© PAINTING BY CARLYLE URELLO, TENNESSEE STATE MUSEUM Woodland Period During the Archaic period, Native Americans established a settlement along the Harpeth River (Source: The Moore-Morris History & Culture Center of Williamson County) (Source: Tennessee State Library and Archives) Native American populations increased in the Franklin area during the Woodland Period. PREHISTORIC AND EARLY SETTLEMENT The land encompassing present-day Franklin, Tennessee, was inhabited by Native Americans for at least 10,000 years before white settlers and enslaved Black people arrived. Much like the initial settlers, Native Americans were drawn to the Franklin area because of its abundant natural resources along the Harpeth River which winds its way north through the region from its headwaters at Eagleville, southeast of Franklin. The Harpeth River watershed provided Native Americans with easy access to clean water and a rich diversity of plants and animals to harvest. During the Archaic period (circa 7975 BCE–975 BCE), Native Americans began building semipermanent village sites along waterways throughout Tennessee. In Franklin, Native Americans established a settlement along the Harpeth River known as the Anderson-Holt Site. Named after the white property owners, this site is one of the first examples of a long-term encampment in Franklin where Native Americans procured food, built shelter, and buried their dead for many years. The Native American population increased in Franklin during the Woodland period (circa 975 BCE–1000 CE), which saw the construction of mounds, which were likely both burial and ceremonial in nature. About 1,800 years ago, Native Americans constructed mounds along the river on the northwestern outskirts of Franklin. Known as the Glass Mounds Site, this large town site currently consists of two conical shaped mounds but previously contained at least four mounds standing between eight and 20 feet tall. Named for Samuel F. Glass, who owned the property in the nineteenth century, the Glass Mounds Site is an excellent example of long-distance trade between communities, with copper, mica, and marine shell artifacts that originated from as far north as the Great Lakes and as far south as the Gulf Coast. 7975BCE BCE circa 975 40 FRANKLIN, TN | PRESERVATION PLAN
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