Mound 4

     Mound 4 is the site’s only burial mound. It is also the only mound at the site to be completely excavated. It was originally 20 feet tall and 100 feet wide at its base, and it had a conical shape. The mound contained the remains of at least 34 people and two dogs. Some burials included decorated ceramic pots and pipes. After workers finished excavating the mound in 1933, they rebuilt it.

     Mound 4 began as a 5-foot-high, rectangular platform of earth. A line of wooden posts stood along two sides of the platform, and a large burial chamber was in the center. This tomb was 8 by 12 feet in size and 3 feet deep. People laid several bodies along with artifacts in this tomb. Then they covered it with logs and mats of woven cane. Several smaller tombs were on the platform

Archaeologist Gerard Fowke started work at Mound 4 in 1926. He only dug a portion of the mound, though. In 1933, civilian crews dug the entire mound under the direction of archaeologist Frank Setzler.

around this large grave. The builders covered the entire platform with a pile of earth and added more burials. Then, they topped the mound with a second layer of earth to give it the final conical shape.

     This mound was reserved for the burial of important people from the community. Children buried in the mound may have been members of their families. This kind of treatment was unusual during the Middle Woodland period in this region.