Ocmulgee National Monument, Macon, Georgia
Steven Dutch, Professor Emeritus, Natural and Applied Sciences,
Universityof Wisconsin - Green Bay
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Ocmulgee National Monument is on the eastern outskirts of Macon,
Georgia. It's not overly well marked. The main entrance is on U. S.
80 (Emery Highway). Below: the Art Deco Visitor Center. |
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Numerous mounds dot the monument. The Earthlodge is at the center, and is reconstructed. The clay floor is original. |
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The visitor center houses an archeological museum. At left is a
Clovis point. The oldest artifact from this site. Below: various small projectile points. |
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| Above: pottery shards. Archaic at left, Woodland at right. | Below: Mississippian pottery. |
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Left: evidence of distant trade. Coastal sea shells and copper from Michigan |
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Left: trade goods from post European contact. |
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Left: A number of trenches are still preserved. |
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Left: wetland along Walnut Creek. |
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Left: distant view of the Great Temple Mound. |
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Left: the Great Temple Mound |
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Left: looking west from the Great Temple Mound, with Macon on the
skyline. Below: views begin looking northeast and pan counterclockwise to west. The small mound with the stairs is the Lesser Temple Mound. |
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Left: Trench west of the Great Temple Mound. |
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Left: excavation of a British trading post. Below: remains of the trading post. |
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Left: typical of the region, the soil is extremely deeply weathered and dominated by kaolinite. The Earthlodge is in the distance. |
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Left: closeup of the kaolinite soil. This is an ultisol (ultimate soil) meaning it's as weathered as a temperate climate soil can get. The only thing beyond this is an oxisol, which requires tropical conditions. |
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| Above: the Funeral Mound | Below: the Great Temple Mound, seen from the west. In the right view the Lesser Temple Mound is visible to its left. |
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Created 22 June 2007, Last Update 04 June 2020