The Green Mound
One of the largest Native American shell middens stands 30 feet tall.
Composed entirely of discarded organic material, the Green Mound of Ponce Inlet is one of the largest shell mounds, or “middens,†of its kind in the United States. It was formed by the local Native American tribes as a dumping ground for the shells of oysters, clams, and other debris. Over the centuries between 800 and 1600 CE, it rose as high as 40 feet tall.
The composition of the shell mound caused many pre-Columbian artifacts to be preserved in the material, and digging into the mound reveals a vertical chronology of the Native Americans who lived there. In fact, the very formation of the midden signified the shift from a nomadic to a sedentary lifestyle: The mound was created from the shellfish diet that allowed the population to flourish in the area for hundreds of years.
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-green-mound
