Indian Mound Park is a multi-use park located in Englewood, Florida and maintained by the Sarasota County Parks and Recreation. A portion of the park preserves an ancient Indian Mound that has been at this location since approximately 1000 BC-1350 AD. Interpretive signs are located throughout the park and this self-guided tour is to assist you in locating them and gaining a further understanding of the ancient habitants of this area.
Please visit the website of the 'Trail of Florida's Indian Heritage' at (
visit link) for more detailed information about this site.
Begin the tour (N 26° 57.411 W 82° 21.773) at the covered pavilion adjacent to the parking lot near the boat trailer parking area. This covered pavilion has picnic tables and shaded seating as well as restrooms and potable water. At the end of the pavilion is a kiosk titled 'Welcome to Indian Mound Park' take a walk into the past. This kiosk has a lengthy description of 'The Paulsen Point Midden'. A suggestion would be to take a photo of the written information and review it as you traverse the park.
Interpretive signs can be followed in any order. From here you can climb the midden to begin or walk/drive to the south end of the park and begin from the parking lot adjacent to Lemon Bay.
Interpretive sign 'The Gulf Intracoastal Waterway' N 26° 57.3938 W 82° 21.8252.
"Prior to the creation of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) (1895-1967), the Sarasota Bay system was a 54 mile-long area separated into three inland bays of varying navigability. Big Sarasota Bay is the northernmost, Little Sarasota Bay is in the middle, and Lemon Bay, the water surrounding Indian Mound Park, is the southernmost. Historically, there are no interconnections between the bays. Before the ICW, boating from Sarasota to Englewood required a 28-mile open run in the Gulf of Mexico. ICW construction was accomplished with the use of large dredges that created spoil, or fill material, from the bay bottom. This spoil was used to extend the shoreline and create spoil islands. The grass lawn to the south of the Paulsen Point midden, and much of the boat ramp area to the west and north, consists of spoil."
Interpretive sign 'Indian Mound Park' N 26° 57.3773 W 82° 21.8092
"Why are you at Indian Mound Park today? Chances are, no matter what your answer, the prehistoric people of the site utilized the area in much the same way. If you are launching a vessel, the Native American Indians of Paulsen Point paddled their dugouts from here. If you are here to enjoy the exceptional beauty of the park, there is no doubt that the prehistoric people of the site admired the vista as they worked, lived, and played on the site."
Interpretive sign 'Can You Imagine?' N 26° 57.3718 W 82° 21.8140
"Can you imagine being a Native American Indian kid? As an infant you would have been carried on you mother's back in a cradleboard. Until you were three you probably did not wear many clothes. As you grew up, you were taught skills you would need as an adult. Girls were taught how to cook, sew clothing and make pottery and boys were taught how to hunt and fish. Probably the best news is that you didn't get punished much! Misbehavior was met with indulgent attitude until you became a young man or woman."
Interpretive sign 'Early Life at Indian Mound Park' N26° 57.3802 W 82° 21.7991
"Looking out over the bay you can imagine the sun is nearing the horizon. You see the dugouts paddling back to the village. They are low in the water; it must have been a good catch. They skim toward the beach where the children are splashing, eager to see the fish and help unload the boats. The smoke from a cooking fire drifts over and you smile, thinking about the meal to come and the full moon that will soon rise."
Interpretive sign 'A Diversity of Plants and Trees' N26° 57.4031 W82° 21.7764
"Paulsen Point features a wonderful diversity of plants, shrubs, and trees. This coastal hammock was established naturally on the dunes of the original cuspate spite. On the midden you can find coontie (Zamia floridana), an ancient cycad pervasive throughout the Mesozoic (250-265 million years ago). After careful processing to remove poisons, coontie can be made into flour and was often cooked with meat and vegetables. Wild lime (anthoxylum fagara) also grows on the midden. The leaves and bark of prickly lime can be used as a pungent spice and the bark produces a yellow dye. The mastic on the site (Sideroxylon foetidissimum) was likely prized for its hardwood which would have made excellent mortars and pestles. The fruit of the mastic is edible but has been described as gummy, acidic and bitter. The beautiful live oaks (Quercus Virginiana) on the midden are probably hundreds of years old. As ancient as they seem, they were not here when the site was occupied. In fact, during its use, the midden would likely have been clear of all vegetation. Originally, coastal hammocks likely lined the shoreline. The habitat is resilient as long as the canopy is intact and the landform stable."
This completes the interpretive trail or walk. From here you can take one of the trails to the north and return to the covered pavilion, or you can retrace your steps, enjoying the beautiful Lemon Bay, and return to the parking lot.