Art-Worlds Ais Mound - Fort Pierce, Florida
Site: Ais Mound - Fort Pierce, Florida
Location: Old Fort Park, 901 S Indian River Drive, Fort Pierce, FL 34950
Google Maps Link
Date of visit: February 2023
The single mound is set a grove of palms and live oaks overlooking the Indian River Lagoon. It is a beautiful spot, but, like many mound sites, it is close to an industrial area with train tracks behind the park. Visiting the nearby St. Lucie County Aquarium gave me an appreciation of the rich ecosystem in the area. While in Fort Pierce, I saw lots of white and glossy ibis and other wading birds like the yellow-footed Snowy Egret “Golden Slippers.” There were dolphins in the lagoon, and I heard reports of manatees living in the area.
The Ais people, like the more dominant Calusa tribe the of southern Florida, didn't farm, but lived on the abundance of seafood - fish, turtle, and shellfish - and on native fruits like cocoplums and sabal palm berries. Though it is pure speculation, could parts of Florida once have been a huge garden as researchers are now considering in the Amazon basin? The St Lucie Historical Society web site has information about the Ais interactions with the Spanish and shipwrecked sailors.
There were shell middens and burials around the area. Hutchinson Island, the barrier island across the lagoon from the mound site, made national news in 2022 when erosion from hurricane Nicole uncovered six skulls and smaller bones at a burial site.
The Ais Indians tribe had 137 members in 1711. There is speculation that the tribe migrated and joined other native peoples. By 1740 they were gone from the area.
Links to more information
- Titusville, Florida Centennial — 1867-1967: Historical Booklet and Program, Countdown In History | Website: North Brevard Area Directory www.nbbd.com
- Early Native Americans: St. Lucie Historical Society