Pinson Mounds facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pinson Mounds State Archaeological Park |
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Sauls' Mound (Mound 9) at the park
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| Type | Tennessee State Park |
| Location | Pinson, Tennessee |
| Area | 1,200 acres (4.9 km2) |
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Pinson Mounds
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| Location | Madison County, Tennessee |
| Built | 0-499 AD |
| Website | Pinson Mounds State Park |
| NRHP reference No. | 66000727 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
| Designated NHL | January 29, 1964 |
The Pinson Mounds are a special place in Madison County, Tennessee. It's a huge site built by ancient Native Americans long ago. This amazing complex has 17 large dirt hills, called mounds. It also has a big circular dirt wall and places where people used to live.
Most experts believe these mounds were built during the Middle Woodland period. This was a time between about 1 and 500 AD. The Pinson Mounds are the biggest group of Middle Woodland mounds in the whole United States! One of the mounds, called Sauls' Mound, is 72 feet tall. It's the second-tallest ancient mound still standing in the country.
Today, the Pinson Mounds are part of the Pinson Mounds State Archaeological Park. This is one of only two special parks in Tennessee that focus on archaeology. The park is a National Historic Landmark. This means it's a very important historical site for the entire country.
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Exploring the Pinson Mounds Park
The Pinson Mounds are located on a flat area above a wetland. This wetland is next to the South Fork of the Forked Deer River. The river and its wetlands form the southern edge of the park.
The park is surrounded by three different types of forests. You can find oak trees on the higher ground. There are cypress trees in the wet, low areas. And beech trees grow on the slopes in between. The ground here has special rocks that make high-quality clay.
The Pinson Mounds complex is divided into three main parts. There's the Inner section, which is in the middle around Sauls' Mound. Then there's the Western (or Ozier) section. And finally, the Eastern section, which has a large circular dirt wall. A stream called Hudson Branch separates the Inner and Western sections. Both the Eastern and Western sections are about 1,500 meters away from the Inner section. You can see a map of the park here: click for map.
The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation manages the Pinson Mounds complex. The park is about 2.5 miles east of the town of Pinson. It's also about 10 miles southeast of Jackson.
Amazing Ancient Features
The Pinson Mounds complex covers about 400 acres. It has at least 30 mounds, but 17 of them were definitely built by ancient people. These mounds range in size from the huge 72-foot Sauls' Mound to much smaller, barely noticeable bumps. Most of the mounds were likely built between 100 and 300 AD. We know this from radiocarbon dating and the ancient tools found there.
Here are some of the most important features at the Pinson Mounds site:
Inner Complex Mounds
- Sauls' Mound (Mound 9): This is the biggest mound in the center of the park. It's named after John Sauls, who owned the land before the state bought it. Sauls' Mound is the second-tallest ancient mound in the United States. It's shaped like a rectangle, and its corners point to the four main directions (north, south, east, west). People believe it was used for special ceremonies. There's a viewing platform on top for visitors. It's about 112 by 91 meters at its base and 22 meters tall.
- Mound 10: This mound is just east of Sauls' Mound. It was probably a platform mound, also used for ceremonies. It's about 61 by 40 meters at its base and 1.3 meters tall.
- Mound 11 Sector: This is a natural hill north of Sauls' Mound, behind the museum. People think it was a living area during the Middle Woodland period.
- Mound 12: This mound is southwest of Sauls' Mound. It was a burial mound built on top of an even older living area. It's about 23 by 17 meters at its base and 1.3 meters tall.
- Mound 14 Sector: This area southwest of Sauls' Mound was a living area during a later time, between the Woodland and Mississippian cultures.
- Mound 15: This mound is several hundred meters southwest of Sauls' Mound. Part of it has been damaged by farming. It's about 46 by 50 meters at its base and about 1 meter tall.
- Mound 17: This mound is several hundred meters southeast of Sauls' Mound. It's about 12 meters long and 1 meter tall.
Eastern Section Mounds
- The Eastern Citadel: This is a huge circular dirt wall located about 1500 meters east of Sauls' Mound. It was named by William Myer in the early 1900s. Even though it's called a "citadel," experts believe it was used for ceremonies, not for defense. The walls form a nearly perfect circle, about 366 meters across. The walls are about 1.5 meters tall on average. The ground inside isn't flat; the western side is about 12 meters lower than the eastern side.
- Mound 29: This rectangular platform mound is on the eastern edge of the Eastern Citadel. It lines up with Sauls' Mound in the direction of the sunrise during the equinox (when day and night are equal length). It's about 49 by 52 meters at its base and 3.5 meters tall.
- Mound 30: This mound is a few meters south of Mound 29. It's shaped like a bird, but this shape might be due to farming and erosion over time. It's about 24 meters long and 1 meter tall.
- Mound 28: This rectangular platform mound is about 1500 meters northeast of Sauls' Mound. It's almost lined up with Sauls' Mound in the direction of the summer solstice sunrise (the longest day of the year). It's about 62 by 65 meters at its base and 4 meters tall.
Western (Ozier) Section Mounds
- The Ozier Mound (Mound 5): This is a rectangular platform mound with a dirt ramp facing northeast. At 33 feet tall, it's the second-largest mound in the park. It's about 80 meters across and 10 meters tall.
- The Twin Mounds (Mound 6): These are two cone-shaped mounds located south of the Ozier Mound. The Twin Mounds were used for burials. Their base is about 30 by 50 meters.
- Mound 31: This is another burial mound located south of the Ozier Mound. Its base is about 40 by 60 meters.
- The Cochran Area: This site is about 200 meters west of the Ozier Mound section. People believe this was a temporary living area. It covers about 5000 square meters.
Pinson Mounds in History
After the Chickasaw people gave up much of West Tennessee in 1818, a land surveyor named Joel Pinson arrived. He "discovered" the mound complex in 1820, and it was named after him. The site didn't get much attention until a journalist from Jackson named J.G. Cisco started writing about it in the late 1800s. His articles caught the interest of the Smithsonian Institution.
In 1916, the Smithsonian sent an archaeologist named William E. Myer to study the site. Myer thought the entire complex was built following a master plan. He even created a map of the site. Later, in 1947, the Tennessee Division of Forestry bought the Western section of the Pinson site.
Archaeological Discoveries
In 1961, archaeologists Fred Fisher and Charles McNutt from the University of Tennessee did the first big excavation at Pinson Mounds. They were asked to do this by the Jackson Archaeological Society and the National Park Service. In the Mound 14 Sector, they found the remains of a house. It was about 21 by 18 feet and had a central fireplace and storage pits. Based on the many ancient tools and charcoal found, Fisher and McNutt believed the Pinson Mounds were built during the Middle Woodland period (around 1-500 AD).
More excavations happened in 1963 by Dan Morse and Richard Polhemus. They found what they thought was an oval-shaped house, a large fireplace, and trash pits. They also agreed that the mounds were mostly built during the Middle Woodland period. In 1965, the state bought the land from the Williams and Saul families. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places that same year.
In the 1970s, John Broster from the Tennessee Division of Archaeology did a lot of research in the Western section and at Mound 12. At Mound 12, Broster found a human cremation pit. He also found signs of even older habitation from the Early Woodland period. Broster's team also found many "exotic" artifacts in the Cochran area. This suggests that Pinson Mounds might have been a place where special items were made for burials, or a major trading center for the region.
In the 1980s, Robert Mainfort discovered six tombs in the Twin Mounds. One tomb had the remains of eight young women wearing special headdresses with copper decorations. Another tomb held four older men. One of these men was buried with two round rattles that had abstract designs. Mainfort also found a single burial in Mound 31 and evidence of food offerings at the base of the mounds.
Before the park facilities were built, more excavations took place. They found a possible living area at Mound 11 and many items from the 1800s. In the late 1990s, four more mounds were confirmed to be ancient, bringing the total to 17.
Why Were the Pinson Mounds Built?
The Native Americans of the Middle Woodland period most likely built the Pinson Mounds for religious ceremonies. However, we don't know for sure their exact reasons. The Ozier Mound has no burials. Because of its flat top and ramp, it was probably used as a ceremonial platform. It's one of the oldest such mounds in the Eastern Woodlands region. At least three of the mounds (6, 12, and 31) contain burials or cremations.
Archaeologists have found very few everyday items like arrowheads or pottery pieces. This suggests that people didn't live permanently at the Pinson Mounds site. It was likely a special place visited for important events.
Some clues suggest that the way the Pinson Mounds are laid out might be connected to astronomy. It might show how the people understood the universe, like at other mound complexes such as Cahokia. For example, the corners of Sauls' Mound point to the four main directions. The Eastern and Western sections are about the same distance (1,500 meters) from the Inner complex. Mound 29 in the Eastern section lines up with Sauls' Mound in the direction of the equinox sunrise. Mound 28 is almost lined up with Sauls' in the direction of the summer solstice sunrise. So far, no mound has been found that lines up with the winter solstice sunrise.
Visiting Pinson Mounds State Archaeological Park
The park's museum is built to look like a platform mound. Inside, you can see ancient tools and items found during the excavations at Pinson. There are also other artifacts from around the region. The museum also has offices for archaeology in West Tennessee and a special library.
The park has about 6 miles of walking trails. Most of these trails let you explore the mounds and other features. South of Sauls' Mound, there's a boardwalk where you can look out over the South Fork of the Forked Deer River and its wetlands. The park also hosts "Archaeofest" every September. This event celebrates the ancient people who built the site.
