The Roadside Explorer: The Deep South: Part 2--Poverty Point

On Thursday morning it was only about a 30 minute drive to our big site for today. It would be the first of two major prehistoric mound sites on our journey, this one being in Louisiana. Upon our arrival two yellow school buses had just pulled in. Yay. We managed to get to the small bathrooms and enjoy a quick walk-through of the museum before the school groups got organized. We used the given Hiking Trail Guide and set out on our adventure. During our stay we somehow managed to avoid both school groups.

Our explorations began at the Trailhead behind the Visitors' Center. The trail covered most of the vast site.

Our hike was 3 miles long, and we ended up climbing about 150'. This is a very large site. The two most interesting things to see were the semi-circle mounds, and the main Mound A. The low curving mounds were the bases for intensive housing, built on top as a way of keeping living and storage areas dry in this very wet climate. The mounds were separated by avenues, with the central one leading from the central plaza to Mound A.

Poverty Point is the oldest known major city in North America, with construction beginning about 1650 BCE. It remained an important city for over 500 years. Walking the site today is an eye-opening experience. It's vastness can be grasped by observing the 6 large foundation mounds, called ridges, curving into the distance. Visitors can easily imagine small houses sitting on top, and the hustle and bustle of 4,000 to 5,000 residents. Once the first group of visiting school students had retreated from Mound A, we were able to climb it also. It has a curious shape to it, not well shown in the diagram above. Also curious is the alignment of Mounds B and E with it, all north/south of one another to within 1 degree. Water was supplied by adjacent Bayou Macon. At #2 on the map is where traders and visitors would arrive by boat. Because of an intentional slope leading from the water to the city, the city can not be seen until the slope is climbed. The awaiting view would have astounded first time visitors to the city.

2 views of the slightly raised mounds that held the city's houses.

The curve and width of one of the outer foundation mounds can be seen.

Students climb Mound A in the distance. Will it be a group sacrifice?

View north from Mound A. In the far distance between the single central tree and the three to its right is a distant mound, beyond the brown field. Lying on private property outside the boundary of Poverty Point, this mound is 2,000 years older (!!!), placing it around 3500 BCE. It cannot be visited, but can be viewed from the road that passes nearby. See further below.

This view from the summit of Mound A again shows the curving foundation mounds in the distance.

Lichen and roots, Poverty Point hike. We saw a black snake near here, but it was camera shy.

Historic roadside sign.

Jackson Mound must have had a strong influence on Poverty Point development. It is aligned north/south with three major mounds at that site. Jackson Mound is on private property and cannot be visited. Radio carbon dating has been done on it, and several other very old mounds in the area.

We spent about three hours at Poverty Point before heading back to the interstate highway. We shopped at a grocery store in Delhi, scoring a very decent plant based picnic style meal. I 20 took us through eastern Louisiana, crossing the Mississippi River and passing through the central area of that state. We had one goal to achieve in Mississippi (pronounced locally as M'ssippi), but not today. Our goal was Tuscaloosa Alabama, home to the University of Alabama. We ended up driving 335 miles today. We arrived at rush hour downtown, and it took a while to get to a parking spot.

Our main goal was Black Warrior Brewing Company, right on the main street. The medium-size city had a lively and walkable downtown, similar in some ways to Lawrence, Kansas. We ordered a beer flight and settled in for a late afternoon visit. The pub wasn't very busy, though people were sitting inside and outside. On brick walls beside our table were framed prints by a local photographer who has published three books entitled "Forgotten Alabama." Many were haunting b & w scenes of ruined and abandoned dwellings, vehicles, bridges, etc. Since we were travelling light, with only carry on luggage, it made choosing a framed photo somewhat difficult. But we had to have one! We eventually chose one showing a dilapidated school bus, rusting alone in a woodland, with a large tree growing out of the engine casing up front. We had to leave two others behind, for a return car trip. Drop by the house sometime to see it.

Afterwards we strolled main street, eventually driving a short distance to a historic site recommended by our bartender. At one time, way back when, Tuscaloosa was the state capitol of Alabama (now it's in Montgomery). The impressive legislative building burned down, but the ruins were left standing. We visited at twilight, and were all alone in the large square park, a full city block in size. It was a fun and unexpected discovery, and would make a fine setting for a ghost story. After our visit we left for our motel, stopping to buy two frozen vegan dinners to microwave in our room. We were quite tired, and again made it an early night.