| Pinson Mounds State Archaeological Park | |
|---|---|
 Sauls' Mound (Mound 9) at the park | |
 Interactive map of Pinson Mounds State Archaeological Park | |
| Type | Tennessee State Park |
| Location | Pinson, Tennessee |
| Area | 1,200 acres (4.9 km2) |
Pinson Mounds | |
| Location | Madison County, Tennessee |
| Coordinates | 35°29′52″N88°40′57″W / 35.49778°N 88.68250°W /35.49778; -88.68250 |
| Built | 0-499 AD |
| Website | Pinson Mounds State Park |
| NRHP reference No. | 66000727 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
| Designated NHL | January 29, 1964 |
ThePinson Mounds comprise a prehistoricNative American complex located inMadison County, Tennessee, in the region that is known as the Eastern Woodlands. The complex, which includes 17mounds, anearthen geometricenclosure, and numerous habitation areas, was most likely built during theMiddle Woodland period (c. 1-500AD). The complex is the largest group of Middle Woodland mounds in the United States. Sauls' Mound, at 72 feet (22 m), is the second-highest surviving mound in the United States.
The Pinson Mounds are now part ofPinson Mounds State Archaeological Park, one of twoarchaeological parks in Tennessee (the other beingOld Stone Fort nearManchester). Pinson Mounds is aNational Historic Landmark and is listed on theNational Register of Historic Places.
The Pinson Mounds are located on a plateau-like upland above thewetlands that line the banks of the South Fork of theForked Deer River. The river and its wetlands form the complex's southern boundary. The Pinson Mounds are located amidst three distinctive biotic zones: theoak forests atop the plateau, thecypress forests in the wet bottomlands, and thebeech forests on the slopes between the uplands and the bottomlands. The ground is mostly composed ofTertiary period rocks known for producing high-quality clay.[1]
The mounds complex can be roughly divided into three sections— the Inner section, situated at the center of the complex around Saul's Mound, the Western (or Ozier) section, and the Eastern section, which includes the geometric enclosure. A stream known as Hudson Branch runs perpendicular to the Forked Deer River and divides the Inner section from the Western section. The Eastern and Western sections are both roughly 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) from the Inner section.
The Pinson Mounds complex is managed by theTennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. The Western section is managed by the Tennessee Division of Forestry and includes a nursery and irrigation pond. Pinson Mounds State Archaeological Park is located appx. 2.5 miles (4.0 km) east of the town ofPinson and approximately 10 miles (16 km) southeast ofJackson.
The Pinson Mounds complex covers approximately 400 acres (1.6 km2) and contains at least 30 mounds, 17 of which have been identified as being completely or partially constructed by prehistoric peoples.[2] The mounds range in height from the prominent 72-foot (22 m) Saul's Mound to barely noticeable rises. Most mounds were probably constructed between 100 and 300 AD, based onradiocarbon dating and the predominance of Woodland-period artifacts found at the site. The following are major features at the Pinson Mounds site:
After theChickasaw were forced from much of West Tennessee in 1818, land speculator Joel Pinson arrived in what is now Madison County to survey the area. Pinson "discovered" the complex which was named after him in 1820. The complex did not receive much attention until aJackson-areajournalist named J.G. Cisco began writing about it in the late 19th century. Cisco's articles drew the interest of theSmithsonian Institution.
In 1916 the Smithsonian dispatched thearchaeologistWilliam E. Myer to investigate the site. Myer suggested that the entire complex was built according to a master plan, and created a map for the site. In 1947, the Tennessee Division of Forestry purchased the Western section of the Pinson site.[2]
At the request of the Jackson Archaeological Society and theNational Park Service, in December 1961 theUniversity of Tennessee archaeologists Fred Fisher andCharles McNutt carried out the first major excavation of the Pinson Mounds. In the Mound 14 Sector, Fisher and McNutt discovered the remains of a 21 by 18 feet (6.4 m × 5.5 m) house surrounded by a posthole-lined wall-trench and containing a central hearth andstorage pits. Based primarily on the vast amount of pre-Mississippian culture debris found at the site andradiocarbon dating ofcharcoal, Fisher and McNutt concluded that the Pinson Mounds were probably built during the Middle Woodland period, c. 1-500 AD.[8]
Excavations byDan Morse and Richard Polhemus in 1963 uncovered what they believed was an oval-shaped house, a large hearth, and various refuse pits.[9] Morse and Polhemus agreed that the mounds were mostly built during the Middle Woodland period. The state purchased the prehistoric property in 1965 from the Williams and Saul families. It was added to theNational Register of Historic Places that same year.[2]
In the 1970s, John Broster of theTennessee Division of Archaeology carried out extensive investigations of the site's Western section and the Mound 12 Sector. Broster uncovered a humancremation pit and evidence ofEarly Woodland-period habitation at Mound 12.[10] Broster's team also found a number of "exotic"artifacts at the Cochran area. This suggested Pinson Mounds may have been a "manufacture" area for grave goods, or a regional trade center.[11]
In the 1980s, Robert Mainfort discovered six tombs in the Twin Mounds, one of which contained the remains of eight young women wearing headdresses withcopper adornments. Another tomb had four older men, one of whom had been buried with two round rattles bearing abstract designs. Mainfort also uncovered a single burial in Mound 31 and evidence of food offerings at the base of the mounds.[2]
Excavations carried out prior to construction of park facilities uncovered a possible habitation area at Mound 11 and a large number of 19th-century artifacts.[12] In the late 1990s, four additional mounds were verified as prehistoric, bringing the total to 17.[2]
The Middle Woodland natives most likely built the Pinson Mounds primarily for religious ceremonial purposes, although their motives have yet to be established definitively. The Ozier Mound contains no burials and because of its shape, ramped and flat-topped, it was most likely used as a ceremonial platform.[13] It is one of the oldest such mounds in the Eastern Woodlands region. At least three of the mounds— 6, 12, and 31— contain burials or cremations.[3] Excavations have turned up a relatively scant amount of cultural material (e.g., arrowheads and pottery fragments), which points to a lack of permanent habitation at the Pinson Mounds site.[14]
Some evidence suggests that the layout of the Pinson Mounds might be due toastronomical alignment, and expresses the people'scosmology, as is the case at some later mound complexes, such asCahokia. The corners of Sauls' Mound, for instance, face the four cardinal directions. The Eastern and Western sections of the complex are roughly equidistant (appx. 1,500 metres (4,900 ft)) from the Inner complex, although the alignment is not exact. Mound 29 in the Eastern section is aligned with Sauls' Mound in the direction of theequinox sunrise, and Mound 28 isalmost aligned with Sauls' in the direction of the Summersolstice sunrise. To date, no mound has been found in the direction of the Winter solstice sunrise.[2]
The park's museum is built within a "replica" of a platform mound. Its exhibits include artifacts obtained from the various excavations at the Pinson site, as well as various other artifacts from around the region. The museum is also home to the West Tennessee Regional Archaeology offices and an archaeological library.
The park contains approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) of walking trails, most of which explore the mounds and associated features. South of Sauls' Mound, a boardwalk looks out over the South Fork of the Forked Deer River and its wetlands. The park is also the site of Archaeofest, an event held every September that celebrates the site's prehistoric builders.
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