Tribe agrees to Oxford mound's removal

Oxford has go-ahead to restart sports complex and remove stones from nearby moundWith the blessing of an American Indian nation, Oxford can now restart its long-delayed sports complex project and possibly develop a controversial hill behind the Oxford Exchange–as long as certain conditions are met.

After months of negotiations, Mayor Leon Smith signed a memorandum of agreement with the Muscogee Creek Nation in Oklahoma as well as the U.S Army Corps of Engineers and the Alabama Historic Preservation Office, giving the city permission to restart its sports complex project–possibly as early as next week.And:As part of the agreement, the city must remove stones from a hill behind the Oxford Exchange shopping center nearby and use them to build a new mound near where the remains were found at the sports complex construction site. Once constructed, the Muscogee are content to allow the city to do whatever it wants with the hill behind the Exchange.

Oxford city project manager Fred Denney said there is a chance the hill could be developed into commercial property, but it would be up to the mayor and the Oxford City Council to make that decision.Comment:  So the solution is to destroy the site (the mound or pile of stones)? And to rebuild it elsewhere where it has no spiritual meaning or scientific value?

Why not just throw the stones away and drop a random pile of stones elsewhere? Because that's what this "solution" sounds like.

For more on the subject, see Preserving the Oxford Mound and Oxford Mound Is Gone?

Below:  Finally, we have a clear picture of what this story is about. There appears to be a couple of piles of stones on top of the hill. Calling either the piles or the hill a "mound" is confusing since "mound" could refer to either one.

"The stone mound sits atop a hill behind the Oxford Exchange." (Trent Penny/The Anniston Star)