Town Creek Indian Mound

Last week we took a field trip out to the Town Creek Indian Mound. This is a North Carolina Historical Site about two hours southwest of Raleigh, pretty much in the middle of nowhere. Ok, so maybe not nowhere. It is connected to Uwharrie National Forest and very close to Morrow Mountain State Park. We camped at Morrow Mountain over the summer, and it is a nice park, though I would recommend you go some time NOT in the middle of a heat wave. I could say a lot about that trip, but the highlights are: bugs, tame deer, mayflies, people blasting music, heat, and bugs.

The amazing thing about this area is that it's geology and history is just so dang old. This area is possibly part of the oldest mountain range in eastern North America. Morrow Mountain is really just barely a mountain. I would call it a hill, as it is less than 1,000 feet. However, 600 million years ago the area was a chain of very tall volcanic islands. Those volcanic mountains have been worn down over time to what they are now, and as a result, the geology is distinct. Native peoples came to this area as much as 10,000 years ago to fish for shad and to collect the rocks for arrowheads. There is a distinct kind of rock, called argillite, that can be found here, and was prized because of the way it chips and could be shaped into arrowheads.

There are a great many artifacts and burial sites at Town Creek Indian Mound dating back at least this long ago. There is evidence of almost continuous human habitation from then to the present. The mound itself was probably created for ceremonial reasons, and there are re-created huts and a stockade to show how they probably looked.

Inside are some permanent displays outlining foods, weapons, pottery and burial methods. These displays were augmented on our trip with a weapons demonstration, a chance to make some pinch pots, and a talk about native foods, tanning, and tools.

This is definitely a worth-while place to visit, especially if you book a tour ahead of time or are in the area for other recreation. If you are studying North Carolina history, it could be a great place to start.