Ocmulgee National Monument

History

Ocmulgee is a memorial to the antiquity of people in Southeastern North America. From Ice Age hunters to the Creek Indians of historic times, there is evidence of at least 10,000 years of human habitation. Between 900-1150, an elite society supported by skillful farmers lived on theis site near the Ocmulgee River. They constructed a town of rectangular wooden buildings, huge pyramidal temple mounds, and at least one burial mound. Circular earthlodges served as places to conduct meetings and ceremonies.

After this large early ceremonial center declined, other villages were built in the area by the later Mississippian "Lamar" Culture. These were the people encountered by Spaniard Hernando DeSoto in 1540. During historic times, the great mounds continued to evoke awe and admiration. Naturalist William Bartram journeyed through Ocmulgee in the 1770s and described the "wonderful remains of the power and grandeur of the ancients in this part of America." In the early 1900s, the area was put into a large renovation, and the site was made into its present manisfestation. The park was made into a National Monument in 1936.

The Park

Ocmulgee has a visitor center that houses an archeological museum that interprets the cultures of the American Indians who had inhabited the site. A short orientation film and gift shop are also available in the visitor center.

The park has 5 1/2 miles of walking trails. Near the visitor center is a reconstructed 1000 years old ceremonial earthlodge. Visitors can reach the Great Temple Mound via a 1/2 mile walk or the park road. Other features in the park include a burial mound, temple mounds, prehistoric trenches, and the site of a colonial British trading post.

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