story frame structure built on an "I-House" plan, an example of vernacular architecture showing Greek Revival influences...
, built nearby to the mound complex site in the 1840s or 1850s, "Old Town" is also reflected in the name of the nearby Old Town Bridge
Old Town Bridge (Franklin, Tennessee)
The Old Town Bridge in Franklin, Tennessee was a "frame bridge across Brown Creek near its junction with the Big Harpeth River." It was built by U.S. soldiers in 1801. It carried the Harpeth River branch of the Natchez Trace over Brown's Creek. The bridge was rebuilt several times subsequently,...
that carried the Harpeth River
Harpeth River
The Harpeth River, long, is one of the major streams of north-central Middle Tennessee and one of the major tributaries of the Cumberland River...
branch of the Natchez Trace
Natchez Trace
The Natchez Trace, also known as the "Old Natchez Trace", is a historical path that extends roughly from Natchez, Mississippi to Nashville, Tennessee, linking the Cumberland, Tennessee and Mississippi rivers...
over Brown's Creek.
Further reading
- Crutchfield, James A. Harpeth River: A Biography. Johnson City, TN. Overmountain Press. 1994. ISBN 1570720169, ISBN 9781570720161
- Crutchfield, James A. The Natchez Trace: a pictorial history. Nashville, TN. Rutledge Hill Press, 1985. (7th print edition in 2000 published by Thomas Nelson). ISBN 0934395039, ISBN 978-0934395038
- Goodpasture, Henry. Old Town. Nashville, TN. 1950.
- Jones, Joseph. Explorations of the Aboriginal Remains of Tennessee. Smithsonian Institution Contributions to Knowledge No. 259. 1876.
- Tennessee Division of Historic Preservation. National Register Properties: Williamson County, Tennessee. Franklin, TN. Providence House Press. 1995.