Letchworth-Love Mounds
A wooden boardwalk and
observation platform allows
visitors to inspect the mound.
A wooden boardwalk and
observation platform allows
visitors to inspect the mound.
Walking Trail at the Mounds
A paved walking trail leads
past the smaller mounds and
to the observation platform at
the largest one.
A paved walking trail leads
past the smaller mounds and
to the observation platform at
the largest one.
Letchworth - Love Mounds Archaeological State Park
ExploreSouthernHistory.com - Letchworth - Love Mounds, Florida
ExploreSouthernHistory.com - Letchworth - Love Mounds, Florida
| Letchworth-Love Mounds The primary mound of Florida's Letchworth-Love Mound group may be the tallest in Florida. |
North Florida's Ancient City
The Letchworth-Love Mounds Archaeological
State Park preserves what remains of a
prehistoric Native American site that once
may have included more than 15 mounds. Of
the four that remain, one is thought to be the
largest surviving mound in Florida.
Located near Lake Miccosukee fourteen
miles east of Tallahassee, the park is
noteworthy because it protects one of the
oldest mound complexes in Florida.
Although the site's primary mound, once
called the "Miccosukee Indian Mound," has
been known for many years, the origins of the
site remained a mystery for decades. Only in
recent years have archaeologists gathered
enough data to determine something of the
age and nature of the mounds.
Recent work at the site strongly indicates that
the mounds date from the early Weeden
Island Period. Artifacts dating from this
period were found at the site, providing
evidence that the mounds were probably built
in around 300-900 A.D.
This makes the site much older than the
nearby Lake Jackson Archaeological State
Park in Tallahassee. But like the Lake
Jackson site, Letchworth-Love served as the
ceremonial and political center of a large
Native American chiefdom.
The mounds at the site served as both
platforms for structures and as burial
grounds. The largest one is 46 feet high and
measures nearly 300 feet across the base. It
is the tallest recorded mound in Florida.
The site had been all but abandoned by
around 900 A.D. when the influence of the
Mississippian culture spread into the region.
Whether the new civilization represented an
invasion and displacement of the old or a
transition caused by time is debated in this
era of Florida, but there is no doubt that the
ceremonial complex at Letchworth-Love fell
into disuse and was replaced by newer,
more elaborate rituals at places like Lake
Jackson Mounds.
State Park preserves what remains of a
prehistoric Native American site that once
may have included more than 15 mounds. Of
the four that remain, one is thought to be the
largest surviving mound in Florida.
Located near Lake Miccosukee fourteen
miles east of Tallahassee, the park is
noteworthy because it protects one of the
oldest mound complexes in Florida.
Although the site's primary mound, once
called the "Miccosukee Indian Mound," has
been known for many years, the origins of the
site remained a mystery for decades. Only in
recent years have archaeologists gathered
enough data to determine something of the
age and nature of the mounds.
Recent work at the site strongly indicates that
the mounds date from the early Weeden
Island Period. Artifacts dating from this
period were found at the site, providing
evidence that the mounds were probably built
in around 300-900 A.D.
This makes the site much older than the
nearby Lake Jackson Archaeological State
Park in Tallahassee. But like the Lake
Jackson site, Letchworth-Love served as the
ceremonial and political center of a large
Native American chiefdom.
The mounds at the site served as both
platforms for structures and as burial
grounds. The largest one is 46 feet high and
measures nearly 300 feet across the base. It
is the tallest recorded mound in Florida.
The site had been all but abandoned by
around 900 A.D. when the influence of the
Mississippian culture spread into the region.
Whether the new civilization represented an
invasion and displacement of the old or a
transition caused by time is debated in this
era of Florida, but there is no doubt that the
ceremonial complex at Letchworth-Love fell
into disuse and was replaced by newer,
more elaborate rituals at places like Lake
Jackson Mounds.
 | |  | |  | |  | |  |
The site's proximity to the rich hunting, fishing
and gathering grounds of Lake Miccosukee
meant that it continued to be frequented by
Native Americans for centuries to come. The
Apalachee were active in the area when
Spanish explorers and missionaries arrived,
but they eventually gave way to the better
known Seminoles and Creeks.
Artifacts of Seminole origin have been found
at the site, indicating that the well-known and
extensive Seminole villages of Miccosukee
extended into the vicinity. The Battle of
Miccosukee was fought nearby during the
First Seminole War.
Letchworth-Love Mounds Archaeological
State Park is located south of U.S. Highway
90 on Sunray Road, 14 miles east of
Tallahassee and just west of Monticello.
The park features the mounds, a paved
walking trail and picnic tables. It is open to
the public daily. Admission is free.
and gathering grounds of Lake Miccosukee
meant that it continued to be frequented by
Native Americans for centuries to come. The
Apalachee were active in the area when
Spanish explorers and missionaries arrived,
but they eventually gave way to the better
known Seminoles and Creeks.
Artifacts of Seminole origin have been found
at the site, indicating that the well-known and
extensive Seminole villages of Miccosukee
extended into the vicinity. The Battle of
Miccosukee was fought nearby during the
First Seminole War.
Letchworth-Love Mounds Archaeological
State Park is located south of U.S. Highway
90 on Sunray Road, 14 miles east of
Tallahassee and just west of Monticello.
The park features the mounds, a paved
walking trail and picnic tables. It is open to
the public daily. Admission is free.
Largest Mound in Florida?
Once called the "Miccosukee
Indian Mound," the big mound
may be Florida's largest.
Once called the "Miccosukee
Indian Mound," the big mound
may be Florida's largest.
Lake Miccosukee
The occupants of the
Letchworth-Love site hunted
the rich Lake Miccosukee
plain.
The occupants of the
Letchworth-Love site hunted
the rich Lake Miccosukee
plain.
Battle of Miccosukee
Lake Jackson Mounds
Tallahassee Area Historic Sites
Historic Sites in Florida
Explore other Southern Historic Sites
Lake Jackson Mounds
Tallahassee Area Historic Sites
Historic Sites in Florida
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