Indian Mound Park, Pompano Beach
1232 Hibiscus Avenue (12th Street and Hibiscus)
By Jane Feehan
Pompano‘s Indian Mound Park, which sits along the east side of
the Intracoastal Waterway, features a Tequesta burial mound thought to be at
least a thousand years old. The mound, about seven feet high and 100 feet wide
holds the artifacts and bones of Tequesta Indians, early residents of Florida. Referred
to as the only burial mound to escape Broward County development, the site was listed
on the National Registry of Historic Places in April 2014 (registry reference 14000151).
Pompano listed it on its historical directory in 2010.
Residents have known about the Indian Mound for decades. A
newspaper in 1925 referred to it as the “old Indian Mound of historical
romance.” Others promoted it as a tourist attraction. Few understood the
Tequesta connection but an associate professor of anthropology from the University
of Florida, John Goggin, did. He came to the site in 1938 and started digging.
He didn’t find much except one significant piece, an image dubbed “Keeper of
the Mound.” It was enough to pique the interest of an archaeologist a short time
later, but he was stopped from digging by neighborhood residents who did not want
the site to be disturbed. Goggin was to return nearly two decades later but for
a different purpose mentioned below.
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| 1925 ad for Lake Santa Barbara: " the old Indian Mound has been a mecca for thousands." |
It is thought the Tequestas came to Florida about 2,500
years ago. They lived peacefully off its land and waters for centuries. Most of
these early settlers were decimated by disease after Spanish explorers started
coming to Florida in the 15th century. Florida remained in Spanish
hands until 1763, when it was ceded to the British in the First Treaty of Paris.
Some historians think a few Tequesta left with the Spanish and headed for Havana;
others think the last of the Tequesta lived in Florida until the 1800s.
The Tequesta legacy includes mounds throughout Florida;
there were probably 50 of them between Lake Okeechobee and the Keys, including
that of the Miami Circle downtown (though some dispute this site). Some sites
reveal evidence of canals the Indians built to reach the mounds. These dirt mounds could be 40 feet high and 300 feet wide and used for dwellings,
ceremonies and for burial. There is also evidence of above-ground cemeteries
built by Tequesta.
Pompano’s Indian Mound was long thought to be an eyesore
along the Intracoastal. The Jelks family, residents of the area since the early 1900s, donated the property to the city of
Pompano for a park. It was dedicated by Mayor Bruce Blount as Indian Mound Park
April 13, 1958 with Professor Goggin on hand. Indigenous trees and plants were
planted for the occasion and many remain. At one time a museum was planned for the site, but it
never materialized. For years it remained largely unnoticed. It still wasn’t
much to look at during my childhood, well after its dedication.
But things have changed, even though the park sits between a
water tower and a tall condominium. Today, it’s a
small, but beautiful area astride Hibiscus Avenue. It provides a wide view of Lake Santa Barbara and the Intracoastal. The park now includes a covered waterside
table, a Water Taxi stop, a winding sidewalk with benches and parking for only four or five cars. I visited recently
and found myself in the company of two others taking a quiet lunch break. Stop
by … but don’t tell too many. Indian Mound Park is a gem of historical
significance with a magnificent vista. One can only imagine how beautiful it was
when the Tequesta lived here.
Sources:
Miami Herald, Nov. 3, 1925
Miami News, May 19, 1935
Miami Herald, July 29, 1951
Tampa Tribune, March 27, 1955
Fort Lauderdale News, April 13, 2958
Fort Lauderdale News, Oct. 3, 1958
Sun-Sentinel, Feb. 19, 1986
Sun-Sentinel, June 2,
2003
Sun-Sentinel, March 31, 2004
Sun-Sentinel, March 31, 2014
Sun-Sentinel, June 26, 2014
