Indian Mound Park | |
| Nearest city | Dauphin Island, Alabama |
|---|---|
| Area | 18 acres (7.3 ha) |
| NRHP reference No. | 73000360[1] |
| Added to NRHP | August 14, 1973 |
Indian Mound Park, also known asShell Mound Park orIndian Shell Mound Park, is apark andbird refuge located on the northern shore ofDauphin Island, abarrier island ofMobile County,Alabama in theUnited States. In addition to the manybirds which visit, a wide variety ofbotanical species contribute to the natural offerings. The site is historically significant due to the presence ofprehistoric Indianshell middens, mounds composed of discardedoyster shells. The park was added to theNational Register of Historic Places on August 14, 1973. It is administered by theAlabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
The shell middens located at Indian Mound Park date to theMississippian period (1100 to 1550). The mounds were visited throughout this period byNative Americans of thePensacola culture, who harvested oysters andfished in Little Dauphin Island Sound, aninlet of theGulf of Mexico.[2] Archaeologist Gregory Waselkov of theUniversity of South Alabama believes that the visitors to the island came fromBottle Creek, the largest Mississippian settlement in the area. Waselkov theorizes that Bottle Creek, located on theMobile-TensawDelta, served as the major village while Dauphin Island acted as a migration destination during the winter months.[3]
Relatively immune from the unpredictable weather conditions that affectfarming, the fish and oysters from the sound were a reliable supply of food that could be immediately consumed ordried for use during later months. The oysters were collected fromreefs duringlow tide conditions. Placed atop heated coals in a pit, the oysters weresteamed by covering withseaweed. The cooking technique likely resembled a traditionalNew England clam bake. The steaming process would also have facilitated easy recovery of the oyster meat since the shells open naturally when heated. Forpreservation of the oysters, the recovered meat would be treated bysmoking. Over the years, the discardedshells accumulated to form the middens.[3] Some have suggested that suchwaste disposal (dumping) with apparent lack of care is inherent inhuman behavior, not just a trait ofWestern civilizations.[4]Spaniards first visited Dauphin Island in 1519.[5] The arrival of Europeans to the region led to the disruption of the Mississippian culture.[3] The Mississippian tribes in the coastal region were replaced by or became theChoctaw andCreek tribes. The Creeks andSeminoles continued to fish and harvest oysters in the area until the 1830s when they wereforcibly displaced to theIndian Territory in present-dayOklahoma.[3]
In 1699,Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville landed on the island and discovered a large pile of humanbones. Based on the discovery, d'Iberville coined the name Massacre Island. The height andserpentine shape of the shell mounds on the north side of the island indicated use or habitation by earlier civilizations.[6]
Indian Mound Park contains six oyster shell middens of varying sizes. The largest is approximately circular with a recessed bowl in the center of the mound. This midden measures 180 by 165 feet (55 by 50 m) with a height of 3 to 22 feet (0.91 to 6.71 m).[1] In the bookStars Fell On Alabama, however, Carl Carmer states that the largest mound rose to a height of 50 feet (15 m) and was composed of layers measuring ten feet (3.0 m) thick.[7] The structures are archaeologically similar toshell rings found on the coasts ofFlorida andSouth Carolina.[1]
In 1940 and 1941, a limitedarchaeological survey was executed on a large prehistoric shell midden on Dauphin Island.[8] More extensiveexcavations of the site were conducted by archaeologists from the University of South Alabama in 1990. Observation of the mound profile revealedstratification with large layers of oyster shells and thin intervening layers ofcharcoal, fish bones, andpotsherds.[2] The stratified layers are due to the seasonal use of the mounds by various bands of people over a period of centuries. The oyster shells were discarded into the area surrounding the fire used for steaming. As the location of the fire moved each year, a complex pattern of overlapping layers emerged in the form of shell mounds.[2] Sponsored by theNational Science Foundation, a mapping team from the University of South Alabama produced acontour map of the shell mounds.[2]
Fewartifacts were recovered from the site during the excavations. Objects discovered at the location were primarily brokencooking pots.Stone tools were particularly scarce in the region.[2]
Indian Mound Park exhibits a variety ofsubtropical plants exceeding that of the other Gulf Coast barrier islands. Likely brought to the area by Native American groups for medicine or culinary purposes, the species include representatives offamilies from as far inland as theAppalachian Mountains and as far south as the state ofYucatán inMexico.[5]Live oaks on the island may be over 800 years old. They were present at the first visits of Spanish and French explorers.[5]
The park is located on the Dauphin Island-Bayou La Batre Loop of theAlabama Coastal Birding Trail.[9] Due to its location on the northern boundary of the Gulf of Mexico, Dauphin Island is a stop for manymigrant birds. Up to 384 species of birds have been spotted on the island, including a large variety ofshorebirds, long-legged waders, andwarblers.[10] The city of Dauphin Island was named America's "birdiest" small coastal city in both 2005 and 2006.[10][11] Additionally, migratorybutterflies can be spotted at Indian Mound Park.[3]
| Middle Mississippian |
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| South Appalachian Mississippian |
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| Fort Walton culture | |||||||||||
| Pensacola culture | |||||||||||
| Plaquemine Mississippian | |||||||||||
| Caddoan Mississippian | |||||||||||
| Upper Mississippian cultures |
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