East Bank Mississippian Village

Did you know that there was Mississippian-era city beneath Nashville’s East Bank? Looking downstream from the Cumberland River centuries ago, you would have seen towering earthen mounds, plazas, and countless homes, part of a thriving metropolis that predated Nashville. This city, home to thousands of Mississippian people, stretched for a mile along the East Bank and was one of the most complex societies of its time. The Mississippian time period was from approximately 800-1600 CE, or Common Era, and is named for the Mississippi River Valley where the culture first developed. We visited several other Mississippian villages on the first part of this tour.

The Mississippian societies were agriculturalists, mastering the rich alluvial soils of Middle Tennessee. Their diet centered on the Three Sisters—corn, beans, and squash—and they organized their villages around earthen mounds. Some of these mounds supported ceremonial structures, while others served as burial sites. At the base of the mounds, broad plazas hosted commerce, rituals, and daily life.

Historic accounts describe a flat-topped mound north of today’s Jefferson Street Bridge, with three smaller conical mounds to the south, surrounded by homes and community spaces. The planning and labor required to construct these mounds suggest a highly organized society with a strong leadership structure.

Over the past 150 years, relic hunting and urban development have erased traces of this ancient city above ground. However, archaeological excavations before construction on the Jefferson Street Bridge uncovered trash pits, house post holes, and over 51,000 ceramic artifacts. Many of these shell-tempered ceramics were simple cooking pots, but some were intricately shaped like fish, frogs, or human figures.

Using the Cumberland and other waterways as trade routes, the Mississippians exchanged goods, materials, and ideas across what is now the Central and Southeastern U.S. Artifacts reveal trade with the East Coast, Gulf Coast, and Great Lakes regions. Exotic chert and flint tools found at the site highlight these far-reaching connections. Analysis of seeds and animal bones confirms they grew maize and hunted a diverse range of game, including deer, birds, fish, and small mammals.

Though nothing remains above ground, the legacy of this sprawling civilization lies beneath the surface. It is our responsibility to preserve it and its story and honor the people who once called this land home.

**The Augmented Reality (AR) models will only work in specific points at the site. Open the link and hold your phone up to allow the model to calibrate to the landscape. You should see the model projected in front of you.

Near the parking lot for Top Golf face to the southwest or to the direction of the ramp for the Jefferson Street bridge. You should see the model projected in front of you.**

Now we’ll head to the site of a Woodland village located in a Metro park. Exit the parking lot back onto Cowan Street and turn LEFT onto Spring Street. Stay straight as Spring Street becomes South 5th Street. You are now in East Nashville, specifically the neighborhood of Edgefield. Learn more about these neighborhoods on our East Nashville walking tour. 

In about a mile, turn LEFT onto Shelby Avenue. Stay on Shelby Ave. for about 2.5 miles as it becomes Bendelow Lane then Shelby Bottoms Road. Park at the Shelby Bottoms Nature Center. If you are able, listen to this stop as you walk along the Shelby Bottoms Greenway to the Observation Deck and back (about 1/2 mile).