Louisiana State University gets federal grant to preserve, protect campus mounds

BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — Louisiana State University is getting a grant from the federal government to preserve the LSU Campus Mounds that were constructed by Native Americans thousands of years ago.

The two mounds in the center of LSU’s campus hold many memories for generations of people on game day or during their time as students. Those memories took place on a historical site built by tribes estimated between 6,000-11,000 years ago.

“They are likely of social or ceremonial importance, and they’re still sacred to tribes today,” said Nancy Hawkins, an archeologist on the LSU Campus Mounds Committee.

Over the years, the mounds have been breaking down due to human interaction and weather. The school has been taking action to prevent the mounds from deteriorating further by putting up a fence in recent years so nobody can access them.

“[The mounds] have been on the National Register of Historic Places for national significance since the late 1990s, and so LSU has known that they’re important but I think that that awareness has grown in recent years,” Hawkins said.

The National Park Service has pledged over $220,000 , which the school will match, to preserve the site by planting drought-resistant grass and removing the sidewalk that is no longer used. The grant is part of the federal Save America’s Treasures program that aims to preserve historic sites and collections.

LSU has a bigger plan that will cost around $6 million to reroute traffic in front of the field house, build pathways and a viewing platform. They are on the search for donors to make the project a reality. The project would allow for a larger buffer of greenery between walking spaces and the mounds, meaning the current fence can be taken down.

“Our plan is to make the mounds an attraction, but an attraction from a distance,” said Director of Campus Planning Greg LaCour.

After the preservation projects are complete LSU wants to use the mounds as an educational place for school trips, a pop-up museum on game days and guided tours.

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