Mounds State Park
Mounds State Park entrance sign.
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| Location |
Anderson, Indiana, Madison County, Indiana,  USA
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| Region | Madison County, Indiana |
| Coordinates | 40°6′1.39″N 85°37′14.60″W / 40.1003861°N 85.6207222°W |
| History | |
| Founded | 160 BCE |
| Cultures | Adena culture, Hopewell tradition |
| Site notes | |
| Architecture | |
| Architectural styles | earthworks |
| Architectural details |
Number of monuments: 10 |
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Mounds State Park
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| Area | 251.8 acres (101.9 ha) |
| NRHP Reference # | 73000022 |
| Added to NRHP | January 18, 1973 |
| Responsible body: Indiana Department of Natural Resources | |
Number of monuments: 10
Mounds State Park is a state park in Anderson, Indiana (not to be confused with Mounds State Recreation Area (SRA) near Brookville, Indiana) featuring Native American heritage, and 10 ceremonial mounds built by the prehistoric Adena culture indigenous peoples of eastern North America, and also used centuries later by Hopewell culture inhabitants.
The largest earthwork, the "Great Mound", is believed to have been constructed around 160 BC. The Great Mound is a circular earth enclosure with an internal ditch and south to southwest entrance. The earthworks measure 394 feet (120.1 m) across from bank to bank. The 9-foot-tall (3 m) embankment is 63 feet (19 m) wide at its base, and the ditch is 10.5 feet (3.2 m) deep and 60 feet (18.3 m) across at its top. The central platform is 138 feet (42 m) across and was occupied by a 4-foot-high (1.2 m) central mound 30 feet (9 m) in diameter. One particular mound at the Anderson Site has a sequence of clay platforms, each deliberately covered by a layer of ash.
The term Earthworks includes any structure made from the earth. In Native American studies, there are three primary types: mounds, circular enclosures, and complexes. All are found in Central Indiana and in the state park. Mounds State Park has a complex of enclosures, both circular and rectangular. There are seven enclosures and four additional earthworks, which have been divided into two groups, the northern complex and the southern complex. The ‘’Great Mound’’ enclosure is the dominant structure in the park and the southern group.
The Great Mound is approximately 300 feet (91 m) across and consists of an outer embankment 9 feet (2.7 m) high and 63 feet (19 m) wide, surrounding a 60 feet (18 m) wide ditch that is 10.5 feet (3.2 m) deep. The central platform, 138 feet (42 m) is diameter with a central mound, 4 feet (1.2 m) high and 30 metres (98 ft) in diameter. The central mound was excavated in 1968/69 and found to have three clay layers, each with ashes, showing a succession of use periods.
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Wikipedia