Turtle Mound
Archaeological site in Florida, US
title: "Turtle Mound" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["shell-middens-in-florida", "woodland-period", "native-american-history-of-florida", "archaeological-sites-in-florida", "archaeological-sites-on-the-national-register-of-historic-places-in-florida", "national-register-of-historic-places-in-volusia-county,-florida", "protected-areas-of-volusia-county,-florida", "mounds-in-florida", "florida-native-american-heritage-trail", "timucua"] description: "Archaeological site in Florida, US" topic_path: "history" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turtle_Mound" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Archaeological site in Florida, US ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox ancient site"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Turtle Mound |
| image | TurtleMound1915_ge0496.jpg |
| image_size | 250px |
| caption | A photo of Turtle Mound in 1915 |
| map_type | Volusia County |
| map_caption | Location within Florida today |
| coordinates | |
| location | New Smyrna Beach, Volusia County, Florida, US |
| region | Volusia County, Florida |
| built | 1000 BCE |
| abandoned | 1400 CE |
| cultures | St. Johns culture |
| architectural_styles | shell mound |
| notes | Responsible body: State of Florida |
| designation1_offname | Turtle Mound |
| designation1_date | September 29, 1970 |
| designation1_number | 70000193 |
| :: |
| name = Turtle Mound | alternate_name = | image = TurtleMound1915_ge0496.jpg | image_size = 250px | alt = | caption = A photo of Turtle Mound in 1915 | map = | map_type = Volusia County | map_alt = | map_caption = Location within Florida today | map_size = | relief = | coordinates = | map_dot_label = | location = New Smyrna Beach, Volusia County, Florida, US | region = Volusia County, Florida | built = 1000 BCE | abandoned = 1400 CE | epochs = | cultures = St. Johns culture | event = | excavations = | archaeologists = | architectural_styles = shell mound | notes = Responsible body: State of Florida | designation1_offname = Turtle Mound | designation1_type = | designation1_criteria = | designation1_date = September 29, 1970 | delisted1_date = | designation1_partof = | designation1_number = 70000193
Turtle Mound is a prehistoric archaeological site located 9 mi south of New Smyrna Beach, Florida, United States, on State Road A1A, between the Mosquito Lagoon and the Atlantic Ocean. On September 29, 1970, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Today the site is owned and managed by the National Park Service as part of Canaveral National Seashore.
Characteristics
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/78/Turtle_Mound_-_Canaveral_National_Seashore_Florida.jpg" caption="Oyster shells visible beneath the overgrowth"] ::
A refuse deposit composed mostly of oyster shells, the 2 acre mound ranges for over 600 ft along the lagoon shoreline and holds over 35,000 cuyd of shells. Sparsely vegetated in the early 19th century, it has since been covered by a dense maritime hammock, its primary cover being woody.
Along with similar mounds regionally, it is the northernmost outpost of several tropical plant taxa, possibly due to its secluded, elevated, seaside location and to heat retention by shells; a study in 1923 found its flora to be "largely of a tropical character", as did repeated surveys that also spotted rare species. Migratory seabirds, raptors, and other avians frequent the site, likely fostering seed dispersal there.
Its peak affords the site a panorama for miles, leading a visitor in 1926 to remark that "one has the sensation of standing on top of a mountain". The statehouse in Eldora and nearby Bethune Beach are observable from its top, along with many other features that set the site apart from other such points in Florida: over 20 mi of wild coastline to its south, the lagoon to its west, and the ocean to its east.
History
The mound, dating to between 800 and 1400, contains waste from the Timucua, who caught many reptiles and small mammals here. The Timucua may have used the site as an observatory, for ceremonies, or as a refuge during hurricanes.
Prior to the late 19th century Turtle Mound was estimated to be 75 ft high. Visible 7 mi seaward, the mound was used as a landmark by mariners, including Spanish explorers and later navigators. Along with the 12 m Green Mound, Turtle Mound was one of the most visible markers on the Florida east coast before lighthouses were built.
In 1605 Álvaro Mexía noted the site, dubbing it Baradero de Surruque, and observed natives floating their dugout canoes at its foot. In the late 18th century the site was named Mount Belvedere (1769), The Rock (1769), and Mount Tucker (1796). Over time the mound began to take the form of a turtle, giving the feature its name—a toponym first used on a map published in William Bartram's Travels (1791).
Like other mounds, it was slated for use as fill material, but efforts by John B. Stetson Jr. and other individuals led to its acquisition by the State of Florida in 1951. A 6 ft wall to halt erosion was erected in 1964 on its northwest, and a pair of lookouts were added in 1972.
Tropical plant taxa
::data[format=table title="Tropical plant taxa at or near Turtle Mound"]
| Scientific name | Common name | Abundance | Habitat | Year first noted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agave vivipara | agave | dominant | beach | c. 1766 |
| Amyris elemifera | torchwood | dominant | exposed slopes | 1921 |
| Ardisia escallonioides | marlberry | dominant | 1921 | |
| Avicennia germinans | black mangrove | occasional | riverside | 1921 |
| Carica papaya | papaya | rare | 1921 | |
| Chiococca alba | snowberry | abundant | 1921 | |
| Cissus trifoliata | marine vine, sorrel vine | abundant | west side | 1971–3 |
| Citrus × aurantium | wild orange | occasional | c. 1766 | |
| Eugenia axillaris | white stopper | dominant | 1921 | |
| Exothea paniculata | inkwood, butterbough | frequent | 1921 | |
| Harrisia fragrans | night-blooming cereus | rare | 1971–3 | |
| Heliotropium angiospermum | scorpion-tail | occasional | riverside | 1971–3 |
| Laguncularia racemosa | white mangrove | rare | riverside | 1921 |
| Mentzelia floridana | poor man's patches | occasional | open spots | 1921 |
| Myrcianthes fragrans | nakedwood | dominant | 1921 | |
| Myrsine floridana | frequent | 1971–3 | ||
| Ocotea coriacea | lancewood | rare | 1971–3 | |
| Plumbago scandens | leadwort | frequent | 1921 | |
| Psychotria nervosa | wild coffee | frequent | 1921 | |
| Rhizophora mangle | red mangrove | occasional | riverside | 1921 |
| Schoepfia chrysophylloides | whitewood | rare | 1971–3 | |
| Sideroxylon foetidissimum | mastic | rare | 1971–3 | |
| Zanthoxylum fagara | wild lime | dominant | exposed spots near summit | 1971–3 |
| :: |
Gallery
File:TurtleMound1924_sm1968.jpg|Turtle Mound in 1924 File:TurtleMound1929_ge1157.jpg|Turtle Mound in 1929 File:CNS Turtle Mound sign01.jpg|Sign pointing the way to mound File:CNS Turtle Mound walkway01.jpg|Walkway toward mound File:CNS Turtle Mound shells03.jpg|Shells visible through vegetation File:CNS Turtle Mound top west02.jpg|Looking west from top of mound File:CNS Turtle Mound boardwalk03.jpg|Boardwalk to top of mound
Notes
References
Sources
References
- [[Volusia County, Florida. "Turtle Mound Located in the Canaveral National Seashore". Volusia County Historic Preservation Board and the Volusia County Government.
- {{NRISref
- National Park Service. "Canaveral National Seashore: Scenic Vistas".
- "Turtle Mound: Canaveral". National Park Service.
- National Park Service. "Canaveral National Seashore: Plants".
- "New Smyrna Beach".
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