Plaquemine, Louisiana, about 10 miles south of Baton Rouge on the banks of the Mississippi River, seems an unassuming southern community for which to designate an entire culture. Archaeological research conducted in the region between 1938 and 1941, however, revealed distinctive cultural materials that provided the basis for distinguishing a unique cultural manifestation in the Lower Mississippi Valley. Plaquemine was first cited in the archaeological literature by James Ford and Gordon Willey in their 1941 synthesis of eastern U.S. prehistory. 
"The focus on Plaquemine cultural identity and variability and the evidence and arguments for origins, material culture, social, economic, and political differences make this high-quality work worthy of wide distribution and recognition" -Martha A. Rolingson, Arkansas Archeological Survey