Towosahgy State Historic Site ( 23MI2), also known as Beckwith's Fort Archeological Site, is a large Mississippian

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 a ...

with a Woodland period

Baytown culture The Baytown culture was a Pre-Columbian Native American culture that existed from 300 to 700 CE in the lower Mississippi River Valley, consisting of sites in eastern Arkansas, western Tennessee, Louisiana, and western Mississippi. The Baytown Si ...

component located in Mississippi County,

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

, United States. It is believed to have been inhabited from c. 400–1350 CE. The site is maintained by the

Missouri Department of Natural Resources The Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MoDNR) of the government of the U.S. state of Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied fo ...

as a state historic site. The name ''Towosahgy'' is an Osage word which means "old town". It is not known if members of the historic Osage people, who dominated a large area of present-day Missouri at the beginning of the 19th century, ever occupied the site. (includes 7 photographs) The site was acquired by the Missouri state park system in 1967 and 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 ...

in 1969 as NRIS number 69000113.

History of Towosahgy

The earliest portion of Towosahgy State Historic Site is in the southern half, where a

Late Woodland period 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 archaeolog ...

village once stood. Wilkie dates this component to about 400 to 700 CE. Later the site was fortified and built up as a Mississippian village with seven

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 ...

s, most surrounding a central

plaza A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true geometric square, used for community gatherings. ...

area. During this time, the site was surrounded by a palisade wall of vertical logs and a moat. Like other Mississippian mound centers, Towosahgy also had a

borrow pit Digging, also referred to as excavation, is the process of using some implement such as claws, hands, manual tools or heavy equipment, to remove material from a solid surface, usually soil, sand or rock on the surface of Earth. Digging is actu ...

from which earth was removed to create the mounds. The largest remaining mound in the complex is Mound 2, also known as the "temple mound". Excavations on this part of the site were conducted in 1989 by James Price. The site was abandoned during the late 14th century for unknown reasons, as were many similar Mississippian sites in the region. Ceramics from the site represent typical pottery found in the

Missouri Bootheel The Missouri Bootheel is a salient located in the southeasternmost part of the U.S. state of Missouri, extending south of 36°30′ north latitude, so called because its shape in relation to the rest of the state resembles the heel of a boot. ...

region. Sherds from the Woodland occupation are typically grog tempered. The later

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 ( ...

is shell tempered. Type varieties identified include Baytown Plain and Mulberry Creek Cordmarked. Mississippian ceramics were also both plain and decorated. Punctuated, incised, fabric impressed, and red, black, and brown painted/slipped sherds, typical decorating methods, are all present. A large collection of ceramic vessels from the site are part of the Beckwith Collection displayed at the Rosemary Berkel and Harry L. Crisp II Museum at Southeast Missouri State University.

References

External links

Towosahgy State Historic Site
Missouri Department of Natural Resources
Towosahgy State Historic Site Map
Missouri Department of Natural Resources

*[http://library.semo.edu/archives/collections/Finding%20Aids/Wilkie%20Collection,%20Duncan/Cascading%20Style%20Sheet/Wilkie%20Title%20Page.htm The Wilkie Collection, Southeast Missouri State University Special Collections and Archive] {{National Register of Historic Places in Missouri Middle Mississippian culture Mounds in Missouri Native American history of Missouri Archaeological sites in Missouri Missouri State Historic Sites Archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places in Missouri Buildings and structures in Mississippi County, Missouri Protected areas established in 1967 Protected areas of Mississippi County, Missouri 1967 establishments in Missouri

History of Towosahgy

See also

References

External links