08/02/2026
The Florence Mound and Museum is at the site of a 1700 year old earthwork along the banks of the Tennessee River, built during what archaeologists call the Woodland Period. The site originally had an earthen embankment surrounding it on three sites. The site was a gathering place for people throughout the middle Tennessee River valley, where people met in large numbers to trade and exchange ideas.
Importantly, the mound represents how the people in the Woodland period viewed the world. The mound was (and occasionally still is) submerged or partially submerged by the waters of the Tennessee River, creating an island in the river. This parallels many southeastern creation stories, where the earth is formed as a mound from beneath the water. Today, it is on the homeland of the Chickasaw and Cherokee Nations.
There are many myths about the Mound that we'd like to address.
1. No aliens built it. No giants either.
2. It is not a pile of dirt/silt. No pile of dirt or silt would survive 1700 years in a river floodplain
3. It is was not created at the time of the canal leading to Wilson Dam. It is much older, and archaeological and recorded evidence (see the map) support this.
4. It was not a defensive fort. It was open to the water along one entire side, and there is no evidence that people who lived in the Woodland period needed forts for protection.
The Florence Mound and Museum is a place of respect and education. We work closely with an advisory board made up of members of the Chickasaw and Eastern Band Cherokee Nations, as well as archaeologists, to provide accurate interpretation and programming.
The Museum is open Tues-Sat 10-4, and Sun 1-4. Stop by and check out Florence's oldest structure.
