About this property
Marksville Prehistoric Indian Site, also known as the Marksville site, (16 AV 1) is a Marksville culture archaeological site located 1 mile (1.6 km) southeast of Marksville in Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana. The site features numerous earthworks built by the prehistoric indigenous peoples of southeastern North America. Marksville is the type site for the Marksville culture (a local variation of the Hopewell tradition) and was the first scientifically excavated site for the culture. Centuries later the Avoyel and Natchez peoples lived in the vicinity of the site until 1700. Burial mounds at the site are surrounded by a horseshoe-shaped earthen embankment about 3,000 feet (910 m) long. The site is also one of the largest of the period in the southeastern United States, with large and distinctive ring features not found elsewhere. The site's importance has been known since the 1920s, when it was first formally investigated, and it is regularly the subject of further investigation. Radiometric dating of the sites features have yielded occupancy dates from 0-400 AD. The archaeological site was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1964. The site was formerly operated by the State of Louisiana as a Louisiana State Park, however, in August 2020, the ownership and operations of the site transferred to the City of Marksville. As of November 2021, the site is closed to public access. National Register of Historic Places listings in Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana Marksville State Historic Site - Louisiana Office of State Parks - Official Page Jones, Dennis (1991). Weinsten, Richard A. (ed.). "The Avoyelles Prairie Terrace : Concentrated Archaeology" (PDF). Louisiana Archaeological Society Newsletter. 18 (1). Louisiana Archaeological Society: 10–15. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 15, 2014.
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Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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Questions about this property
When was Marksville Prehistoric Indian Site listed on the National Register?
Marksville Prehistoric Indian Site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 14, 1966.
What type of historic resource is Marksville Prehistoric Indian Site?
Marksville Prehistoric Indian Site is classified as a site in the National Register of Historic Places.
Is Marksville Prehistoric Indian Site a National Historic Landmark?
Yes. Marksville Prehistoric Indian Site has been designated a National Historic Landmark (NHL), the highest level of federal recognition for historic properties in the United States.
What is the period of significance for Marksville Prehistoric Indian Site?
The period of significance for Marksville Prehistoric Indian Site is recorded as the pre_contact era.
Can I research the history near Marksville Prehistoric Indian Site?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Marksville Prehistoric Indian Site will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
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