TUPELO – A monument now marks the spot of a Native American mound that until recently had masqueraded as a nondescript grassy knoll inside a park.

The mound is located on the south end of Veterans Memorial Park, just off Veterans Boulevard. It contains pottery shards, spear points and other artifacts that date the time of its makers to the Woodland Period about 4,000 years ago.

“Many local historians have known about this site for years,” said former Ward 1 City Councilman and history buff Dick Hill, who helped unveil the monument Monday along with other current and past city officials.

Previous attempts to designate the mound always had failed, Hill said. It wasn’t until local disc golfers wanted to put a golf tee on the site that historians renewed their efforts.

Resident Eugene Delano “Ed” Christian led the charge, urging the City Council to fund a memorial marker. In one of their last acts, council members of the previous term granted Christian’s request, Hill said.

The stone monument stands about 4 feet tall and provides a brief description of the mound. Plans are under way to widen the road near the mound so motorists can safely pull off the street and visit the site.

“Generally, preservation comes from one person or one small group of people who push for something,” said Mayor Jack Reed Jr., who was also on hand for the unveiling and congratulated everyone for their efforts.

Researchers at Mississippi State University verified the site before the monument was placed. Christian did some research of his own, too.

“The Veterans Boulevard occupational site falls within the transitional period between the Archaic Hunter Gatherer and Mississippi Cultures,” Christian wrote in a prepared statement. “It was occupied some 3,500 years ago by semi-nomadic hunter-gatherers whose culture was rapidly changing from that of the chase to that of the more settled agricultural life.”

Contact Emily Le Coz at (662) 678-1588 or emily.lecoz@djournal.com.