National Register of Historic Places

Ely Mound

Rose Hill, Lee County, Virginia
Listed
July 27, 1983
Type
Site
Period
Pre Contact
Ref No.
83003287

About this property

Ely Mound is a historic burial mound located near Rose Hill, Lee County, Virginia. It is considered the best-preserved Mississippian culture site in Virginia. The mound dates to the Late Woodland-Mississippian Period (AD 1200–1650), during which more complex societies and practices evolved, including chiefdoms and religious ceremonies. Often, temples, elite residences, and council buildings stood atop substructure or townhouse mounds such as Ely Mound. (Decaying cedar posts remained in the ground in the late 1800s, and were frequently struck by plows.) Lucien Carr, assistant curator of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology in Boston, led an excavation here in 1877. At that time, the mound measured 300 feet in circumference, and 19 feet in height. Excavation lasted a little over two weeks, with skeletons, pottery, and arrowheads of white flint being unearthed. One man was killed within a few feet of the bottom of the mound when the shaft he had been digging in collapsed. Several other men were injured. The mound has remained undisturbed until a 2019 excavation led by Maureen Meyers, a professor at the University of Mississippi. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

Location

Rose Hill, Lee County, Virginia

Categories

PREHISTORICHISTORIC - ABORIGINAL
Sources

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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This page lists Ely Mound. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
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Questions about this property

When was Ely Mound listed on the National Register?

Ely Mound was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 27, 1983.

What type of historic resource is Ely Mound?

Ely Mound is classified as a site in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Ely Mound?

The period of significance for Ely Mound is recorded as the pre_contact era.

Can I research the history near Ely Mound?

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 Ely Mound will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

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