The (Not So) Secret Indian Mound at Emerson Point Preserve

Emerson Point Preserve is a large preserve in Palmetto, Florida. And Palmetto sits just outside Bradenton in the Tampa Bay area. It’s southwest of Tampa on the southern shore of the mouth of the Bay.

This park was nowhere near my radar until I started researching Native American mounds in the Tampa Bay area and learned of the Indian mound at Emerson Point Preserve. Of all the mounds in parks I have visited on Florida’s Gulf coast, this one remains one of my top three favorites.

The Preserve offers tons of activities for families and nature lovers (though I have explored little outside of the mound complex) and the mound complex provides an interesting insight into life along the Manatee River.

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About the Indian Mound at Emerson Point Preserve

The Indian mound at Emerson Point is actually named Portavant Mound. It is on Snead Island at the mouth of the Manatee River. The preserve encompasses 365 acres, though the Portavant Mound complex covers just a fraction of that. Approximately fifteen villages of the Tocobaga surrounded Tampa Bay, the people drawn here by an abundance of resources. The area surrounding Snead Island includes estuaries known as nurseries of the sea. In these waters, shellfish thrive. Many species of fish grow in these waters. Birds flourish with the abundance of food and shelter among the native trees. Native people prospered for the same reason.

The Portavant Mound site includes a large temple mound, which measured approximately 245 feet by 145 feet at the base and 13 feet in height. Unlike other temple mounds in the area, this one did not have a ramp leading to its flat top. However, archaeologists believe a smaller 100’ x 100’ mound abutted to the temple mound. A large plaza opened between this main mound and the shore of the river. Smaller middens surrounded the temple mound and plaza. Some were likely burial mounds while others were kitchen middens where refuse, such as oyster shells, was discarded.

Today, a mile-long interpretive trail winds through the native landscape, along the shoreline, and around and over the mounds. Informational signs provide insight into how people lived here hundreds of years ago and into modern times. A small dock juts into the river, providing beautiful views of the river and the vantage point from the plaza.

History of the Indian Mound at Emerson Point Preserve

Snead Island, on which Portavant Mound is located, has been occupied since at least 800 AD. Disease and fighting wiped out the native people by the 1600s. The island remained uninhabited until the 1800s. At that point, several families lived on Snead Island in succession. The last people to live there moved to the mainland in 1937. They continued to farm on the island until the 1950s. Their descendants donated Snead Island to the State of Florida in the 1990s.

Pre-Colombian History of Snead Island

The earliest known habitation of Snead Island was around 800 AD by the Tocobaga Indians. It’s possible they inhabited the island earlier. The Tocobaga had no written language; archaeologists rely on artifacts found at the site to piece together a timeline.

The first inhabitants on the island lived a robust lifestyle by fishing and harvesting shellfish. They also hunted deer, turtles, racoons, rabbits, and other animals as well as harvested plants. The discarded bones and shells were used to build the mounds. In fact, we can still find many discarded shells around the mounds.

Spanish explorers likely first contacted the Tocobaga at the nearby Jungle Prada site in St. Petersburg. By the mid-1700s, disease, enslavement, and fighting wiped out the original native people of Florida out.

History of Portavant Mound in the 1800s

A Cuban fisherman, José Maria Váldez, likely settled on Snead Island in 1814. Records don’t tell us where he lived, but they tell us he farmed on the north side of the Oyster River. The Manatee River’s earlier name was Oyster River.

In the 1840s, Edward Sneed homesteaded at the easternmost point of the island. He proved his claim in 1849. Later, his misspelled name (“Snead” rather than “Sneed”) was given to the island.

Major Robert Griffith and his wife, Anna, built a small wooden home on top of the temple mound in 1866. They lived in the little home and cultivated bananas and citrus for four years. The Griffiths rowed upriver to the village of Manatee (now east Bradenton), where they sold their produce and bought supplies. After the birth of their first child, they moved to south Sarasota County. Others used the home after the Griffiths left; the chimney is still visible atop the mound.

In a letter dated March 1869, Anna Griffith writes, “…We live on an island at the mouth of the Manatee River, six miles below the settlement of that name. We have a tiny little house and a very pretty one for this country, 40 acres of land, 10 under partial cultivation, have 220 banana plants, will commence to have this year about 200 young orange and lemon trees some of which bear in two years. I am very happy indeed.”

In 1894, Captain June Poitevent and his wife, May, purchase 320 acres on Snead Island, including the Indian mounds. Captain Poitevent’s name was given to the mound later, though it was misspelled. The misspelled name stuck, and today we know the Indian mound at Emerson Point Preserve as Portavant Mound.

The Poitevents don’t appear to have done much with the land. Until 1899, the island remained mostly empty. At that time, James Emerson, for whom Emerson Point is named, homesteaded almost seven acres on the extreme west point of the island.

History of Portavant Mound and Snead Island in the 1900s

In the 1900s, two families lived and farmed on the island. Peter and Golden Marine purchased the Poitevent property in 1910. They are best remembered for creating the royal palm-lined path from the shore to the house atop the mound. In 1922, Peter began drowning in the river. Golden swam out to save him and drowned as well.

The last private owners of the property bought it in 1924. Freeman and Mabel Horton expanded the house on the mound and increased agricultural cultivation. The Hortons had a healthy respect and admiration for the mound area. They moved across the river to Bradenton in 1937 and continued farming on Snead Island, always careful around the mound area not to disturb the mound, trees, or natural habitat.

The early 1980s saw a surge in waterfront condo development in Florida, including a proposed 8-story condo building on three acres near the Indian mound at Emerson Point Preserve. Public outcry put a stop to the development. In 1991, the state of Florida and Manatee County purchased 195 acres plus the mound complex from the Horton Estate. The preserve added an additional six acres in 1996.

Visit Emerson Point Preserve

If visiting Emerson Point Preserve, pack a lunch and plan to spend the entire day there. Besides the Portavant Mound, the Preserve offers lots of activities to keep everyone busy for many hours.

Things to Do at Emerson Point Preserve

One can easily explore the Indian mound at Emerson Point Preserve in a matter of an hour or two. However, the park offers so many other things to do.

• Hiking – more than 6.5 miles of trails throughout the preserve
• Kayaking/canoeing
• Picnics
• Fishing
• Observation tower
• Dog walking (Yes! Dogs are allowed on leashes!)
• Watch the sunset

Getting to Emerson Point Preserve

Emerson Point Preserve sits at the west end of Snead Island on the north shore of the Manatee River. It’s easy to get to from Palmetto, Bradenton, or I-275.

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