After years of efforts to secure funding, LSU has finally received a federal grant of more than $220,000 from the National Park Service to preserve the LSU Campus Mounds.
The grant, part of the Save America’s Treasures program, will be matched by the university and will fund critical preservation and renovation projects for the ancient mounds, which are among the oldest man-made structures in North America.
The mounds, located at the heart of the university, are estimated to be between 6,000 and 11,000 years old. They are believed to have been of social or ceremonial significance to Native American tribes, and in 1999, were added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Over the years, the mounds have faced deterioration due to both human interaction and weather conditions. The university has taken steps to prevent further damage, including installing a fence to restrict access. However, more comprehensive measures are needed to ensure their long-term preservation.
“The mounds are in urgent need of intervention to protect their integrity,” Committee Chair Sibel Ates, an associate dean in the College of the Coast and Environment, said. “While some of these activities are no longer occurring, they have left ruts and slumps which allow water intrusion and weaken the mounds’ internal structure.”
The preservation efforts at LSU are part of a larger initiative by the NPS, which recently announced $25.7 million in Save America’s Treasures grants to fund 59 projects across the United States.
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According to NPS Director Chuck Sams, “The Save America’s Treasures program began 25 years ago and continues to enable communities across the United States to preserve and conserve their nationally significant historic properties and collections.”
“It’s fitting to celebrate this milestone anniversary through a wide range of projects that help to pass the full history of America and its people down to future generations,” Sams said.
At LSU, the grant will fund a series of projects that will stabilize and protect the mounds. The first initiative is to stop the ongoing erosion by planting new drought-resistant grass.
“We will stop the erosion, by repairing existing damage and revegetating the mounds,” Ates said. “The current ground cover is weak and dying, and there is no way to effectively irrigate it.”
A new layer of soil and dense sod will be hand-placed over the surface of the mounds. Then a nonintrusive irrigation system will be installed.
To unify the space, the once major sidewalk that divides the mounds will be carefully removed.
Precision mapping of the site will be conducted both before and after the restoration work to document changes and establish a baseline for preservation efforts.
Additionally, a geophysical engineer will be brought in to advise on erosion control, and an archaeologist will monitor the work to ensure the mounds’ integrity is maintained.
“This funding effort was truly a team effort with LSU leadership, faculty, staff, students and tribe members,” Ates said.
Partners in this effort include the Louisiana Division of Archaeology, the Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana and the Tunica Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana, according to the project abstract.
“In the first year, we will complete the actual assessment and finalize the plan,” Ates said. “In the second year, we will conduct the physical work.”
The university’s master plan, which is estimated to cost around $6 million, includes rerouting roads near the mounds, building pathways and constructing a viewing platform. These plans feature a larger buffer zone of greenery, allowing the current fence to be removed while still protecting the mounds.
“This funding will allow us to bring that dream one step closer to reality,” said Dr. Ates. “This will also help people understand that this is the time to create new memories with the mounds.”
