Turtle Mound

Turtle Mound
U.S. National Register of Historic Places

A photo of Turtle Mound in 1915

Location:	Volusia County, Florida
Nearest city:	New Smyrna Beach
Governing body:	State of Florida
NRHP Reference#:	70000193
Added to NRHP:	September 29, 1970

Turtle Mound is a historic site located 9 miles (14 km) south of New Smyrna Beach, Florida, on State Road A1A. On September 29, 1970, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. It is the largest shell midden on the mainland United States, with an approximate height of 50 feet (15 m).^[1] Turtle Mound was estimated to be 75 feet (23 m) high before it was reduced by shellrock mining in the 19th and 20th centuries.^[2] This mound contains 33,000-cubic yards of oyster shells that covers 2 acres (8,100 m²). The turtle-shaped mound contains oysters and refuse from the prehistoric Timucuan people. Archaeologists believe that these people may have used this site as a high-ground refuge during hurricanes. With bow and arrow, spears and snares, they caught a variety of small mammals and reptiles.It was constructed between 800 and 1400 AD.^[3] Early Spanish explorers and subsequent mariners utilized the large mound as a landmark. Today, the site is owned and managed by the National Park Service as part of Canaveral National Seashore.^[4]

Visible seven miles out at sea, early sailors used Turtle Mound as a navigational device. The Timucuan experienced greater competitive forces for finite resources such as arable land resulting in increased open conflict. This is apparent in some of the material found in the Turtle Mound location where it occupied an important location along the coast.

1 Characteristics
2 Gallery
3 References
4 External links

Characteristics

The shell mound is a deposit of refuse; the majority of the mound is oyster shells,^[5] although no extensive excavations have occurred.^[6] The mound contains several species of tropical plants. Surveys have confirmed the presence of Amyris elemifera, Heliotropium angiospermum, Plumbago scandens, Harrisia fragrans, Sideroxylon foetidissimum, Schoepfia chrysophylloides, and other species.^[7] The site represents the northernmost distribution for several species.^[3]^[8] The heat retention of shells and the proximity to the Atlantic Ocean maintains warmer temperatures than surrounding areas.^[7]^[9] In 1605, the Spanish explorer Alvaro_Mexia visited the site and reported natives launching their dugout canoes at the mound's base. Over many years of this practice, the mound began to take the form of a turtle, giving the feature its name.

Gallery

References

^ Volusia County Heritage. "Turtle Mound". Volusia County Government. http://volusiahistory.com/turtle.htm. Retrieved 2007-09-15.
^ Milanich, Jerald T. (1998). Florida's Indians from Ancient Times to the Present. Gainesville, Florida: University Press of Floriuda. pp. 38–39. ISBN 0-8130-1599-5.
^ ^a ^b National Park Service. "Canaveral National Seashore: Scenic Vistas". http://www.nps.gov/cana/naturescience/upload/Scenic%20Vistas.pdf. Retrieved 2007-09-05.
^ "New Smyrna Beach". http://www.newsmyrnabeach.com/resources/turtle-mound.html. Retrieved 2007-09-05.
^ Small, John Kunkel (1929). From Eden to Sahara: Florida's Tragedy. Seminole Soil & Water Conservation District.
^ "Turtle Mound: Canaveral". National Park Service. http://www.nbbd.com/godo/cns/Brochures/!turtlem.pdf. Retrieved 2008-11-17.
^ ^a ^b Stalter, Richard et al. (2004). "The Vascular Flora of Five Florida Shell Middens". Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa4017/is_200401/ai_n9404423/pg_1?tag=artBody;col1. Retrieved 2008-11-17.
^ National Park Service. "Canaveral National Seashore: Plants". http://www.nps.gov/cana/naturescience/upload/Plants.pdf. Retrieved 2007-11-17.
^ Norman, E. M. (1976). An Analysis of Vegetation at Turtle Mound. Florida Scientist 39: 19-31.

External links

Pre-Columbian North America

Archaeological cultures	North American pre-Columbian chronology – Adena – Alachua – Ancient Pueblo (Anasazi) – Baytown – Belle Glade – Buttermilk Creek Complex – Caborn-Welborn – Calf Creek – Caloosahatchee – Clovis – Coles Creek – Deptford – Folsom – Fort Ancient – Fort Walton – Fremont – Glades – Glacial Kame – Hopewell (List of Hopewell sites) – Hohokam – Leon-Jefferson – Mississippian (List of Mississippian sites) – Mogollon – Monongahela – Old Cordilleran – Oneota – Paleo-Arctic – Paleo-Indians – Patayan – Plano – Plaquemine – Poverty Point – Prehistoric Southwest – Red Ocher – Santa Rosa-Swift Creek – St. Johns – Steed-Kisker – Tchefuncte – Tocobaga – Troyville

Archaeological sites	Angel Mounds – Bandelier National Monument – The Bluff Point Stoneworks – Cahokia – Chaco Canyon – Casa Grande – Coso Rock Art District – Eaker – Effigy Mounds National Monument – Etowah Indian Mounds – Eva – Folsom Site – Fort Ancient – Fort Center – Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument – Holly Bluff Site – Hopewell Culture National Historical Park – Kincaid Mounds – Kolomoki – Manitou Cliff Dwellings – Marksville – Meadowcroft Rockshelter – Mesa Verde – Moorehead Circle – Moundville – Mummy Cave – Nodena Site – Ocmulgee National Monument – Old Stone Fort – Parkin Park – Pinson Mounds – Portsmouth Earthworks – Poverty Point – Pueblo Bonito – Rock Eagle – Rock Hawk – Salmon Ruins – Serpent Mound – Spiro Mounds – SunWatch – Taos Pueblo – Toltec Mounds – Town Creek Indian Mound – Winterville

Miscellaneous	Ballgame – Black drink – Buhl woman – Calumet – Chunkey – Clovis point – Container Revolution – Eastern Agricultural Complex – Eden point – Effigy mound – Falcon dancer – Folsom point – Green Corn Ceremony – Horned Serpent – Kennewick man – Kiva – Metallurgy – Mi'kmaq hieroglyphic writing – Medicine wheel – Mound builders – N.A.G.P.R.A. – Norse colonization of the Americas – Piasa – Pueblo dwellings – Southeastern Ceremonial Complex – Three Sisters agriculture – Thunderbird – Underwater panther

Related: Genetic history · Indigenous Portal of North America · Pre-Columbian era

U.S. National Register of Historic Places in Florida

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Turtle Mound

Contents

Characteristics

Gallery

References

External links