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At the heart of LSU’s campus are two earthen mounds, architectural remnants created by Native Americans thousands of years ago – built by egalitarian hunter-gatherers and a subject of mystery and marvel for generations of admirers.
The LSU Campus Mounds are among the oldest human-made edifices in the Americas. Experts believe the hunter-gatherers who constructed the mounds met there periodically for ceremonial activities and secular events. Originally built at a point where the Mississippi River made a turn to the south, the mounds would've been a prominent landmark to anyone traveling on the river. The river has since shifted, but the mounds’ landmark status remains strong.
The name "LSU Campus Mounds" has been thoughtfully considered by an LSU committee that included representation from Louisiana's Native Tribes and follows the tradition by which the name of earthen mounds in the Americas refer to their location.
Research on the mounds has been conducted since the 1940s and new projects emerge to date the mounds, understand their historical and social relevance, and reconstruct the past in Louisiana.
As the modern steward of this sacred land, LSU takes its responsibility to protect and preserve these cultural treasures seriously. Please help us preserve the LSU Campus Mounds by:
To learn more about the LSU Campus mounds, visit their website.
