History of the Ocmulgee National Monument:
President Roosevelt established the Ocmulgee National Monument in 1936 in order to preserve the enormous Indian mounds on site in Macon, Ga. There are seven mounds in the area, including but not limited to: the Greater Temple Mound, the Lesser Temple Mound, the Funeral Mound, and the Earth Lodge.
funeral mound
Unearthed skeletons and artifacts from the Funeral mound indicate that the earliest inhabitants of Ocmulgee practiced intentional skull modification. This is in concordance with a Creek migration legend explaining the nature of the people that the Creek's massacred. This also indicates that the mounds were already inhabited by a different group of people when the Muscogee Creeks arrived.
The Muscogee Creek Indians are only credited with building the Earth Lodge, all other structures were in existence before they inhabited the area. The Earth Lodge includes space for 50 to be seated with three seats in the center for tribal leaders or other elders of importance. It is evident that all of the structures at the Ocmulgee National Monument originate from two different peoples who lived in the area at two different times.
This is what the mounds are believed to have looked like in 1000AD. The Ocmulgee Mounds is the site of one of the largest Native American cities in the US and is home to the tallest earthen pyramid, one in a set of seven that were built and constructed around 800AD. The tallest, the Great Temple Mound, stands at 56 feet above ground, but, from the base of the plateau to the top of the mound, it is actually over 90 feet. It is believed that a temple and/or chief's residence resided at the top of the mound.
An aerial view of the construction of the railroad in 1847 that destroyed parts of the lower mounds.
A picture of the excavation of the Ocmulgee Indian mounds
Another photo of the excavation of the Ocmulgee Indian Mounds
source: http://www.examiner.com/article/quest-for-georgia-s-native-americans-part-2-macon-georgia
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