GPS
Coordinates: Latitude: 32.131944 Longitude: -91.240638
Driving Directions:
— From La 575 at Somerset, head south on US 65. Go 3.0
miles to marker on left.
— From La 4, head north on US 65. Go 4.3 miles to marker
on right. |
| Number
of Mounds: 3 |
Number
of Visible Mounds: 3 |
| Summer
Viewing: Excellent |
Winter
Viewing: Excellent |
 A
must-see. This is the most visible mound group on the entire Trail.
The three mounds of Balmoral form an equilateral triangle on the
east and west sides of US 65, on the south side of Bayou de Rousset.
A 1963 investigation found that the site was intensively occupied
before mound construction. Decorated ceramics and a radiocarbon
sample suggest Balmoral dates to AD 700–1200 (Coles Creek
period). In 2003, mapping and coring showed that Mound A is an
11-foot-tall platform mound that measures almost 150 by 165 feet
at its base. Dome-shaped Mound B is 9 feet tall and about 100
by 130 feet at the base. Mound C, also dome-shaped, is 8 feet
tall and about 130 by 150 feet at its base. Cores from Mounds
A and C suggest they were built in single stages at about the
same time. Although Mound B has not been investigated, artifacts
found nearby make it likely that it’s the same age.
|
