Last weekend I had the opportunity to visit the Mt. Royal mound located in Welaka, Putnam county. First described by John Bartam in 1766, who wrote in his journal,
“About noon we landed at Mt. Royal, and went to an Indian tumulus, which was about 100 yards in diameter, nearly round, and near 20 ft high, found some bones scattered on it, it must be very ancient, as live-oaks are growing upon it 3 ft in diameter; what a prodigious multitude of Indians must have laboured to raise it? To what height we can’t say, as it must have settled much in such a number of years, and it is surprizing where they brought the sand from, and how, as they had nothing but baskets or bowls to carry it in…”
15 years later, his son William visited the site and remarked, “But what greatly contributed towards completing the magnificence of the scene, was a noble Indian highway, which led from the great mount, on a straight line, 3/4 of a mile, first through… the orange grove, and continuing thence through an awful forest of live oaks… terminated by palms and laurel magnolias, on the verge of an oblong artificial lake, which was on the edge of an extensive green level savanna. This grand highway was about 50 yards wide, sunk a little below the common level, and the earth thrown up on each side, making a bank of about 2 ft high. Neither nature nor art could any where present a more striking contrast, as you approached this savanna. The glittering water pond played on the sight, through the dark grove, like a brilliant diamond, on the bosom of the illumined savanna, bordered with various flowery shrubs and plants.”
Clarence B. Moore, a “self-trained archeologist” from Philadelphia, was the first to “excavate” Mt. Royal in 1893 (and yes, we will talk Moore about his “methods” in another post). Further excavations were done in the 1950’s. Moore uncovered these copper breastplates which may be evidence of a movement towards worship of a solar deity first noted at the Lake Jackson Mounds in Tallahassee which we I will also be posting about soon!
All of these copper ornaments would have been impossible to produce in Florida and, along with the religious symbolism, support a connection of trade and cultural influence that reaches all the way to the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex and its ancient city center of Cahokia, Illinois.
I have done my best to re-create these copper ornaments as they would have looked in their original, undamaged state and without patina, and without taking too many artistic liberties. A woven fibre mat would have been placed behind each of them.
These artifacts would have been from the later period of occupation at Mt. Royal, but it has been inhabited on and off for over 4000 years. After it lost importance, it later became part of the Timucua chiefdoms known as Utina and Agua Dulce.
By the way, those “futuristic” eye patterns on the first plate are actually supposed to symbolize a hawk or falcon’s eye. You’ll be seeing a LOT of copper birds of prey in the near future—they were very important to the ancient Floridians!
Nowadays the “noble Indian highway” is no more and the mound, greatly reduced in size, is surrounded by million-dollar homes in a gated airpark community, and though public access is deeded to this nationally significant archeological site, it can be a tricky process to be let in. However it is situated on a fine spot along the east bank of the St. John River and it is also possible to reach this place via a nearby public boat ramp.
For accessibility and historical significance I give it ⭐️⭐️⭐️. There is a small kiosk with some information about the site but not much else!
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