Town Creek Indian Mound facts for kids
Artists conception of Town Creek Indian Mound during the late Town Creek-early Leak phases circa 1350 CE.
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 Location in North Carolina
Location in the United States
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| Location | Mount Gilead, North Carolina, Montgomery County, North Carolina,  USA |
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| Region | Montgomery County, North Carolina |
| Coordinates | 35°10′58.1″N 79°55′46.1″W / 35.182806°N 79.929472°W |
| History | |
| Founded | 1150 CE |
| Abandoned | 1400 |
| Cultures | South Appalachian Mississippian culture |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | 1937-1987 |
| Archaeologists | Joffre Coe |
| Architecture | |
| Architectural styles | platform mound, plaza |
| Architectural details | Number of temples: 1 |
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Town Creek Indian Mound
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| NRHP reference No. | 66000594 |
| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
Town Creek Indian Mound is a very old Native American archaeological site in North Carolina. It's near Mount Gilead in Montgomery County. The site has a large platform mound, a village, and a wooden fence called a palisade.
The Pee Dee built this site. They were part of the South Appalachian Mississippian culture. This culture developed around 980 CE. The Pee Dee people lived in the Pee Dee River area of North and South Carolina long before Europeans arrived.
Town Creek was an important place for ceremonies. People lived there from about 1150 to 1400 CE. We don't know why they left. It's the only ceremonial mound and village of the Pee Dee people found in North Carolina.
The Pee Dee people were known for building big earth mounds. These mounds were used for spiritual and political reasons. They also traded with other groups. Their trade network reached from Georgia to South Carolina, eastern Tennessee, and parts of North Carolina.
Town Creek is not the biggest Mississippian site. Its earth mound was built over an old rectangular earth lodge. On October 15, 1966, Town Creek was named a National Historic Landmark.
This site is the only National Historic Landmark in North Carolina that celebrates Native American culture. The North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources owns it. Today, the Pee Dee people mostly live in South Carolina.
Contents
Life at Town Creek Mound
The Pee Dee people built their mound on a low hill. This spot was where Town Creek and the Little River met. Town Creek was a main center for the Pee Dee. It was important for their homes, religion, and trade.
Leaders from different clans would meet at Town Creek to talk about trade. Many important tribal members lived, died, and were buried here. These leaders had both political and religious jobs. The site was also used for big religious ceremonies and tribal feasts.
Green Corn Ceremony
Clans from nearby areas would come to Town Creek for special gatherings. These events were called "busks" or the Green Corn Ceremony. During a busk, the temple, homes, and village grounds were cleaned. People would also settle any debts or disagreements.
Special cleaning ceremonies took place at the mound. These included fasting, bathing, and using a special medicine. They also scratched their skin with garfish teeth. The busk ended with a big celebration called a poskito. Everyone would feast on new corn.
After the celebration, clans would take embers from the sacred fire back to their own villages. This sharing of fire showed how united the Pee Dee people were.
Exploring the Past: Archaeology
Archaeologists started digging at Town Creek in 1927, but it was just for fun at first. In 1937, professional archaeologists began a big project. This project was funded by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) during the Great Depression. These expert digs continued regularly until 1987.
Before 1927, local people knew the site as a place to find Native American arrowheads and other old items. They didn't know much about archaeology. This likely caused some damage to the site. Early amateur groups even used a scraper pulled by a mule to find things. They found animal and human bones, and pieces of pottery. Today, smaller digs still happen sometimes.
Early Discoveries
In the 1930s, L. D. Frutchey owned the land. He let a team from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill start exploring in 1937. This work was paid for by the WPA, a program started by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Mr. Frutchey later gave the mound and some land around it to North Carolina. It was first called Frutchey State Park. In the 1940s, its name changed to Town Creek. The North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources now manages it. Town Creek was the first historic site in the state set up for visitors to learn from.
The Pee Dee people didn't leave any written records. So, archaeology has been super important for understanding their history. Dr. Joffre Coe from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill was the main archaeologist at Town Creek starting in 1937.
Dr. Coe and his team found many artifacts and burial places. They also found what was left of a wooden palisade that once protected the town and mound. It looks like this fence was rebuilt at least five times!
The Mound and Village
More digging showed that the mound was built over three different structures. The first was a rectangular earth lodge that had fallen apart. A temple was built over this old lodge. After that temple burned down, the Pee Dee built another ceremonial building in the same spot on top of the mound. This building had a ramp facing east, leading to the open area below.
The flat, open area in front of the mound was called the plaza. It was used for ceremonies and public meetings. Archaeologists found remains of other buildings near the plaza. These included a burial house and a mortuary (a place for preparing the dead). People think the burial house was important for a specific clan.
The mound, burial houses, and many family homes were surrounded by a protective palisade. Archaeologists found two gates and guard towers at the north and south ends of the fence. Evidence shows that at least five protective walls were built and destroyed over time. This pattern is also seen at other Mississippian sites, like Cahokia in Illinois.
A total of 563 burials have been found at Town Creek Indian Mound. These are believed to be Pee Dee people. Many burials were simple, with bodies placed in graves. Some bodies were buried stretched out, while others might have been re-buried as bundles of bones. The remains of young children and babies were found wrapped in deerskins and placed inside large pottery pots. Archaeologists call these "burial urns."
Dr. Coe was the lead archaeologist at Town Creek for over 50 years. His long work helped us learn a lot about Town Creek's past. Usually, digs happen for a shorter time, and items are moved away. But Dr. Coe kept his work center at Town Creek. This allowed him to have a steady plan for research and study.
Visiting Town Creek Indian Mound
The state of North Carolina has created several things for the public to see at Town Creek. They rebuilt the ceremonial center. This includes restoring the platform mound and building a temple on top of it. They also rebuilt a smaller temple and the mortuary building.
The visitor center has exhibits to teach you about the site. It also has videos and a gift shop. The visitor center, the smaller temple, and the mortuary are easy to access for people with disabilities.
You can find several trails and outdoor monuments on the property. There are also fourteen picnic tables for visitors to use.
Tours and Events
If you have a group, you can schedule a tour in advance. Groups can even do some hands-on activities. Throughout the year, special events are held that focus on how the Pee Dee people lived.
You can take self-guided tours of the rebuilt structures and the mound during normal hours. The best part is that admission to Town Creek Indian Mound is free!
