Pharr Indian Mounds Natchez Trace

Trade from Afar
Around 2,000 to 1,800 years ago, native people built Pharr Mounds, a complex of eight dome-shaped mounds, spread over 90 acres.
One of the largest Middle Woodland era mound sites in the region, Pharr Mounds, was near a sizable village. The people there attracted trade for everyday items and ceremonial objects. 

A vast trading network stretched from the southeastern US to the shores of Lake Ontario. Over hundreds of linked trails, objects of copper, mica, greenstone, and shell found their way to Pharr Mounds. People from smaller local villages then came here to obtain exotic goods. 
Natchez Trace Parkway. All natural and cultural resources along the Natchez Trace Parkway are protected by federal laws.

Objects and Ideas
Mounds Along the Natchez Trace Parkway 
200 BCE
Middle Woodland Period
Bynum Mounds
Pharr Mounds 
Late Woodland Period 800 CE
Boyd Mounds 
Mangum Mounds
Early Mississippian Period 1000 CE 1200 CE 
Bear Creek Mounds
Late Mississippian Period 1400 CE 1600 CE 
Emerald Mound

People from the Woodland era created some of the finest crafts and artwork in North America. For inspiration, they turned to the natural world and their understanding of the universe. The objects they created in metal, stone, and shell were prized from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico.

Since many of the traded objects had spiritual meanings or were linked to religious ceremonies, it is clear that ideas also traveled with the trade. Though there were local variations, American Indians throughout today's eastern US understood and related to the imagery skillfully applied to pipes, jewelry, fabric, and pottery.

Coming Home 

Coming Home
Like the native peoples who lived near the Pharr Mounds, cultures around the world and throughout time have built monuments and lasting memorials. Mounds like these are among the earliest surviving monuments in North America.

Skillfully designed and built, these mounds are a source of wonder and pride. Spiritually enduring, they become the cornerstone of civic and religious ceremonies and rituals.

Modern Chickasaws feel a strong bond with Pharr Mounds and consider them sacred. Many return here as a part of a pilgrimage to their ancestral homeland.

"I am astounded by the levels of the science of spirituality, community, and organization evident in the creation and existence of Pharr Mounds, and how it relates to the larger region. I am proud of my ancestors."

Kirk Perry
Executive Officer for Historic Preservation
Chickasaw Nation

Pharr Indian Mounds Markers

Pharr Indian Mounds