Caddo Mounds State Historic Site
Caddo Mounds State Historic Site (41CE19) (also known as the George C. Davis Site) is an archaeological site in Weeping Mary, Texas. This Caddoan Mississippian culture site is composed of a village and ceremonial center that features two earthwork platform mounds and one burial mound. Located on a precontact Native American trail later named by the Spanish as El Camino Real de los Tejas, the settlement developed hundreds of years before the arrival of Europeans to the region. Archaeologists believe the site was created in approximately 800 CE, with most major construction taking place between 1100 and 1300 CE.
Entrance to Caddo Mound State Historic Site (prior to 2019 tornado) | |
Caddo Mounds State Historic Site Caddo Mounds State Historic Site Caddo Mounds State Historic Site (the United States) | |
| Location | Weeping Mary, Texas |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 31°35′47″N 95°8′55″W |
| Area | 353 acres (143 ha) |
| History | |
| Founded | 780 CE |
| Abandoned | 1260 CE |
| Cultures | Caddoan Mississippian culture |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | 1919, 1933, 1960s–1980s |
| Archaeologists | James Edwin Pearce, E. B. Sayles, H. Perry Newell |
| Management | Texas Historical Commission |
George C. Davis Site | |
U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
Texas State Historic Site
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| NRHP reference No. | 70000742 (original) 79003449 (increase) |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1970 |
| Boundary increase | November 15, 1979 |
| Designated TSHS | 1974 |
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The Caddo Mounds site is located in East Texas, 6 miles (9.7 km) west of Alto, Texas on Texas State Highway 21 near its intersection with U.S. Route 69 in the Piney Woods region. Operated by the Texas Historical Commission, the museum at the site was reopened in October 2015. The new museum offers visitors a chance to explore a replica Caddo village, and all exhibits are hands-on. Visitors can walk the 0.7 miles (1.1 km) self-guided interpretive trail to see the Caddo burial, low temple, and ceremonial mounds. An additional trail along the El Camino Real is also available.