Jessica Crawford traveled from Marks, Miss., to Fort Smith to look at a BIG pile of dirt. It’s an historic piece of ground, in fact, located behind the New Liberty Baptist Church in south Fort Smith and believed to be constructed by Native Americans (possibly Caddo Indian ancestors) between AD 1100 and 1300. Crawford is the southeast regional director for The Archaeological Conservancy, the private, non-profit organization that purchased the “Cavanaugh Mound” in 2006 to prevent its further destruction. The Archaeological Conservancy was formed in 1980 for the purpose of acquiring and preserving important archaeological sites. “Since its beginning in 1980, the Conservancy has acquired more than 325 endangered sites in 39 states across America,” according the conservancy’s Web site. “These preserves range in size from a few acres to more than 1,000 acres. They include the earliest habitation sites in North America, a 19th-century frontier army post, and nearly every major cultural period in between.” One of those early habitation sites is where Crawford and Tim Mulvihill, an archeologist with the University of Arkansas system, spent much of Thursday clearing brush and trash from around the already damaged eastern side of the mound. The mound, originally about 200 feet long at the base of each of the four sides and about 40 feet tall, is a project the Conservancy will research and restore. Crawford said at some point the Conservancy may build a small park around the mound with signage and other exhibits that explain the historic site. The cost and timeframe for that eventuality is unknown, Crawford said. Just clearing the vegetation and trees that have taken over the mound could cost up to $15,000. [...]