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Bear Creek Mound
Courtesy of Natchez Trace Parkway, National Park Service
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This square, flat-topped mound was built in several stages for
ceremonial or elite residential use sometime between 1100 and
1300 A.D., during the Mississippian period. Burned daub (mud plaster
used in building construction) found on the mound during archeological
excavation indicates the former presence of a temple or chief's
house. A small, contemporaneous habitation area is located to
the south and east of the mound. When acquired by the National
Park Service the mound had been greatly reduced in height by plowing.
Following excavation in 1965, the mound was restored to its estimated
original dimensions of about eight feet high by 85 feet across
the base.
Bear Creek Mound and Village Site is located along the Natchez
Trace Parkway (milepost 308.8), about 45 miles northeast of Tupelo,
Mississippi, at the Alabama state line. Open to the public daily,
free of charge.
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