Meldrum’s 14 Factors Claiming Proof of an Apalachicola, Florida, landing site for Lehi – Part IV

Continued from the previous post regarding an evaluation of Meldrum’s 14 factors, and why a voyage around Africa for Lehi and a landing in Florida is ill-founded. The first factor was begun in the previous posts along with items 2-5, and continued below with Factor 6:

6. Archaeology: 500-700 BC Mounds and Relics

it is always interesting talking to a Heartland theorist who claims the basis of their belief, other than the location of the Hill Cumorah where Joseph Smith obtained the plates of the Book of Mormon, that they point immediately to the mounds found along the Mississippi Valley and northward through Ohio, Illinois and Iowa.

The mounds have been called many things and attributed to various cultures, but today are associated with the Hopewell Culture and the Adena Culture before that.

As an example, one of the earthworks in Newark-Heath, Ohio, today called the “Great Circle Earthworks,” is 32 miles east of Columbus, and now surrounded by a ditch which early settlers thought was a moat and called the site the “Old Fort.” However, when Caleb Atwater, an American politician, historian, and early archaeologist who served several terms as a state politician and was appointed as United States postmaster of Circleville Ohio, visited the site, he saw that such a claim was inaccurate.

Rod L. Meldrum in the “moat” showing where a 15-foot tall wooden wall stood on top of the bank; but the “moat” would have been inside the wall, therefore he is standing where he claims the Lamanites stood, trying to scale the bank and wall at the top—but the “fort” would have been behind him

 

In studying the site thoroughly, Atwater could see that the “moat” was on the inside of the site and claimed it could not be a fort at all. Atwater was, after all, recognized by contemporaries as a pioneer of the study of the mounds or massive earthworks, and published an account in 1820—what he said and wrote was considered beyond reproach. His discovery led to the changing of the name of the site to the “Great Circle Earthworks.”

At the time, Atwater and other scholars developed various theories of origin of the mounds, however, many scientists today believe the mounds were a product of ancient Native Americans of the United States (E. G. Squier, Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi and Ohio valleys, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, 1848, p44).

It is interesting that the State of Ohio claims that none of these mounds are considered to be forts of any kind. Their statement that these Ancient Ohio monuments are the largest earthworks in the world that are not fortifications or defensive structures (World Heritage Ohio, Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks, The Ohio State University at Newark, Ohio; U.S. Department of the Interior, Ceremonial Earthworks as Nomination to World Heritage List, Press Release, May 24, 2018, Washington DC).

In addition, it should be asked “In what way are the Nephites associated with mounds, when neither the Hebrews, Jews, or Israelites have or had any past or present connection to building mounds, using mounds, or living in or on mounds.

Granted, there are mounds found in the central to eastern regions of the United

States, but that falls so far short of the other buildings found in Mesoamerica, Central

America or western South America, that there can be neither a connection, nor anything similar with ancient or past lands of Israel.

So in what way does Meldrum answer that question? To our knowledge he not only hasn’t answered the question, but has not even addressed it.

The Anasazi in the 4-corners in the southwest has a fascinating history

 

As for relics, such have been found from central Chile to California, and as for North America, the areas closest to appear as Nephite construction is found in the Southwest among the Anasazi. These people, who settled in the four-corners of the southwest, had engineering and building capabilities far beyond anything the mound-builders ever accomplished.

In addition, Meldrum can say that these mounds were built between 1500 and 700 BC (not within the Nephite time frame), but historians like to claim these 5,000 mounds were built between 7000 BC and 1700 AD. However, it is more accurate that some historians place the woodland periof between 500 BC to 700 AD—during this period cultures developed in the North American Eastern Woodlands, which stretched from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Plains. 

Keep in mind that the Nephites arrived around 580 BC, and within about two years, founded what became known a the City of Nephi. The Nephites came from Jerusalem, where the people had at least 1000 years of development and had achieved great architectural ability, working with stone man-made bricks. They also planted seeds immediately and were agriculturists. 

Nomadic life of the Woodland people 

 

Yet, historians tell us that the early Woodland peoples were nomadic; they moved from place to place, season to season, to hunt, fish, and gather wild plants. Over time, these groups conquered the cultivation of plants, and eventually they began to settle in small communities. The earliest of these communities were small, consisting of only two or three households; later communities were larger, possibly home to as many as 100 people.

There is simply no way these ancient people of the eastern U.S. region, known today as he Hopewell (Adena) people, match Lehi and Nephi (Sam and Zoram) history as found in the scriptural record—they were far advanced for the simplistic life of ancient North America.

7. Bees and Honey: Only place in the world for Tupelo Honey

We handled information and a response to bees earlier in these articles. Here we address the inane idea that a certain type or brand of honey has anything to do with the Book of Mormon, or any connection to the honey the Jaredites brought with them, or that which Nephi found at Bountiful. The only description is the Jaredites brought honeybees with them, and Nephi found honey at Bountiful. It is unbelievable to think that a commercial brand of honey (Tupelo) can be used to verify a locaton for Lehi’s landing area, and is equally absurd to use in any way to substantiate one’s view of the scriptural record.

As for the honey in question, Tupelo is produced in only two tiny regions of the Southeastern United States, the Okeefenokee Wildlife Refuge on the Georgia-Florida line and the Apalachicola River basin right in the crook of Florida where the peninsula becomes the panhandle—both of these areas are classified as Southern Cypress Swamp. In fact, locals often refer to Tupelo honey as Swamp honey. This  honey is only harvested within the swampy waters of these areas. 

The Tupelo tree grows in the area of the Okeefenokee swamp in the panhandle of western Florida

 

Tupelo honey comes from the tupelo tree, which is a common name used for several varieties of Nyssa trees—the name “tupelo” is derived from the language of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation ”ito opilwa” which means “swamp tree.” Other names for this tree include “ogeeche lime,” "river lime", “white tupelo,” “white gum” and “bee tupelo.”

What we refer to as the Tupelo is actually the White Tupelo tree (Nyssa ogechee) and although the it does grow outside these two regions, the Southern Cypress swamp is the only ecosystem that supports large stands of these trees—as a result, 100% pure raw Tupelo honey is very rare.

It is a type of fruit tree that produces a small, hard lime in late summer. The area’s history of honey harvesting in Florida goes back for generations. the earliest beekeeper in the area named S.S. Alderman, who set up his apiary in the late 1800s.

Bees are placed on elevated platforms along the river's edge, and they fan out through the surrounding Tupelo-blossom-laden swamps during April and May and return with their precious treasure. This river valley in Western Florida and Southern Georgia is the only place in the world where Tupelo Honey is commercially produced. But Tupelo Honey per se was not developed until 21 years ago when the Tupelo Honey Café opened its doors in Downtown Asheville. Since then it has been the Queen of the Honey World and the heart and soul of the Savannah Bee Company.

Obviously, none of this has anything to do with the Book of Mormon, its location, or any reference whatsoever of Mormon or the others who wrote on the plates.

(See the next post, “Meldrum’s 14 Factors Claiming Proof of an Apalachicola, Florida, landing site for Lehi – Part V,” regarding an evaluation of Meldrum’s 14 factors, and why a voyage around Africa for Lehi and a landing in Florida is ill-founded)