Ocmulgee Indian Mounds: Part I

Ocmulgee Earth Lodge

 This reconstruction stood on the north side of the Mississippian village.  It was probably a meeting place for the town’s political and religious leaders.  The original clay floor is about 1,000 years old.

The interior of the earthlodge would have looked something like this about 1,000 years ago. A fire preserved evidence of many features, giving archeologist a firm basis for this reconstruction.

This earthlodge is 42 feet in diameter.  Opposite the entrance is a clay platform and is shaped like a large bird.  There are three seats on the platform and 47 on the bench around the wall.  In the center of the lodge is a firepit.

Seats along the wall

Bird Platform

Cornfield Mound

This mound was originally about eight feet high.  Beneath it archeologists found signs of a cultivated field which is a puzzle because Mississippian agricultural fields usually lay in bottomlands.  The mound itself was probably a platform for a ceremonial building.

View of Large Temple Mound from the Earth Lodge

Photos by Jan Riser.