As a member of the Board of Directors of Friends of Town Creek Support Group, I do not feel that enough is done to promote the state historic site locally or at the state level.
Many people do not realize what a treasure we have right here in our own back yard! Town Creek is the only site in the entire Southeastern United States to have such extensive restoration. There are a number of mounds that have proven to have been used during the Woodland time period, but most remain mounds of dirt. Thanks to the work of Dr. Joffre Coe from UNC-Chapel Hill, Town Creek provides an opportunity for not only students of archaeology, but all visitors, to actually “see” rather than just imagine what American Indian life was like several hundred years ago. Students from several universities have conducted archaeological digs within the palisade walls over the years, and even recently the dirt yielded “surprise” finds! The grounds there will continue to provide educational opportunities for many years to come.
Our support group operates the gift shop as a source of funding for the mound, but even with that, the site is limited in its ability to promote itself. Unfortunately, the state doesn’t do a very good job of promoting the site either.
Sadly, most of the visitors to the local site are from other counties, and many come from other states. There are a large number of people in the Mount Gilead area alone who have never been there, and certainly there are many from Montgomery County who have never visited. We have been fortunate to have had site managers over the years who “managed” well, and have had great support staff members who are well trained in giving tours that provide excellent information about the Pee Dee culture. Children and adults alike enjoy their visits and many return for subsequent visits.
Several years ago, my husband and I visited Moundsville, Ala. Imagine our surprise when we were shown a video that had been filmed at Town Creek Indian Mound! It is certainly the “gold standard” for representing the Woodland time period.
Hopefully, publicity about Scott Nurkin’s refreshing the Town Creek mural will generate interest in planning visits to the mound!
Cheryl Hall