Nacoochee Mound
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The Nacoochee Mound (
Smithsonian trinomial A Smithsonian trinomial (formally the Smithsonian Institution Trinomial System, abbreviated SITS) is a unique identifier assigned to archaeological sites in many states in the United States. They are composed of one or two digits coding for the sta ...
9WH3) is an
archaeological site An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology an ...
on the banks of the
Chattahoochee River The Chattahoochee River forms the southern half of the Alabama and Georgia border, as well as a portion of the Florida - Georgia border. It is a tributary of the Apalachicola River, a relatively short river formed by the confluence of the Chatta ...
in White County, in the northeast part of the
U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
state of
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...
.
Georgia State Route 17 State Route 17 (SR 17) is a state highway that travels northwest–southeast in the east-central and northeastern parts of the U.S. state of Georgia. The highway connects the Savannah metro area to the North Carolina state line, nort ...
and
Georgia State Route 75 State Route 75 (SR 75) is a state highway that travels south-to-north through portions of White and Towns counties in the northern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. It connects Cleveland and the North Carolina state line, via Helen, ...
have a junction near here. First occupied as early as 100-500 CE by
Woodland culture In the classification of archaeological cultures of North America, the Woodland period of North American pre-Columbian cultures spanned a period from roughly 1000 BCE to European contact in the eastern part of North America, with some archaeologi ...
people, the site was later developed and occupied more intensively from 1350 to 1600 CE by peoples of the
South Appalachian Mississippian culture The Mississippian culture was a Native American civilization that flourished in what is now the Midwestern, Eastern, and Southeastern United States from approximately 800 CE to 1600 CE, varying regionally. It was known for building large, earth ...
(a regional variation of the
Mississippian culture The Mississippian culture was a Native Americans in the United States, Native American civilization that flourished in what is now the Midwestern United States, Midwestern, Eastern United States, Eastern, and Southeastern United States from appr ...
). The latter people built a characteristic
platform mound Platform may refer to: Technology * Computing platform, a framework on which applications may be run * Platform game, a genre of video games * Car platform, a set of components shared by several vehicle models * Weapons platform, a system or ...
at this site, and evidence of related villages were found both east and west of the mound. A professional archeological excavation revealed a total of 75 human burials, with artifacts that support dating of the site. The late 19th-century gazebo was installed on top of the mound in 1890 by a European-American owner of the land. After the mound was excavated, former governor Lamartine Griffin Hardman had a reconstruction of it built on his property south of
Helen, Georgia Helen is a city in White County, Georgia, United States, located along the Chattahoochee River. The population was 531 at the 2020 census. History Helen was platted in 1912, and named after the daughter of a lumber official. The town was incorp ...
.
George Gustav Heye George Gustav Heye (1874 – January 20, 1957) was an American collector of Native American artifacts in the Western Hemisphere, particularly in North America. He founded the Museum of the American Indian, and his collection became the core of ...
, sponsor of the original excavation in 1915, claimed that the historic
Cherokee The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, t ...
had inhabited the site, which was within their homelands. A 1955 historical marker on the site refers to such habitation. But, James B. Langford of The Coosawattee Foundation says that the excavation necessary to confirm such a claim has not been performed. A 1734 land grant between Great Britain and the Cherokee lists Nacoochee ( chr, ᎾᎫᏥ, translit=Nagutsi) as a town of Cherokee territory but does not describe its exact location. The archeological site is part of the
Sautee Valley Historic District The Sautee Valley Historic District comprises the southern half of the Sautee Valley, near Sautee, Georgia. Lynch Mountain is to the southeast, Grimes Nose is to the northwest, and the Nacoochee Valley is to the southwest. There are historic and ...
. It was added to the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
on August 20, 1986 as reference number 86002742.


Site description

In the 1870s, the mound site was owned by Captain John H. Nichols, who reported plowing up
stone box grave Stone box graves were a method of burial used by Native Americans of the Mississippian culture in the Midwestern United States and the Southeastern United States. Their construction was especially common in the Cumberland River Basin, in settleme ...
s to the west of the mound. (These are now known to be typical artifacts of the Mississippian culture.) Charles C. Jones described the mound as being in height, in his 1873 report on Native American sites in Georgia. In 1890 Captain Nichols removed the top of the mound and built a gazebo on its new summit, a feature that became noted locally. The mound was formally excavated in 1915 by a team of archaeologists headed by
Frederick Webb Hodge Frederick Webb Hodge (October 28, 1864 – September 28, 1956) was an American editor, anthropologist, archaeologist, and historian. Born in England, he immigrated at the age of seven with his family to Washington, DC. He was educated at America ...
and
George H. Pepper George Hubbard Pepper (February 2, 1873 – May 13, 1924) was an American ethnologist and archaeologist. He worked on projects in New York, the Southwest and, most notably, the Nacoochee Mound in northeastern Georgia. His work with Frederick W. Hod ...
and sponsored by the
Heye Foundation George Gustav Heye (1874 – January 20, 1957) was an American collector of Native American artifacts in the Western Hemisphere, particularly in North America. He founded the Museum of the American Indian, and his collection became the core of ...
, the
Museum of the American Indian The National Museum of the American Indian–New York, the George Gustav Heye Center, is a branch of the National Museum of the American Indian at the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House in Manhattan, New York City. The museum is part of the Smi ...
in New York, and the
Bureau of American Ethnology The Bureau of American Ethnology (or BAE, originally, Bureau of Ethnology) was established in 1879 by an act of Congress for the purpose of transferring archives, records and materials relating to the Indians of North America from the Interior D ...
(now part of the
Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...
). This is considered one of the earliest scientific archeological excavations in the state. The Museum of the American Indian and Heye Foundation published the book by Heye, Hodge and Pepper about the excavation, ''The Nacoochee Mound in Georgia'' (1918), which included photographs. The excavation showed two intervals of mound construction. It uncovered 75 human burials, including 56 adults, seven adolescents, and four children. Eight other bodies were too degraded for their ages to be determined. The burials were layered, dating from different time periods. About a third of the individuals were buried with artifacts indicative of social status, including hammered
copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...
and stone
celts The Celts (, see pronunciation for different usages) or Celtic peoples () are. "CELTS location: Greater Europe time period: Second millennium B.C.E. to present ancestry: Celtic a collection of Indo-European peoples. "The Celts, an ancien ...
, conch shell beads and cups, and elaborate
Mississippian culture pottery Mississippian culture pottery is the ceramic tradition of the Mississippian culture (800 to 1600 CE) found as artifacts in archaeological sites in the American Midwest and Southeast. It is often characterized by the adoption and use of riverine ( ...
. Some later burials included glass beads and sheet
brass Brass is an alloy of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), in proportions which can be varied to achieve different mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties. It is a substitutional alloy: atoms of the two constituents may replace each other with ...
ornaments, indicating that these were intrusive burials from the 17th-century contact period with
European European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...
s. Test excavations at the site in 2004 by the
University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...
Archaeology Field School resulted in evidence that, combined with current knowledge and theory, enabled refinement of dating related to inhabitants of the site. Some 87 postholes were made around the village site, the first excavation at the village. It was first occupied during the Early
Middle Woodland In the classification of :category:Archaeological cultures of North America, archaeological cultures of North America, the Woodland period of North American pre-Columbian cultures spanned a period from roughly 1000 Common Era, BCE to European con ...
Cartersville Phase. The village was revealed to have been most intensively occupied during the Mississippian period, from 1350 to 1600 CE during the Lamar phase, when the platform mound is believed to have been constructed. It is a characteristic construction of the period, associated with ceremonial and ritual uses. In addition, pottery sherds characteristic of the
Etowah Indian Mounds Etowah Indian Mounds ( 9BR1) are a archaeological site in Bartow County, Georgia, south of Cartersville. Built and occupied in three phases, from 1000–1550 CE, the prehistoric site is located on the north shore of the Etowah River. Etow ...
site in
Cartersville, Georgia Cartersville is a city in Bartow County, Georgia, United States; it is located within the northwest edge of the Atlanta metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 23,187. Cartersville is the county seat of Bartow Coun ...
were found at the site and are evidence that the two sites were occupied during the same time period. A small village area was located in the field to the east of the mound. A much larger village area in the field to the west of the mound was found to have been occupied primarily during the later period. Archaeological evidence suggests that Nacoochee Mound site, and a nearby mound site called the Eastwood Site (9Wh2), served as local administrative centers for associated villages in the late 15th century and early 16th centuries. The village was not fully excavated. James B. Langford suggests that it may have been occupied later than the period above. Nacoochee and Chota were noted as
Cherokee The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, t ...
towns in this valley by the Colonel George Chicken expedition of 1715-1716 to the interior following the
Yamasee War The Yamasee War (also spelled Yamassee or Yemassee) was a conflict fought in South Carolina from 1715 to 1717 between British settlers from the Province of Carolina and the Yamasee and a number of other allied Native American peoples, incl ...
. These towns were later shown on maps of the area. This site may have been one of the villages. Both Nacoochee and Chota towns were abandoned by the Cherokee after the mid-eighteenth century. A bronze state historical marker at the site, dated 1955, says that, according to legend, it is the "ancient Cherokee town of Gauxule, visited by
Hernando de Soto Hernando de Soto (; ; 1500 – 21 May, 1542) was a Spanish explorer and '' conquistador'' who was involved in expeditions in Nicaragua and the Yucatan Peninsula. He played an important role in Francisco Pizarro's conquest of the Inca Empire ...
in 1540". While there was speculation about De Soto's path, later 20th-century scholars do not believe the early translations of his chronicles were accurate. Since then scholars have pieced together De Soto's route based on the use of topographic and geographic data, as well as the chronicles. Some parts are still disputed. The original Nacoochee Mound was partially excavated. Former Georgia governor Lamartine Griffin Hardman had a reconstruction of this mound built at his estate in the Nacoochee Valley in White County, two miles south of
Helen Helen may refer to: People * Helen of Troy, in Greek mythology, the most beautiful woman in the world * Helen (actress) (born 1938), Indian actress * Helen (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) Places * Helen, ...
. It still stands.


See also

*
List of Mississippian sites This is a list of Mississippian sites. The Mississippian culture was a mound-building Native American culture that flourished in what is now the Midwestern, inland-Eastern, and Southeastern United States from approximately 800 CE to 1500 CE, ...
*
Kenimer site The Kenimer site (9Wh68) is an archaeological site near Sautee Nacoochee, Georgia in White County. The site contains two earthwork mounds located on top of a natural hilltop. Site description The Kenimer site is located on an erosional remnant ...


References


Further reading

*George G. Heye, F. W. Hodge, and George H. Pepper, ''The Nacoochee Mound in Georgia'' (New York: Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation, 1918). Available scanned full text online at Internet Archive (https://archive.org/details/nacoocheemoundin00heyeiala) *Robert Wauchope, ''Archaeological Survey of Northern Georgia with a Test of Some Cultural Hypotheses'' (Salt Lake City: Society for American Archaeology, 1966).


External links


Nacoochee Mound images
National Museum of the American Indian
Folk Pottery Museum of Northeast Georgia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nacoochee Mound South Appalachian Mississippian culture Swift Creek culture Archaeological sites in Georgia (U.S. state) Geography of White County, Georgia Mounds in the United States