I spent the weekend in Cullowhee, NC for my bi-annual Wilderness First Responder recertification class. It was a good weekend and I passed my exam without any issues, but on the drive home, I decided to check out a site that I've only recently learned of. In nearby Franklin, NC, there is ancient Native American mound called Nikwasi. It's actually named for the Cherokee town that existed at the site before European Americans pushed the indigenous peoples out and built Franklin. It is thought the mound itself was built around 1000 CE.
The mound is surrounded by modern buildings and roads, but a couple of informational signs speak to some of the history of the place. I'd guess the mound is about twenty feet tall, but rises from a sunken area between parking lots. The circumference of the base of the mound is roughly 600 hundred feet and is in a mostly oval shape. Apparently, the Cherokee built some of their structures on top of it. Now, it exists as just a grass-covered earthen mound in the middle of the small town of Franklin. I'm thankful that it was preserved though; so many of these treasures have been plowed over all around country.
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