Displays in the exhibit hall are designed to illustrate (1) a brief history of prehistoric man, (2) cultural traits and physical characteristics of the prehistoric Moundvillian, and (3) physical features of Mound State Monument. A brief story of prehistoric mankind is given in the three wall cases to the visitor’s left as he enters the museum. Cultural traits of the Moundville Indian are illustrated in the eight cases along the back wall, and in the five table cases in the exhibit hall. Physical features of Mound State Monument are depicted in the three wall cases to the visitor’s left as he leaves the museum. Burial groups. The north wing of the museum (to the Visitor’s left as he enters the building) encloses seventeen _in situ_ burials. The south wing (to the visitor’s left as he leaves the building) encloses forty such burials. These fifty-seven burials, together with their accompanying pottery, ornaments and other artifacts, have been uncovered and left in the ground exactly as they were found. These burials had been placed in a cemetery area, not a mound. Most of the burials were approximately one and one-half feet under the surface of the ground, although some were only four inches underground and others were three feet. The original ground-level is demonstrated in the exhibit by lines drawn around the edges of the pits. Studies of Moundville skeletal remains have revealed the sex and individual age (_i.e._, how old the individual was at the time of burial) of each burial, as well as certain physical defects. Effects of head-flattening, a practice described elsewhere on these pages, are apparent on many of the skulls. [Illustration: IN SITU BURIALS IN NORTH WING OF MUSEUM.] [Illustration: IN SITU BURIALS IN SOUTH WING OF MUSEUM. BURIALS HAVE BEEN UNCOVERED AND LEFT IN THE GROUND JUST AS THEY WERE FOUND.] HOW TO REACH THE MONUMENT By automobile. Mound State Monument is located on Alabama Highway No. 13 (paved) at the edge of the town of Moundville, Alabama, seventeen miles south of Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The dividing line of Tuscaloosa and Hale Counties runs through the Monument area. By train or bus. Moundville Alabama, is located on the A.G.S. Railroad, a part of the Southern Railway System, which operates passenger trains between New York and New Orleans _via_ Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, Moundville and Meridian. Greyhound buses running from Tuscaloosa to Mobile pass through Moundville. ADMINISTRATION OF MOUND STATE MONUMENT Mound State Monument is owned by the Alabama Museum of Natural History, University, Alabama. The Monument is open daily, including Sundays and holidays, from 8:00 A.M. until dark, the year around. A caretaker, equipped to guide the visitor and offer any other assistance, resides on the Monument grounds.