Long Swamp: Life in the Etowah River Valley

Long Swamp: Life in the Etowah River Valley tells the story of the Mississippian communities who occupied the Long Swamp site, near present-day Ball Ground, Georgia, and the modern communities who share ancestral ties to them and the region. It is a story of community, survival, ingenuity, and cultural continuity—one told through cultural traditions, historical records, and the site itself. These stories not only connect us to the past but also offer insight into what it means to be human, helping us better understand the world we navigate today and, in turn, ourselves.

The exhibit has two key objectives. First, to highlight the lives of the ordinary American Indians who made up the majority of the Mississippian Southeast. Popular depictions of this period often focus on a small elite ruling class and the monumental sites they left behind, but this exhibit broadens that perspective, offering a fuller, more inclusive narrative at both the local and regional scales. Second, the exhibit emphasizes the importance of co-curation with tribal partners and other hosts, providing a platform and the exhibit furniture needed to share their own voices, stories, and material culture. This collaborative approach generates the opportunity to make the exhibit experience different between stops along a tour in meaningful ways.

This exhibit is a public education outreach initiative born out of a partnership between the Antonio J. Waring, Jr. Archaeological Laboratory and the Georgia Department of Transportation. Visitors explore the stories told through a series of exhibit panels, each revealing a specific theme; over 80 real artifacts and modern equivalents; and an interactive digital component showcasing videos, digital artifacts, and other multimedia elements.

What is included:

Waring staff available to help upon request.

  • 9 traveling crates
  • box truck with lift gate recommended for transfer
  • exhibit installation guide
  • 15 mobile exhibit panels
  • 1 cube stack introductory sign
  • 1 display case
  • 80+ artifacts
  • 1 digital kiosk (Archiosk)