The site was excavated in 1934 as part of the Norris Basin Survey by the Tennessee Valley Authority using labor from the Civil Works Administration under the supervision of T.M.N.

The Freel Farm Mound is located on the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge Reservation.

[freelfarm 2] At the time of excavation the mound was located on the William Freel farm 2 miles southeast of Scarboro, Tennessee.

[freelfarm 3] The stone pile was stacked to form a circular shape that measured 16 feet and 4 inches in diameter and rose above the original ground surface approximately 1 foot.

[freelfarm 3] The earth on top of the stones was added as additional bodies were interred into the mound.

[freelfarm 4] The differences in the mortuary treatment of individuals at Freel Farm mound indicate a non-egalitarian society had formed.

[freelfarm 5] Freel Farm mound was excavated in 1934 due to its location in the Norris reservoir basin project area.

The location of the mound was actually downstream of Norris Dam and would not have been affected by the collecting waters, but was excavated due to its proximity to the basin.

[freelfarm 3] In the 1960s the construction of the Melton Hill Dam to the south of Oak Ridge, Tennessee caused the water levels along the Clinch River to rise permanently submerging the Freel Farm mound.

[freelfarm 3] Care was taken to maintain vertical profiles every five feet and to keep a clean floor in the trench going down to the hardpan.