The Mississippian Room

The Mississippian Room is named in honor of an ancient and mysterious group of people dating from approximately 2000 years ago. Drawn to the area by the river, just as the explorers and the settlers who followed, they were searching for the Promised Land and the food it would provide. The Mississippi River and its tributaries provided a convenient and bountiful highway.

From 200 BC to 400 AD (known as the Middle Woodland period) there was widespread mound construction in the area that would eventually become the state of Mississippi. The construction of these mounds declined after the Middle Woodland period and only a few were built during the Late Woodland period (circa 400 AD to 1000 AD). However, these nomadic people continued to migrate up the river towards Columbus, Kentucky. The earliest earthen mound construction around Columbus did not happen until approximately 1000 AD and extended through to 1500 AD (known as the Mississippian Period). During this time there were thousands of mounds constructed for diverse purposes ranging from religious ceremonial burial to elite housing. The is no authentic name for this group of people, whether as a nation or a race, but they have been titled the Mound Builders reflecting the importance of their work. The different groups are identified by the period in which they lived. The Mound Builders from these varying cultures are the ancestors of many of our Native American tribes, such as the Chickasaw Indians from whom Andrew Jackson bought the Jackson Purchase in 1818 AD.

Wickliffe Mounds, twenty miles north of Columbus, is an archaeological site of the Mississippi Mound Builders and is a Kentucky Archaeological Landmark on the National Register of Historic Places.

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