Mound 57

There are many points of confusion regarding mound numbers on Moorehead’s maps. In the case of the mounds Patrick numbered 57 and 59, Moorehead consistently reversed these numbers. On Patrick’s map, what is now called Round Top Mound is clearly marked as Mound 59. Moorehead assigned 57 to Round Top Mound. As stated earlier, this atlas adheres to Patrick’s assignment of numbers.

Mound 57 is directly south of Mound 48; it is numbered and shown on the Patrick Map as a relatively large, round or conical mound. The McAdams Map of 1882 gives a height of 10 feet (3.05 meters), though both the Thomas Map (1894) and the Peterson-McAdams Map (1906) give a height of 5 feet (1.5 meters). The 1966 UWM Map indicates only an irregular contour in this area with an elevation point, which suggests that the height of the mound in 1966 was only 0.8 meters (2.6 feet). This is indicative of the intense cultivation that has leveled the mound, though there is no record of it being destroyed deliberately to level the ground for farming. Excavations would undoubtedly show the remaining base of the mound and perhaps provide some clue to its true size and date of construction.