One of Florida’s largest mounds, Mount Royal was first documented by William Bartram in 1765, when it was an important central feature of a large village along the St. Johns River. Constructed between 1250 and 1500 A.D., this archaeological site has multiple layers of complexity, including being the location of a Spanish mission in the late 1500s.
The Mount Royal Archaeological Site includes a Native American burial mound, earthworks, village area, and evidence of a British plantation, as well as the remains of a Spanish mission occupied by the Timucua Indians. Of those, only a one-acre area is preserved in a parcel owned and managed by the Florida Department of Historical Resources.
Mount Royal is located three miles south of Welaka, Florida in a subdivision near the Mount Royal Airpark on the eastern bank of the St. Johns River. This is a gated community, so public access may be limited. If you are able to visit, please remember that the Mount Royal site and the mound is the final resting place for many Indigenous people of the past and therefore it is considered a sacred space.
Mount Royal has attracted the attention of explorers, scientists, and visitors for hundreds of years. A interpretive display at the site tells the story of this site based on the observations and studies conducted by some of these notable people, including naturalist William Bartram, antiquarian Clarence B. Moore, and archaeologist B. Calvin Jones.
Directions
From US 17, follow Georgetown Point Rd (CR 309) south into Welaka. Continue through town and south past the first fish hatchery ponds and both entrances to Welaka State Forest. Turn right at the Y onto Mount Royal Avenue, passing a state historic marker. Where the road to the Fort Gates Ferry goes right, continue straight.
Mount Royal is inside a gated community, but public access to this nationally significant archaeological site is guaranteed by a deed transferring land from the State of Florida to the subdivision in exchange for conservation of the mound and access to it. You’ll need to buzz in at the gate. If there are not clear instructions on who to contact, call the land manager (weekdays) to arrange access.