Letchworth and Lake Jackson Mounds: Monumental Architecture of the Woodland and Mississippian Periods in Northwest Florida
PowerPoint by Florida State Parks Archaeologist, William Stanton, Lecture Presentation by Time Sifters President, Sherry Svekis
Lake Jackson and Letchworth Mounds are two of the most significant archaeological complexes in northwest Florida and likely functioned as major regional centers of social, political, religious and economic activity during their respective periods of significance. Although only 20 miles apart, the sites are separated by centuries in terms of construction and occupation; the Lake Jackson site was occupied between c. 1000 and c. 1500 AD while the Letchworth Mounds site was constructed between c. 300 and c. 750 AD. This discussion will review the history of archaeological investigations at each site and attempt to place them in the context of their regional cultures. Both contain outstanding examples of earthen mound architecture on a monumental scale that associate their builders with other complex, stratified societies developing in eastern North America.