Blue Spring State Park
The Thursby Mound is located in Blue Spring State Park.The Thursby Mound (named for landowners in the 19th Century) has produced some of Volusia County’s most interesting archaeological finds. Of these, several toylike pottery effigies of squash, gourds, acorns, and animals are remarkable.
The mound itself also is special; it is a truncated cone about 12 feet high and 90 feet in diameter, with a shell ramp leading up from the river.
In 1955, a dragline operator pulled a large carved owl from the St. Johns River near the Thursby Mound. The figure, made from a whole log by burning and scraping, probably stood upright in the ground. Since the owl was viewed by Florida natives as a symbol of ill luck, it may have been placed next to the mound to ward off unwanted visitors. The figure is currently housed at the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville. A replica is located at Fort Caroline National Park near Jacksonville.
Internal Links:
Ancient Civilizations of Florida
Public Indian Sites of Florida: Hontoon Island
Public Indian Sites of Florida: Fort Caroline
External Links:
Le Moynes Florida Indians @ TheNewWorld.us
Blue Spring State Park
Volusia County History: Thursby Mound
