by Samantha Pratt-Tyler

Created on: May 16, 2008   Last Updated: November 25, 2008

Oakville, Alabama is a small rural town. It is the host two very different museums, one is the Jesse Owens Memorial Park and Museum and the other 1/2 miles down the road, called, Oakville Indian Mounds Education Center and the Cherokee Council House Museum.

This is both a natural and a building museum. Information for this article came from being there but also from the following websites: www.ohwy.com/al/o/oainmou.htm, www.lawerencecounty/al.nu and www.lawrencecounty.al.numoundF1/htm.

As you enter what has a corn field, Indian symbols on the fence, you will also notice markers, there are 23 historic markers and 8 custom signs for the Oakville Indian Mound and Museum. These are mile markers if you are running the course, but if driving you won't see it all. So I will give you the markers they are grouped in 4 areas : Major David Hubbard, Judge
Thomas M. Peters, General Philip Dale Roddey, General Leroy Pope Walker, Anne Newport Royall. Doublehead, (was an Indian Chief at one time before the removal of the Cherokee Indians)
Historic Indians, Copena Burial Mound, Cherokee Council House Museum. Byler's Turnpike,
Cheatham Road, High Town Road. Melton's Bluff, Poplar Springs, Pine Trek Church, Town of
Oakville, Youngtown Community, Mount Hope Community, Kinlock, Warrior Mountains,
Saunder-Hall-Goode Mansion, Gallagher/Science Hill, Streight's Road. All of these places and people played a part of what would become the Indian removal, Trail of Tears.
There is also a portion of the Black Warrior's Path you can walk on.

Indian Mound is 27 feet high and has a base of 1.8 acres. It is over 2000 years old and made from earth that they dug about 30 feet away. The name, Capena burial mound is named for the copper and galena metals the Indians of this time period would of used. There is also Ceremonial Mounds which Woodland Indians were. Limestone crypts are also found that date back to 1816 which are clues of the frontiersmen that came and began settling this land.

When one climbs the top of the Indian Mound you can see extremely far away, the view is breathtaking and very serene. It overlooks to the back side a lake which has a fishing pier and you are able to sit and picnic there.

The ceremonial mounds are smaller than the Indian mound and are found across the street and down the road some from the bigger mound. It too has a sense of serenity and sacredness.

Down from the mounds you come to the 8500 sq. ft. replica of the Cherokee Council House.
Inside the Museum, which is the Council House, there are over 1,000 artifacts most of which come from the area. There is a 14 ft. wooden statue of Sequoyah (George Gist or Guess), who is the inventor of the Cherokee syllabary still in use today. There is a Cherokee Brave Banner and Cherokee National Symbol. You have clothing of which the Cherokee Indian would of worn, jewelry and other items of their lives. You will also find arrow heads, and an assortment of other artifacts that are very interesting to see and learn about. The Council House has a gift shop that offers information on the Cherokee Nation, other items, as caps, dream catchers, belts, etc. It is a good museum to learn something about the Indians of that area and time period. There is much to savor and take in as you tour this museum and the gift shop.

Learn more about this author, Samantha Pratt-Tyler.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.