GMS Field Trip September 2023

GMS Field Trip
Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park and
Museum of Arts and Sciences Behind-the-scenes Tour
in Georgia
Friday, September 29, 2023

Georgia is fortunate to have an archaeological site that preserves artifacts and structures from over 10,000 years of Native American culture. The Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park is minutes away from the metropolis of Macon, but standing amidst the mounds, you are no longer in Georgia – you are in the land of the indigenous people who inhabited the area for thousands of years. Jason Leatherwood led us on a journey through this fascinating place on foot and through time.

We started in visitor’s center and museum that is packed with information about, and artifacts from, the Ocmulgee Mounds including the people who lived there before, during, and after the age of the mounds. As we meandered through the museum, Jason used the exhibits to tell the history of the area, and Aaron Leatherwood assisted by answering questions. We learned about the game-hunters to the hunter-gatherers to the Woodland people and finally, the mound builders. Artifacts on display include spear points, arrowheads, large decorative pendants called “gorgets”, pipes, pottery, beads, clothing, and more. The variety of materials used in the arrowheads is an indication of travel and trade. The gorgets also show interactions with other tribes and cultures.

Next, we concentrated on the mounds. We learned how they were built, the materials used, the purpose of the mounds, and the archeological studies that came years later. The mounds are made of layers of different clays, soil, and sand. Thousands of workers dug materials from around the site and the river nearby, then carried it to the mound sites in straw baskets. They packed each layer down before the next layer was added. Funeral mounds were built in phases to accommodate burials over time. The largest mound has evidence of a spiral staircase that was used during construction. Jason explained that after the indigenous people were forced to leave the area, the mounds were not considered important. In the 1870s, a railroad even cut tracks right through a funeral mound! It wasn’t until the 1920s that archaeological interest in preserving the site began in earnest.

The National Park Service (NPS) finally placed the site under federal protection in 1934, listed it on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966, and redesignated it as a National Historical Park in 2019. According to the NPS, “Ocmulgee Mounds had the largest archaeology dig in American history with over 800 men working and discovering 3 million artifacts.” Dr. Arthur R. Kelly from the Smithsonian Institute directed excavations from 1933 to 1936. No significant excavation has occurred since then. Jason explained that numerous federal organizations were involved in the dig, including the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). Several of Jason’s relatives volunteered for the CCC, so knowing that organization was involved holds a lot of personal meaning for Jason and his family.

After the museum, we visited an “earth lodge”, a structure used for ceremonies. It was originally made of clay, various plant materials like straw and canes, plus wood posts on top of a thick clay floor. The lodge was burned down, possibly as a cleansing ritual, and was buried for 800 years. Archaeologists had to reconstruct it by starting with the original clay floor and the charred remains of the structure. They examined the burned bits of timber and plants, then used the same species to rebuild the lodge. Unlike the original structure, it now has a cement dome to protect the clay floor and to keep the building safe and stable, plus the top is sodded for additional protection. Visitors enter the lodge through a small door and down a long passage. Inside, there is a raised platform made of clay and shaped like an eagle. Seats are carved into the platform, which sits higher than clay platforms to its right and left. The lower platforms also have carved seats. The seats were built so that those closest to the eagle platform are higher than those furthest away, an indication of the status of the people who sat there. A large fire pit is carved into the clay floor in front of the eagle platform. The ceiling is made of wooden posts and is held up by large, heavy logs. One can imagine the meetings that were held in this place amidst the smell of smoke, clay, and straw.

The Great Temple Mound is a pleasant walk from the earth lodge, but for the sake of time, we drove to that side of the park instead. After climbing a few flights of stairs (feel the burn!), we reached the top of the mound and looked out over the park. This mound would have had a wooden platform from which high-ranking officials could see all around the site and perform important ceremonies. Not far from there, we visited the funeral mound with the railroad track running through it. Jason explained how this mound was built in multiple phases, each consisting of another layer with burial pits. We all wondered where the material removed during the railroad track construction ended up, and whether or not Dr. Kelly’s team was able to go through it to save artifacts.

After a break for lunch, we reconvened at the Museum of Arts and Sciences in Macon. GMS member Jay Batcha met us for the second half of the field trip. Jay works at the museum, so he gave us a tour around the art installations and science areas. Younger members enjoyed playing with a robotic claw machine filled with toys while the rest of us were impressed by the wonderful collection of minerals. We drooled over big specimens in a large glass display, then pulled out drawers underneath to peruse small specimens. Jay showed us a kiosk that contains software written by the University of Michigan. Visitors can use the software to explore a digital version of a mastodon skeleton and match bones on the computer with actual mastodon fossils in a case next to the kiosk. He told us that he used the software himself to identify the fossils to put into the case!

Jay picked a film for us to see in the planetarium. We learned about Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 as we flew around the solar system with them. We saw the Milky Way from their perspective. We watched how Voyager 1 gave us the first close-up look at the mysterious “Great Red Spot” on Jupiter, showing it be a very old (150 years) and very big (over 10,000 miles wide) storm. Then we saw what astounded scientists – images of the first volcanic eruption ever seen that was not on Earth but, in this case, on the Jovian moon Io. Voyager 1 flew us through the rings around Saturn, then showed us one of Saturn’s moons – Titan. Her twin sister, Voyager 2, flew us past the ice giants Uranus and Neptune. Then, they sailed on, leaving us and our solar system behind, travelling farther than any other manmade object ever has, into interstellar space, both carrying gold-plated copper phonograph records with messages, sounds, and images from Earth that may someday reach other beings.

We continued our tour of the museum with a behind-the-scenes look into “the vault”. We saw how numerous paintings and other works of art are carefully curated there. Jay showed us fossils being prepped for a new exhibit. Then, he took us to a bank of enormous floor to ceiling (tall ceiling!) shelves that can be moved along tracks in the floor. The shelves are filled with specimens waiting for their day in museum exhibits. With Jay patiently answering all of our questions and bringing out specimens for us, we were able to see fantastic fossils, shimmering shells, a myriad of minerals, and so many other things that most people don’t get to see.

We ended the day by browsing the museum gift shop and meeting a resident bird named Georgia. She said “hi”, then “bye”, and we left the museum knowing we had seen only the tip of the iceberg of what is offered there.

This field trip would not have been remotely possible without Jason Leatherwood working so hard to put all of the pieces together. He and Aaron were generous with their extensive knowledge of the indigenous people of the area and the history of the Ocmulgee mounds. Jay Batcha gave us a delightful tour of the Museum of Arts and Sciences and made our visit there beyond special. Many, many, many thanks to Jason, Aaron, and Jay for sharing their time and knowledge with us. The whole experience is one we will never forget and we are looking forward to future trips like this.

Lori Carter
On behalf of Charles Carter, Field Trip Chair
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