Jonesville mound to be replicated

By Vershal Hogan (Contact) | The Natchez Democrat

Published Saturday, June 13, 2009

Jonesville — Troyville will rise again — sort of.

The town of Jonesville lies on top of Troyville, which was once the site of a large American Indian settlement and the home to the second-largest Indian mound in North America, a mound so large that at 80-feet tall it was called the Great Mound.

But little is left of Troyville now, and the Great Mound was practically leveled in the 1930s when workers mined it for dirt to build the western approach for the old steel bridge across the Black River.

Bill Atkins is one of a committee of people who wants to see that changed, and when the old bridge is demolished the committee is going to mine the old dirt to rebuild a replica of the Great Mound.

“We won’t get all of the dirt that came out of the Great Mound, but some portion, between 4,000 and 8,000 cubic yards, and that will allow us to build quite a nice replica of the Great Mound,” Atkins said.

The replica will be within a stone’s throw of the original mound site, and it will be located adjacent to a museum the committee is planning to put together to emphasize the area’s American Indian culture.

The museum will replicate in miniature the walking path — from one mound to another — the American Indians followed from the mouth of the Ouachita River in Jonesville to the Arkansas border.

“It’s going to be located in a former car dealership on U.S. 84, so it’s a large building,” Atkins said. “It’s going to have interpretive displays — it is going to be fantastic.”

The owners of the $500,000 building will donate half of it, while the committee will apply for a Preserve America grant to pay for the other half, Atkins said.

But there’s another way the group will pay for the project.

“One day some friends and I were just killing time, and someone brought up the idea of selling chances to push the button when they blow up the bridge,” Jonesville Councilwoman Jackie Rouse said. “So I brought up the idea at the next (Catahoula Parish Museum and Historical Society) meeting.”

The plan took several days of calling back and fourth between James Construction Company, state hazardous materials officials, and the demolition crew, but finally Rouse’s explosive suggestion was approved.

Chances to be the person to push the button that will set off the explosives to demolish the bridge can be bought at Catahoula Office Products, Edwards Motel, the Catahoula News-Booster or from any member of the Catahoula historical society for $5, Rouse said.

“The exact date for when the demolition will be has not been set yet, but the state has promised us a two-week window so we can contact the person who wins,” she said.

When the mound is rebuilt, archeologists will screen the dirt for any remaining artifacts, and Atkins said he has been in contact with the Jena band of Choctaw Indians, who have said they would be more than happy to see any artifacts housed in Jonesville.

“If human remains are found, (the Choctaw) expressed a strong sentiment about treating them with dignity and reburial,” Atkins said.

The Choctaw have also indicated an interest in performing a ceremony at the mound site when the replica is completed, he said.

For more information about the project and to view a nine-minute video about it, visit www.catahoulahistory.com.