In the summers of 1991 and 1992, archaeology field schools from Mississippi State University investigated Owl Creek Mounds to learn more about the site. Most excavations took place on top of Mounds I and II, with small test units dug into Mounds III, IV, and V. Broken pieces of pottery and other artifacts were recovered, and information on pits, buildings, and stages of mound construction was gathered. Because the mounds contained few artifacts, they were probably used for short-term ceremonies rather than as permanent chiefs’ residences. In 1992, archaeologists searched for a village at Owl Creek by digging shovel holes thirty yards apart across the entire site and sieving dirt from 160 holes. Only a few broken pieces of pottery were found, indicating that the site was not a place where many people lived and was probably deserted for much of the year between ceremonial gatherings. Excavation on Mound I found evidence of a building that had been rebuilt several times. At one time, the south wall was 20 feet long, and it had two short walls extending to the south that possibly formed screens at the top of the ramp. The ramp faced south into the plaza, and the steps in use today were added in recent times. Dirt layers of various colors, including gray, orange, olive green, and brown, formed floors within the Mound I building, perhaps with a new layer laid when the floor was renewed for ceremonial uses of the mound.
