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Last Year we had 64 apples in the decorations. This year we’re up to 81. We actually in our travels ended up with over 100. But the 81 works well. So let’s see how they turned out.
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Last Year we had 64 apples in the decorations. This year we’re up to 81. We actually in our travels ended up with over 100. But the 81 works well. So let’s see how they turned out.
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Hospitalized newborns at an Illinois neonatal intensive care unit are celebrating their first-ever Halloweens in style.
Advocate Children’s Hospital, located in Chicago’s suburbs, posted pictures of their tiny patients dressed up in Halloween outfits on Wednesday. The infants were dolled up by their parents as part of a contest.
“Parents with babies in our neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) across Chicagoland are getting into the Halloween spirit!” the Facebook post read.
“It’s time to VOTE for your favorite in our annual Advocate Children’s Hospital NICU Halloween Costume Bash,” the hospital added, asking Facebook users to vote by liking their favorite pictures.
TOP BABY NAMES FOR 2022: A FEW FUN PREDICTIONS HERE
“We think they are ALL winners!” the post concluded.
Pictures show the babies yawning and sleeping in adorable costumes, ranging from superheroes to Disney characters to insects and animals. Many of the miniature costumes appeared hand-knit due to the youngsters’ small statures.
Some of the sleeping infants were dressed as Wonder Woman and Batman, while others were dressed as caterpillars and scuba divers. Some of the captions described the children’s medical conditions and the meaning behind their costumes.
“Alaysia was born at just 23 weeks old. Since day one, she’s been fighting a tough fight in the NICU,” one of the captions read. “It’s fitting that Alaysia’s parents dressed her up as a little boxer/fighter as she truly is ‘Mommy and Daddy’s little fighter’.”
The Illinois hospital, which has two locations in Oak Lawn and Park Ridge, will wrap up the costume contest at noon on October 28. The two babies with the most Facebook likes will win a prize.
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The post This kindhearted kid used his birthday money to start a food bank appeared first on Talker.
By Adam Dutton via SWNS
A kindhearted 11-year-old boy used his own birthday money to launch a foodbank service – which he runs from his garden SHED.
Isaac Winfield fills bags of groceries that have been donated and hands them out
to the needy around his hometown.
The generous youngster started the foodbank after asking his mum Claire to give him money for groceries instead of a birthday present.
Since starting the foodbank in 2020, the service has grown so much that Isaac’s family bought a shed to store the hundreds of donated items.
Wellwishers can now donate food or ask for supplies by contacting the schoolboy via his Friend’s of Isaac Food Bank Facebook page.
He takes bags of shopping to people or his parents give him a lift in their van at weekends which has been customized with Isaac’s instantly recognizable rainbow logo.
Those in need are also able to go to Isaac’s foodbank shed, which is open 24 hours a day, and help themselves.
The youngster, who was born with a rare chromosome disorder, started the foodbank after learning that his new school didn’t accept food donations.
Isaac, from Redditch, Worcs., is now planning to expand the service and has a local charity sponsoring him to open a foodbank in the town.
Proud mum Claire, 42, said: “It started in the car on the way to school.
“We’d always donated to food banks and during the pandemic, he would take food parcels into school which would be given to people in need.
“When Isaac moved from mainstream school to a specialist school he was left confused as to what he was going to do with his food parcel.
“It was in the middle of the pandemic and his new school wasn’t offering food parcels.
“Being the resilient little lad he is he said ‘it’s alright, we’ll give them food at my house’.
“I was laughing but he had just broken his arm so I let him do it to cheer him up.
“I doubled what money we gave them normally for food parcels and he went off to Aldi.
“With a little bit of help, he put all the food he bought in a little greenhouse with some lights and started offering it from there.
“Someone spotted it and put it on one of those Facebook community sites and it went mad. People came and donated.
“The greenhouse lasted four weeks before I had to go and get a shed because we ran out of room.
“By Easter 2021 we were funded a bigger shed by the free masons. He ran his little shed and his big shed on the drive.
“We have the big shed on the driveway and operations will continue from the house. Luckily we have a big driveway.”
Isaac has attracted the help of big sponsors like Morrison’s and a local charity called Building Bridges to keep his foodbank operational.
YouTuber Mark McCann donated a fully taxed and insured van to help get the foodbank mobile.
Mum-of-four Claire added: “It’s gone from a little project to a vital community project.
“I can’t believe it’s been two years coming up. He had a van donated.
“Isaac loves YouTube and we had a YouTuber called Mark McCann the driveway who donated the van, it was fully taxed and insured.
“Morrison’s jumped on board and started supporting us with the cause, so has the community.
“Our local community donate as and when they can.”
The selfless youngster even asked family and friends not to give him birthday presents this year and instead make foodbank donations.
Claire added: “For his 11th birthday he just wanted foodbank donations and it was absolutely rammed.
“He just wanted to get as many donations in as possible to help as many people as he can.
“I see roughly five visitors a day. The shed is always open and they don’t need to knock and I know we get visitors who come late at night and avoid seeing people.
“We think the situation for people is going to get worse and worse as the winter comes up. As it gets colder people are going to have to choose between heating and eating.
“We’re stocking up on pet food, food, winter clothes and wellingtons to help people keep warm.
“Isaac’s always been very kind-hearted. Anything he comes across he always wants to stop and help. I’m very blessed.
“It’s massively helped with his confidence, with his disability it has massively helped.
“To help all these people and hear how much of a wonderful job it’s boosted his confidence.
“He can’t read or write but he can fundraise.”
Isaac has now been nominated for a local business award and hopes to open his second foodbank in the town next month.
The post This kindhearted kid used his birthday money to start a food bank appeared first on Talker.
Views: 9
Well it’s that time of year. So we have a nice Lemon theme. I hope you enjoy this. It’s been done for a month now, but we bought more treasures and of course my wife will change things around till she gets it right. We also have some garden pictures but those will go in the comment section. Enjoy.
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Source: https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/ncis-la-linda-hunt-returns-hetty-season-14-1235400010/
“NCIS: LA” viewers were alarmed this week when the Season 14 premiere of the CBS procedural did not include Linda Hunt’s Hetty, the character whose last known location was Syria. In the episode, the team received word that a body had been a body found in Syria. By the end, they learn that it was a child’s body but they had Hetty’s IDs attached to them — likely because she wanted to stage her own death.
While it hasn’t been determined what exactly she’s up to, there are plans for her to return to the show this season, confirms executive producer R. Scott Gemmill, especially with Callen (Chris O’Donnell) and Anna’s (Bar Paly) nuptials.
“Hetty has been an integral force within the agency and an especially important part of Callen’s past,” Gemmill told Variety in a statement on Tuesday. “As Callen starts thinking about his upcoming wedding to Anna, he would want Hetty present. The plan is to go and rescue her at some point and find out what she’s gotten herself into in Syria, but we’re just trying to figure out when we can pull it off. The goal is to make it happen this season.”
Hunt last appeared in the Season 13 premiere, titled “Subject 17,” which aired in October 2021.
—————————————————————————————–My Take: I have severe trust issues with this showrunner, especially when it comes to Hetty. But I’ll admit, the mere fact that whatever Hetty is doing is getting the kind of attention it’s getting, is a hopeful sign that he knows that he’ll eventually have to make good on his ‘goal’ and not bait everyone for an entire Season again.
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Article taken from Nice News.
For over a decade, the world’s largest airborne telescope, NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), has sailed through the stratosphere 41,000 feet above Earth, using infrared light to capture incredible images and valuable information about the cosmos.
On Thursday, it embarked on its final flight: No. 921. Although the telescope — which was housed and flown in a modified Boeing 747 aircraft — has finished its mission, astronomers still have a trove of data to sift through, NASA said, and it’s possible SOFIA could produce even more scientific discoveries. Click here to see some of the captured cosmic imagery.
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So it’s Saturday Night and I’m ready for some music. Play what ever you feel like. Rock, Jazz, Pop, etc.
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Today, back in 2009, on September 22, the 1st episode of NCIS: Los Angeles first aired on CBS, at 9pm following NCIS.
It immediately became a hit due to it’s incredible cast, great writing, and cinematic like explosions and take downs. And remarkably enough, is still running today! (even though everything that made it so great has so greatly plummeted, but that’s a complaint for another day.).
I can still remember getting excited for a new episode every Sunday (when it eventually moved there), it was really fun. Then, some uncontrollable things in life happened in the summer of 2018, and nothing has been the same since.
I may be more disgusted with it now then happy, but I still love the 1st 8 Seasons.
Happy 13th anniversary, NCIS LA. (#TeamHettyForever)
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Article found on Nice News.
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For those who have been waiting on bated breath waiting for some kind of info relating to Callen finding his ‘mama’ (in it’s own ways) Hetty that’s new, well, there’s finally some, in the forms of yet more teasers from the showrunners:
For those who need help trying to read this, it explains that in the Season premiere, the intel that Callen gets worries him so much, he wants to go to Syria to find her. But is unfortunately stopped by the foolish old man who is unfortunately, still hogging Hetty’s beloved office.
The info also says that Callen will also miss her quite a lot while trying to plan his wedding to Anna.
My take on all this: Look, I hate this showrunner for what he’s done to this incredible show over the past few years, and the thought of having to trust him yet again with these kind of stupid teasers (that have 99% been wrong in the last few years when they’re related to Hetty!) makes me want to retch. But, since I have no photographic or video footage as of yet of whatever Hetty is doing out there, I don’t have a choice. All I and everyone else can do is wait and see. (and also hope that through some kind of crazy luck that either a brand new photo, or new video footage of Hetty gets leaked in the next month!).
And info on the rest of the team is also included in the photo. (but I don’t really care about them right now, a missing boss on a dangerous mission is more important and interesting then knowing what the agents are doing outside of work IMO!!)
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Ever have days where you just don’t know what to do, or wake up sluggish or feeling like your brain is drained? Then yeah, you’re definitely bored.
As someone who often has to deal with this, here’s some handy dandy tips to try and combat that:
1, Eat. Having a full stomach can often help with feeling better.
2, Get a new hobby.
3, Find a good book.
4, Find a new video game to play. (if you’re into that sort of thing).
5, Find a new TV show to watch
6, Go for a walk outside
7, Go for a drive
8, Clean
9, Go for a run
10, Make something
If anyone else has any other tips, feel free to say so!
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Since our viewers are and Ireland.International, I thought this would be a good one. Maybe they can comment on the locations in the UK, Italy, Canada, and Ireland.
Nothing beats the warmth and comfort of a fall evening spent by the fire. Thankfully, there are plenty of quaint and cozy inns around the world that embrace the autumn feeling and provide the perfect, intimate getaway.
Whether you’re looking to snuggle up with a book by the fireplace or gaze upon colorful fall foliage during breakfast, the following inns will meet all your seasonal needs
Fall in Vermont is perfect for biking, hiking, picnicking, and of course, leaf peeping. Nestled between the scenic Green Mountains of Vermont in the charming village of Warren is The Pitcher Inn. While staying at The Pitcher Inn, all of those classic fall activities are easily accessible due to the property’s proximity to the Roxbury State Forest. Choose a one or two-bedroom suite in the “barn” or a room in the main house. Jet out on a fly fishing adventure or stay in and curl up next to one of the inn’s 14 fireplaces. Guests can also indulge in seasonal fare onsite at the onsite pub or private dining rooms.
The Three Chimneys is a world-renowned restaurant and inn in picturesque northwest Scotland on the Isle of Skye. Its six charming guest rooms are in The House Over-By, each featuring stunning views of Loch Dunvegan and offering direct garden and seashore access. Dinner at The Three Chimneys is a must during your stay. The award-winning restaurant serves delicious Scottish-style meals with ancient Nordic influences. The Three Chimneys is known for its professional, yet warm and inviting staff — making it a comfortable and unforgettable stay.
On the rocky shores of the Pacific Coast of Vancouver Island is Wickaninnish Inn. This serene stay boasts cozy yet modern accommodations in the Beach Building and the Pointe Building. Enjoy panoramic water views throughout the property, which you can enjoy over dinner or cozied up in an armchair on the deck. Visit the Ancient Cedars Spa to be pampered or enjoy daily Hatha yoga in the Rainforest Haven room. This coastal getaway on a chilly fall morning is the perfect way to reset and get in touch with nature.
Enjoy an authentic New England fall getaway at The Lodge at Moosehead Lake, a AAA 4-Diamond property in Greenville, Maine. This lakefront bed and breakfast boasts five lodge rooms all with a fireplace, sitting area, four-post wooden bed, and lake or garden views. Four spacious carriage rooms are also available with scenic decks facing the lake. The staff at The Lodge will help you book exciting fall activities during your stay, from backcountry moose watching to seaplane rides.
Tucked away in the western Italian Alps, Les Trompeurs Chez Odette is a renovated family home that’s now a cozy six-bedroom inn. Each room has the same rustic feel, but is decorated individually — making the space feel snug and relaxed. Fireside breakfast is served in the wood-paneled dining room with traditional pastries and jams. Les Trompeurs is located in the small town of Cogne, a valley nestled between snow-capped peaks. This region is dotted with medieval castles and fortresses along with world-class ski resorts — providing guests with plenty of things to see and do.
You’ll feel right at home in this award-winning, 18th-century Irish country house in the heart of the midlands at the foot of the Slieve Bloom Mountains. The warmth of Roundwood Country House radiates throughout and showcases authentic Irish furnishings, crackling fireplaces, and the smell of fresh bread baked daily. Bookcase-lined walls, stonework, and ornate light fixtures create a comforting atmosphere, begging you to stay in and enjoy the house. This quintessentially Irish bed and breakfast boasts two types of accommodations — private rooms in the main house or a cottage in the garden.
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We all grew up reading the comics page in the newspaper in the morning one way or another, and that means we definitely have some favorite comic strips. Some of us probably even have collected the strips over the years.
With me, My favorite comic growing up was Peanuts, and it still is. I own a lot of the cartoon specials, all the movies, and I also own every single comic strip!
Now, I have other strips I love, like Garfield, Zits, Pearls Before Swine, and Marmaduke.
What’s your favorite comics?
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You only need a handful of thoughtfully produced ingredients to eat well in summer, so splurge on the good stuff. Don’t forget to grab handfuls of fresh herbs, and if you spot zucchini flowers at the market, they look lovely scissored and scattered over Fried Zucchini and Basil Casarecce.
Illustration: Eva Naroditskaya
These stealth flavor bombs can be melted into sauces, mashed into dressings or simply laid on top of a slice of bread and butter. Spanish Don Bocarte brand anchovies are fleshy and pink ($35 for 198 grams, amazon.com). Italian Rizzoli come in a charming tin ($33 for three 3.17-ounce tins, Food52.com). Ortiz can be found at many supermarkets.
I use a versatile, neutral oil to cook with and a more distinct one for finishing. Lately I’ve been cooking with Partanna, fresh and rich ($46 for 3 liters, YummyBazaar.com), and delicate, buttery Frantoia, both produced in Sicily. I recently discovered a Portuguese oil, Herdade Do Esporão Azeite Virgem Extra: smooth, balanced, excellent for dressings and finishing. When shopping, search the label for the words “hand picked” and “cold pressed.” If it has a date stamped on it, you’re on to a good thing.
This light, bright recipe, spaghetti with sun-kissed tomatoes, ricotta and crispy prosciutto, is so quick to make. Find the recipe below
Let me bang on about butter. Big fan! Pasta and butter are the ultimate companions. Pure comfort. While a pound of pasta is cooking, scoop out about ½ cup of the salty, starchy pasta water, pour it in a frying pan, melt in 5-6 tablespoons of butter, and crank in plenty of black pepper. When the pasta is al dente, pop it in the frying pan and toss everything together until creamy and coated. Be sure to blanket it with cheese. Or, start the meal off with a warm slices of rustic bread, each topped with lashings of butter, an anchovy and flaky salt. For cooking, try Delitia Butter of Parma, a delicate, unsalted type made from quality pasteurized creams collected in Parma and Reggio Emilia, where some of the best Italian cheeses are made ($11 for 8 ounces, igourmet.com). For serving, try French Le Meunier Fleur Sel Butter, wood-churned and hand-molded, or Isigny Sainte-Mère Beurre Demi-Sel Gros Grains with coarse salt, famous for its golden color, easy to spread.
Canned Certified DOP San Marzano Tomatoes are a must. Mutti San Marzano Pomodori Pelati Tomatoes are rich in flavor and color ($6 for 14.1 ounces, eataly.com). I’ve also been using Californian Bianco DiNapoli plum tomatoes. And I always have a few bottles of Rao’s brand marinara sauce in the pantry, too, for nights when I just can’t be bothered.
In ‘Simple Pasta’ (Aug. 30, Ten Speed Press), Odette Williams offers a pasta for every occasion, including plenty of light and easy recipes ideal for summer meals.
You want DOP Aged Parmigiano-Reggiano with its waxy rind that can be used in a stock or broth down the road, once the cheese itself is gone ($29 for a pound, MurraysCheese.com). I’m smitten with Pecorino Toscano: a softer, sweeter, Pecorino that sings shaved on a simple salad. A knot of burrata is always a showstopper with sliced heirloom tomatoes and basil leaves.
You can’t do better than Maldon Sea Salt Flakes, which deliver a bright, briny crunch ($7 for 8.5 ounces, amazon.com). But don’t miss the brand’s Smoked Sea Salt Flakes, either. I use them a lot in the summer to add vavoom to tomatoes, corn, cucumbers, stone fruits and burrata.
This chopped salad pasta is a highly portable picnic and potluck hit. Find the recipe below.
You can’t have pasta without wine. Cardedu Nùo Vermentino di Sardegna is a light, highly drinkable, white from Sardinia ($20 for 750 ml, WhiteHorseWine.com). Dry-farmed, organic, from a family-run outfit, it’s worth hunting down. Over a long, boozy lunch at one of my favorite New York restaurants, Café Altro Paradiso, I discovered the 2018 Ronchi Barbaresco, a Nebbiolo from Piedmont. Served slightly chilled, this medium-plus-bodied beauty has backbone but won’t take you down in the daytime. I’m planning on buying a case as I’m told it’s going to age well.
Why turn on the oven? Chill cherries and serve them with Antica Torroneria Piemontese Hazelnut Nougat, so nutty and chewy ($9 for 5.3 ounces, eataly.com). Or, buy a good gelato, drizzle a little olive oil on top, sprinkle on flaky sea salt and serve with Le Nuttine, those charming straw-shaped Italian wafers filled with hazelnut-cocoa cream.
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For the garlic butter and chile bread crumbs:
For the pasta:
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Article is from Talker
A caregiver surprised the adults she supports by asking them to be her bridesmaids.
Kayrin Callaghan, 30, instantly knew she wanted the adults she supports to be a special part day when her fiancé, Alex Slater-Brown, 25, a hospital care assistant, proposed
The mom-of-two has supported Jamie Kevern, 24, who has Down syndrome, for two years.
Kayrin also helps Daisy, 18, Francesca, 20, and Chloe, 26 – who also have Down syndrome – and stuck up a special bond with them all – enjoying days out to the local swimming pool and cinema together.
She asked the four of them to be her “flowermaids” by getting them to open boxes full of balloons.
All four were ecstatic and are already planning a bachelorette party for bride-to-be Kayrin.
Kayrin, a personal assistant, from Cambourne, Cornwall, UK, said: “They were so happy when I asked them to be my bridesmaids – there were lots of tears.
“They are so special to me. I wanted to give them the chance to walk down the aisle.
“We’re going to have a Disney-inspired Halloween wedding, so they’ll get to wear princess dresses.
“I want them to feel as special as they are to me.”
Kayrin bonded with the adults she cared for as soon as she met them.
“I’m like their big sister,” Kayrin said.
“They can come to me about their boyfriend or friendship troubles. They are ferocious dancers. We always get cheesy chips together after swimming.”
When Kayrin’s fiancé, Alex proposed to her in April 2022 she knew immediately who she wanted as her bridesmaids.
She said: “I had to plan a good way to ask them – so I decided to get some balloons which had the words ‘Will you be my flowermaids?’ on.
“They opened the boxes and Francesca, who is the best at reading, read what it said aloud to everyone.
“Their reaction was amazing, and we had lots of tears. Then they started twerking – which they love to do.”
Kayrin plans to get married in October 2023 and wants a “Nightmare Before Christmas” Disney inspired wedding.
“There isn’t going to be a color scheme as Jamie always loves to wear rainbow colors,” she said.
“They can all wear what they want and dress up in Disney princess dresses.
“We’ll have Mickey Mouse pumpkins on the tables.
“They are all planning the hen now – I think they’ll be lots of WKD involved as Jamie loves that drink.
“I just can’t wait to see their faces on my big day.”
The post Caregiver surprises adults with Down syndrome she supports by asking them to be her bridesmaids appeared first on Talker.
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This is a reprint from Nice News.
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This article was originally found on Mental Floss.
Before Spanish colonizers arrived in the Mississippi River valley in the 16th century, Native peoples built huge cities, developed extensive river-based trade routes, and constructed extraordinary earthworks. These mounds take different forms—low and round, tall and conical, broad and flat-topped, even animal-shaped—and served as important ceremonial and burial sites for hundreds of years or more. Here are 11 ancient Native American earthworks that offer a glimpse into prehistory.
Just outside modern-day St. Louis, Missouri, lie the remains of the largest pre-European contact city. The Mississippian people—a Native American culture defined by agriculture, complex social hierarchy, and mound building—constructed 120 large earthen mounds near the Mississippi River between 800 and 1400 CE. At its peak in the 12th century CE, Cahokia may have been home to 20,000 inhabitants, roughly the same population as London at the time. The cause of its demise is currently a matter of debate. In 1967, archaeologists discovered several mass graves containing 270 bodies within Mound 72. Today, more than 70 mounds are still visible, including 100-foot tall Monks Mound, the largest earthwork in North America.
The Caddoan-speaking inhabitants of this Mississippian mound city along the Arkansas River built a thriving trade network from the Rocky Mountains to the Gulf Coast between 850 and 1450 CE. The culture’s most valued objects, conch shells, were imported from the Caribbean—the community even had an agent stationed in southern Florida to direct the shipments. The Craig Mound, a burial mound 350 feet long, 11 feet wide, and 34 feet tall, once held the remains of more than 1000 leaders, covered in earth and grave goods. The abundance of stone, copper, shell, and textile artifacts—looted before Oklahoma protected the mounds by law—prompted the Kansas City Star to call the burial mound the “King Tut of the Arkansas Valley.”
There are no burials in the impressive Serpent Mound, located about 70 miles east of Cincinnati, Ohio. The 1348-foot-long earthwork, built on an ancient asteroid impact crater, is an effigy mound (a mound in the shape of an animal), and contained no artifacts to indicate when and by whom it was created. Some archaeologists believed the Serpent Mound was made by people of the Adena Culture, sometime between 800 BCE and 100 CE, because two Adena burial mounds are nearby. In 1991, an excavation of the Serpent Mound turned up charcoal bits that dated to a period between 1025 and 1215 CE, suggesting it was built by the Fort Ancient Culture, which lived in present-day Ohio between 1000 and 1650 CE.
This mound complex in southwest Georgia is the region’s largest site built by people of the Woodland Period, an archaeological era lasting from 1000 BCE to 900 CE. At the height of its development, between 350 and 600 AD, the Kolomoki settlement was likely centered around eight earthen mounds, seven of which survive today and include a 57-foot-tall platform mound believed to have been used for ceremonies. Two of the mounds served as burial sites and contained large caches of animal-shaped pottery, while other excavations yielded shells and items that indicated a well-oiled trade network. In 1974, burglars broke into the site’s museum and stole 129 priceless ceramic artifacts—most of which are still missing—in the state’s most infamous art theft.
Between 600 and 1250 CE, in the Late Woodland Period, a culture known as the Effigy Moundbuilders constructed earthworks in the shapes of deer, bison, bear, and other wildlife in the upper Mississippi River valley. Effigy Mounds National Monument, along the Mississippi River south of the Iowa-Minnesota border, encompasses more than 200 effigy mounds, conical burial mounds, and rectangular platform mounds. Descendants of the builders, who belong to 20 culturally associated Native American tribes, suggest the mounds serve ceremonial and sacred purposes.
A group of Mississippian Caddo people called the Hasinai settled this site, about 150 miles southeast of downtown Dallas, around 800 CE. The floodplain provided good soil for farming and the network of rivers allowed the Hasinai to obtain goods from far and wide, such as shells from present-day Florida and copper from the Great Lakes region. The site was largely abandoned in around 1300 CE, but three large mounds remain today at Caddo Mounds State Historic Site: the High Temple Mound, originally 35 feet high; the smaller Low Platform Mound; and the burial mound [PDF]. Excavation of the burial mound beginning in 1939 revealed about 90 bodies in 30 burial caches, along with sophisticated artifacts that hinted at the interred people’s high social status.
The most intact Mississippian Culture site in the Southeast, Etowah Mounds State Historic Site comprises six mounds, a village site, a central plaza, and other structures that demonstrate the complex society that lived there between 1000 and 1500 CE. Two impressive flat-topped mounds may have been the sites of the chiefs’ houses and temples. An excavated and reconstructed burial mound yielded remains of 350 people and archaeological clues about the culture’s customs and social hierarchy [PDF]. An onsite museum displays many of the grave goods, including two large marble effigies of a man and a woman that were likely used in ceremonies.
This collection of six major mound complexes outside modern-day Chillicothe, Ohio, illustrates the engineering prowess of the Hopewell Culture, which lived in the region as early as 100 BCE. The huge, geometrically shaped earthworks include square or circular enclosures around conical or rectangular mounds, all of which were used for ceremonial or mortuary purposes rather than as village sites. The Hopewell Mound Group, one of the park’s six areas, contains 29 cremation and burial mounds, such as one originally measuring 500 feet long and 33 feet tall. Like the later Woodland and Mississippian cultures, Hopewell people carried on trade with far-flung communities as evidenced by their finely wrought pottery, effigy pipes, and ornaments in silver, pearl, quartz, mica, obsidian, and other materials.
The Bynum Mounds, which originally numbered six, were built between 100 BCE and 100 CE by people of the Middle Woodland Period. They lie toward the southern end of the Natchez Trace, an ancient path stretching more than 400 miles from Natchez, Mississippi, to Nashville, Tennessee. In the 1940s, archaeologists discovered the grave of a woman, who had been buried with copper objects, in one of the mounds; another mound held the remains of several people along with greenstone ax-heads, copper spools, and projectile points (both of these mounds have been rebuilt). The Bynum Mounds are not far from another Middle Woodland Period complex along the Natchez Trace: the Pharr Mounds, dating to the 1st or 2nd century CE, and consisting of eight burial mounds. Four were excavated in the 1960s and found to contain human remains on low clay platforms, surrounded by grave goods.
Second in size only to Cahokia, the Moundville site in west-central Alabama spanned 300 acres on the Black Warrior River. Like other Mississippian Culture settlements, the residents of this city practiced agriculture, developed trading relationships with other river communities, and built mounds to serve as ceremonial spaces and mortuary sites. Moundville’s village, plaza, and 26 mounds were encircled by a wooden palisade. Historians aren’t sure why the settlement began to decline after 1350 CE, but almost all inhabitants had abandoned the city by 1500 CE. Moundville Archaeological Park is but one stop on the Alabama Indigenous Mound Trail, an itinerary of 13 sites across the state that preserve and interpret pre-contact culture.
Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2014, Poverty Point in the northeastern corner of Louisiana preserves an array of incredibly old earthworks. Between 1700 and 1100 BCE, workers built a complex of six enormous, concentric, C-shaped ridges about 5 feet tall, segmented by walkways, which may have been foundations for dwellings. Archaeologists estimate that workers had to carry about 53 million cubic feet of soil in hand-held baskets to construct the amphitheater-like ridges. Six large mounds and caches of beads, figurines, tools, and other objects made of stone from sources hundreds of miles away demonstrate the community’s sophistication. But it’s unclear who built the earthworks, or why they were made—to date, archaeologists have not uncovered any ancient burials at Poverty Point.