Shell mounds are remnants of former cultures that built burial mounds, or earthen workhomes, between 2500 BCE and 500 CE. Mounds are always circular, hill-like formations that are constructed using earth, straw, stone, and sometimes an artificial component (like a concrete foundation). They typically have a small opening at the top that served as the entrance to the burial chamber within. Most shell mounds have been flattened and built over by subsequent cultures, but some have been preserved and are now considered cultural landscapes.

Shell mounds are a unique type of archaeological site that can tell us a lot about the former cultures that built them.