Photo courtesy Kevin McGorty, Historic Tallahassee Preservation Board
|
3600 Indian Mounds Road
Tallahassee, Florida 32303
Contact:
C.W. Smith/Shirley Deal
Phone (850) 922-6007/Fax (850) 488-0366
Hours of Operation:
8:00 a.m. to Sunset
Tours:
Interpretive displays; tours by appointment only, 2 weeks advance notice.
Admission:
$2.00 per car, $1.00 per person walking or biking |
Significant Dates:
| 1000 |
Ancestors of the Apalachee Indians began developing the Lake Jackson
Mounds as a religious and administrative capital for this region. |
| 1500s |
For reasons still unknown, they abandoned this ceremonial center, and
relocated to other parts of the province. |
| 1800s |
This area was part of Colonel Robert Butler's cotton plantation during the
antebellum period. |
Description:
Three earth temple mounds, the tallest reaching 26 feet into the air, serve as a
reminder of the complex Native American civilization located here from the 1200s through
the 1500s. Considered one of the most important archaeological sites in North Florida, the
Lake Jackson Mounds represent what is known as the Fort Walton period. Today, kiosks
provide background on the history of the site, and interpretive programs and guided tours
are given upon advance request. Close to 100 acres of land are under public ownership.
Visitors can climb to the top of the mounds, as well as hike a quarter mile nature trail
past remains of a grist mill dam and earthen dyke from an antebellum cotton plantation
once located here. The property has a picnic area with tables and restrooms.
Facts and Figures:
The area of Florida between the Aucilla and Ochlockonee Rivers was known as the
Apalachee Province. The Apalachee Indians lived here, developing a rich culture based on
agriculture. They grew corn, beans and squash, and also fished, gathered shellfish, and
hunted deer, bear, panther, squirrel, and other game to supplement their diet.
Around 1000 A.D., during what is known as the Fort Walton period, ancestors of the
Apalachee Indians began developing ceremonial mound centers, including the one at Lake
Jackson. These were both religious and political centers for the Native Americans.
At its peak, the Lake Jackson Mound complex consisted of six temple mounds and a large
village with central plaza. Scattered farmsteads surrounded the area. On top of the
mounds, they built temples and houses for their priests and rulers. They worshipped
nature, and are believed to have had ceremonies to honor the gods of the sun, moon, rain,
and thunder to promote abundant crops.
Other small villages surrounded by farmsteads were established throughout the province.
Reflecting their lesser importance, they usually only had one temple mound. Some of these
other mounds still remain, especially around Lake Jackson and Lake Lafayette. These mounds
and villages were often adjacent to water bodies because they provided food and
transportation.
The Apalachee were part of vast southeastern Native American complex known as
"Mississippian." Mississippian cultures were based on agriculture, had similar
spiritual beliefs, built mounds, and traded goods with one another.
The trading area extended as far away as the Great Lakes and Oklahoma. Exotic artifacts
found in the Lake Jackson Mounds, including copper breast plates, shell necklaces and
bracelets, reflect this trading network.
The Apalachee are believed to have had an advanced political system, with tribal
leaders living at regional centers such as Lake Jackson and working cooperatively with
other tribal leaders in the Province.
In the 1500s, the Apalachee abandoned the Lake Jackson Mounds as their ceremonial
center, and relocated to other areas within the Apalachee Province. Their reasons for
abandoning Lake Jackson are still unknown.
In the early 1800s, this land was part of Col. Robert Butler's cotton plantation.
Butler was appointed by Territorial Governor Andrew Jackson to be Florida's first Surveyor
General.
The State of Florida acquired this land, opening it as a state park in 1972.
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