Link Farm State Archaeological Area Explained

Link Farm State Archaeological Area
(40 HS 6)
Alternate Name:Duck River site, Duck River Temple Mounds
Map Type:USA Tennessee
Coordinates:35.9917°N -87.8366°W
Location:South of WaverlyHumphreys County, Tennessee, USA
Region:Middle Tennessee
Cultures:Mississippian culture
Architectural Styles:Platform mound, Burial mound
Architectural Details:Number of monuments: 6

The Link Farm State Archaeological Area (40 HS 6), also known as the Duck River Temple Mounds or Duck River site, is a Mississippian culture archaeological site located at the confluence of the Duck and Buffalo Rivers south of Waverly in Humphreys County, Tennessee. The site is most widely known for the stone artifacts found during excavations in the late 19th century.

Site features

The site features include two substructure platform mounds, three conical burial mounds, a loaf shaped mound, and a central plaza area measuring 150m (490feet) east to west and 250m (820feet) north to south. The 90acres site was acquired by the State of Tennessee in 1974 and is now preserved as part of the Johnsonville State Historic Park.[1] [2] [3]

Artifacts

See main article: Duck River cache. The site is mostly known for being the location where the "Duck River cache" of chert artifacts was discovered in December 1894 in a low hillock at the site. In March 1895 the same but slightly deeper location was also the site of the discovery of a paired male and female set of Mississippian sandstone statues nicknamed "Adam" and "Eve". The male statue is now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the female statue has been lost. The Duck River cache was acquired by the McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture in Knoxville, Tennessee and is now on permanent display.[3] [1] [2]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Encyclopedia: Tennessee Encyclopedia . Duck River Temple Mounds . Smith, Kevin .
  2. Web site: Link Farm State Archaeological Area . Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation .
  3. Book: Speaking with the Ancestors-Mississippian Stone Statuary of the Tennessee-Cumberland region. Kevin E. Smith. James V. Miller . 978-0-8173-5465-7. 144–146. University of Alabama Press. 2009.