Cheatham County
Gateway to Mound Bottom
Project Partners
Tennessee State Parks
In 2020, the Tennessee Historical Commission added Mound Bottom State Archaeological Area to the National Register of Historic Places. Managed as part of Harpeth River State Park, Mound Bottom is an ancient Indigenous American site dating back to the Mississippian period. Research shows it was one of the first mound centers in the Central Basin and a political center of the region for hundreds of years.
In 2008, TennGreen Land Conservancy partnered with Tennessee State Parks to purchase 65 stunning acres of forested bluffs overlooking the Harpeth River and adjoining Mound Bottom. This remarkable site allowed direct access to Mound Bottom for park rangers and the visitors accompanying them. Thanks to funding from the State and contributions from generous donors, this additional acreage became part of Harpeth River State Park.
Due to the historical significance of this site, visitation is only possible through scheduled, ranger-led guided walks. During, visitors can walk through this beautiful forest and along bluffs descending into the river bottom to view the principal mound. There, the forest transitions into an open field where dozens of mounds, palisades, and much more once stood, making it one of the most impressive ancient sites remaining in Tennessee.
“Growing up kayaking the Narrows of the Harpeth with my father and friends, Mound Bottom always held a reverential spot in my imagination. I’d seen it a hundred times from the river, but it wouldn’t be until adulthood that I would visit with a ranger and witness the full site for myself. It is an ancient place of great meaning for so many of us, and I am thrilled to work with an organization that has aided its conservation greatly.”
Jon D. B., Director of Communications, Naturalist, TennGreen Land Conservancy
