Wickliffe Mounds facts for kids
Mound at the site
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 Location in Kentucky
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| Location | Ballard County, Kentucky,  USA |
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| Region | Ballard County, Kentucky |
| Coordinates | 36°58′15.67″N 89°5′34.30″W / 36.9710194°N 89.0928611°W |
| History | |
| Founded | 1000 CE |
| Abandoned | 1350 |
| Cultures | Mississippian culture |
| Site notes | |
| Architecture | |
| Architectural styles | platform mounds, plazas |
| Architectural details | Number of temples: |
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Wickliffe Site
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| NRHP reference No. | 84000789 |
| Added to NRHP | December 08, 1984 |
| Responsible body: State | |
Wickliffe Mounds (15 BA 4) is an ancient village site built by the Mississippian culture people. It is located in Ballard County, Kentucky, close to the town of Wickliffe. This important historical place is about 3 miles (4.8 km) from where the Ohio and Mississippi rivers meet.
Archaeologists have studied Wickliffe Mounds. They found that it is connected to other Mississippian sites along the Ohio River in Illinois and Kentucky. These sites are all part of what is called the Angel Phase of the Mississippian culture. Today, Wickliffe Mounds is a State Historic Site. It has a museum run by the State Parks Service. The museum helps visitors learn about the ancient community that once lived there. This site is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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Life at Wickliffe Mounds
The ancient town at Wickliffe Mounds was built on a high bluff overlooking the Ohio River. It was a very important place for the Mississippian people. It served as a center for their ceremonies and for managing their community. At its busiest time, hundreds of people likely lived there.
The site has two large platform mounds. These are flat-topped mounds used for important buildings. There are also at least eight smaller mounds around a central open area called a plaza.
Farming and Trade
The people of Wickliffe Mounds were farmers. They grew a lot of maize, also known as corn. Corn was their main food. Having a steady supply of food allowed more people to live together in one place. It also helped their society become more organized.
The Mississippian people at Wickliffe Mounds traded with other groups. They traded with people as far away as North Carolina, Wisconsin, and the Gulf of Mexico. Like most Mississippian communities, Wickliffe had a social structure. It was led by a chief whose position was passed down through their family.
When People Lived Here
People lived at Wickliffe Mounds between 1000 CE and 1350 CE. This means they lived there for about 350 years. Around 1300 CE, the population slowly started to move away from Wickliffe. They moved to another site called the Twin Mounds Site. This new site was a few miles northeast, closer to where the Mississippi and Ohio rivers meet.
Discovering and Studying the Site
People first started digging at Wickliffe Mounds around 1913. These early digs were done by people who were interested in old artifacts, but were not professional archaeologists. This continued on and off for many years.
In 1932, a man named Fain W. King, who collected Native American artifacts, paid for archaeologists from the Alabama Museum of Natural History to dig at the site. They focused on three mounds (A, B, and C), including a burial area. King and his wife, Blanche Busey King, later opened the site to tourists. They called it "Ancient Buried City." They charged a small fee for guided tours.
However, the Kings' way of running the site was controversial. They used exciting, but sometimes misleading, advertisements. They also changed parts of the site to make it look more interesting for visitors. This upset professional archaeologists who wanted the site to be studied carefully without being disturbed.
In 1946, the Kings gave the site to Western Baptist Hospital in Paducah. The hospital continued to operate it as a tourist attraction until 1983. That year, the hospital donated the site to Murray State University. The university used it for research and to train students in archaeology.
In 1984, Wickliffe Mounds was recognized as a very important historical place. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Then, in 2004, it became the 11th State Historical Site of Kentucky. This meant the Kentucky State Parks took over its care.
Today, the museum park includes the large Mound A, which was a main ceremonial mound. It also has areas where you can see the results of past excavations. The museum shows a great collection of pottery and other items found at the site. A large painting shows what the Mississippian village might have looked like.
Mound A: The Ceremonial Center
Ceremonial Mound is the biggest mound at Wickliffe. This was the most important place for ceremonies and religious events. It was also the political center of the community. Archaeologists have studied Mound A in 1932 and again in 1984–85. They found that it was built up in six different stages over time.
Mound B: Homes of the Past
Mound B was once a residential area, meaning people lived there. This mound was built up over 200 years. Until 2016, visitors could look into the different layers of this mound. These layers showed clues that archaeologists used to figure out it was a living area. For example, they found layers of burned materials from cooking fires. They also found holes in the ground where poles once stood. These poles would have held up the walls of homes, which were made of a mix of mud and sticks called wattle and daub. The building that covered this mound has since been removed, and the excavation filled in.
Mound C: The Burial Ground
Mound C was the community's burial ground. In respect for Native American traditions, the actual human remains have been reburied. Instead, artificial skeletons are placed to show how the original burials looked. Curtains with traditional designs cover parts of the excavation that could not be removed. The burials found here are from the 13th century. They included many infants and people who had health problems like arthritis, tuberculosis (TB), and various injuries. All excavations in this area have now been filled in, so the interior can no longer be viewed.
Mound D: Early Village Life
The Lifeways Building covered an excavation of an early part of the village. This area was also used for homes. Over time, these early homes were replaced by an elongated mound. The excavation shows how the earlier structures were arranged. It also revealed many infant burials from that time.
Kincaid Focus: Connecting Ancient Sites
In the lower Ohio River valley, there are several Mississippian-culture towns. These include Kincaid in Illinois, Wickliffe in Kentucky, Tolu in Kentucky, and Angel Mounds in Indiana. These sites are grouped together as the "Kincaid Focus" by archaeologists. This is because they have similar pottery styles and village layouts.
The connections between Kincaid and Angel sites are especially strong. They have similar village plans, similar artifacts, and are geographically close. These similarities make some experts believe that the people who built and lived at these sites were part of the same larger society.
Archaeologists have found rare painted and decorated pottery pieces at all four sites. These special pieces make up a small percentage of all the pottery found. Some common pottery styles include Angel Negative Painted, Kincaid Negative Painted, and Matthews Incised. This pottery was made using crushed shells mixed into the clay, which is called shell-tempered. The pottery ranges from rougher, less polished pieces to smoother, more refined ones.
