I’ve always been interested in ancient Native American mounds and Poverty Point of particular fascination both for it being not too far from my hometown and because of its unique characteristics. Out in the middle of rural Louisiana, this was a large construct on the Bayou Macon with village mounds built in concentric rings facing the river and large ceremonial mounds which still stand today. Not much of the other mounds can be seen nowadays, but its an incredibly interesting archaeological treasure. In 2014, the profile of this historic site was raised even more when it was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. (2019)
Numerous arrowheads excavated from the site now on display at the museum.
The main mound and centerpiece of the site, Mound A was constructed very quickly well over 3000 years ago.
A view from the top of the steps going up Mound A.
The original concentric ridges cannot be readily seen at first glance but the park keeps the grass on these areas trimmed differently to highlight their location. You actually can detect a slight dip in areas between them.