The Public Service Archaeology Program conducted archaeological investigations of sites located within the proposed Northern Border Pipeline Expansion/Extension Project Right-of-Way. Investigations were requested at 38 locations with prehistoric components identified between Glasford and Tuscola, Illinois. Permission to work at seven of the sites could not be obtained and they were not examined. The remaining 31 locations were examined in order to evaluate their eligibility potential for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. This work was conducted in 1991. Five of these sites (P-133, P-208, T-261, Dw-320, and Dw-315) had data recovered that indicated they may meet the eligibility requirements established for the National Register of Historic Places. The remaining 26 locations either fell outside the proposed R.O.W. and were not fully evaluated for their potential eligibility, or they had data collected that indicated they would not meet the eligibility criteria established for the National Register of Historic Places.
The Public Service Archaeology Program conducted archaeological investigations at four sites (11ML15, 11ML211, 11ML213, 11ML215) situated on the shore of Evergreen Lake, which is northwest of Bloomington, Illinois. The investigations were performed during 1991 prior to proposed raising of the pool level of Evergreen Lake, which is on a dammed tributary of the Mackinaw River. These four sites were examined in order to evaluate their eligibility potential for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. Data recovered from 11ML15 indicated the presence of a partially intact prehistoric midden which may meet the eligibility requirements established for the National Register of Historic Places. The collected evidence indicates the best preservation at this site is above the proposed pool level in an area that is likely to be eroded as a result of the proposed action. The area below the new proposed pool level at 11ML15 appears to have been adversely affected by post-depositional processes, limiting the recoverable data from that portion of the site. It is recommended that steps be taken to either protect or recover data from this site. It is generally recommended that this site and others be considered for protection through the development of a management plan and through erosion control barriers. Data collected at 11ML211, 11ML213, and 11ML215 generally indicate these sites will not meet the eligibility criteria established for the National Register of Historic Places.
The Public Service Archaeology Program conducted archaeological investigations at five sites (11WI527, 11WI528, 11WI535, 11WI538, and 11WI542) located within an experimental field near Elwood in Will County, Illinois. These five sites were examined in order to evaluate their eligibility potential for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. Site evaluation took place in 1992. Machine-excavated trenches were used at all sites to determine if in situ cultural materials were present below the plow zone. All sites were documented as having plow-disturbed deposits immediately above culturally sterile subsoil. A single feature was defined at 11WI542 and interpreted as a post mold. Data collected at all five sites indicate they would not meet the eligibility criteria established for the National Register of Historic Places.
The Public Service Archaeology Program conducted Phase II archaeological investigations at 11V581, also referred to as the Villars Homestead site. The site is located within a proposed economic development tract near Danville in Vermilion County, Illinois. This site was examined in order to evaluate its potential eligibility for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. Specifically, the Phase II evaluation was targeted at the earliest occupation of the site identified during the Phase I reconnaissance survey, namely the early nineteenth century. This work was conducted in 1992. Machine stripping of 6,000 square meters of surface area was conducted to expose in situ features located below the plow zone. A total of twenty historic features was defined and investigated either through hand or machine-assisted excavation. Data collected from these features indicated a series of structures related to the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This time period is well-documented in historic records as to lifestyles of rural American households. In situ data were not recovered for the earliest historic occupation of this site. Lacking evidence for the earliest and least understood occupation, this site does not appear to meet the eligibility criteria established for the National Register of Historic Places. No further work is recommended.
The Public Service Archaeology Program conducted Phase II archaeological test excavations at two sites, 11KA166 and 11KA373, located within the impact area of a proposed waste water treatment facility near Sun River Terrace in Kankakee County, Illinois. These two sites were examined in order to evaluate their potential eligibility for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. This work was conducted in 1993. The two sites have been impacted by agricultural plowing. An analysis of the artifact distributions within the soil matrices indicates that bioturbation, plowing, and soil instability have contributed to the lack of integrity of the archaeological deposits. As such, those portions of the sites within the current project area do not meet the eligibility criteria established for the National Register of Historic Places.
The Public Service Archaeology Program conducted the archaeological mitigation of the Evergreen Lake Site #2 (11ML15) during 1993. Site 11ML15 previously had been determined eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. The mitigation was necessitated by potential impacts that will be caused by the raising of water levels at Evergreen Lake by the City of Bloomington, Illinois. The excavations revealed an intact midden layer and a number of pit and fire-cracked rock features. Diagnostic projectile points and radiocarbon assays indicate that the portion of the site excavated was occupied during the terminal portion of the Late Archaic and the Early Woodland period. Based on inferences from the analysis of the lithic tools recovered at the site, 11ML15 appears to have been a small hunting camp occupied during the late summer, fall, or early winter. Aside from hunting activities such as butchering, hide processing, lithic tool maintenance and manufacture, and plant collection and processing may have been undertaken at the site. The Evergreen Lake Site #2 represents a good example of a Late Archaic extractive locus, and its excavation will continue to contribute to a better understanding of Late Archaic settlement patterns/systems, chronology, and regional relationships in central Illinois.
The Public Service Archaeology Program conducted analysis and Phase II evaluation of three sites (11R564, 11R566, and 11R569) located within the impact area of a proposed gypsum disposal facility near the Baldwin Power Station, Randolph County, Illinois. All Phase II fieldwork at these sites had been completed by the Illinois State Museum, Springfield, in 1992. In 1993 Illinois Power Company contracted for completion of the analyses, report preparation, and evaluation of these sites, and the excavated material was obtained on loan from the Illinois State Museum. These three sites were examined in order to evaluate their potential eligibility for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. At two of the sites (11R564 and 11R569), a combination of hand excavation, backhoe trenching, and large-area mechanical plow zone removal indicates that no unplowed culture-bearing sediments remain intact. A small cluster of historic pre-Civil War features was exposed at the third site (11R566), all of which were completely excavated. In this case, archaeological excavations removed any deposits that would prompt this site to be determined eligible for the NRHP. Based on these excavations and analyses, it is our conclusion that none of these sites meet the eligibility criteria established for the National Register of Historic Places. No additional work is recommended.
The Public Service Archaeology Program conducted a Phase II archaeological investigation of 11ML247, the James Hammond Farmstead site. Site 11ML247 was examined in order to evaluate its potential eligibility for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. Documentary research suggests that the Hammond family moved to the site in the late 1850s and continued their residence at the local through the period between 1900 and 1910. Prior to 1914, the land had been sold and the farmstead razed. Fieldwork was conducted at the site in 1993. Intact deposits located include fence rows defining the farm yard, a livestock pen, a possible orchard area, a house, a cellar, a well, and a number of trash pits. Surface distributions of material also suggest that two unexcavated farm building may remain at the site. The artifacts recovered are generally indicative of the time period between 1860 and 1910 and are generally consistent with a rural and lower socioeconomic status occupancy of the site, as suggested by the historic documentation. Since there are intact operational examples of farmsteads that began in the late nineteenth century in McLean County, the James Hammond Farmstead site does not appear to meet the eligibility criteria for the National Register of Historic Places. As such, no further work is recommended.
The Public Service Archaeology Program conducted Phase II archaeological investigations of 11ML271, 11ML272, 11ML274, 11ML279, and 11ML280. The sites were examined in order to evaluate their potential eligibility for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. Documentary research indicates that the Rhodes family, one of the early and influential pioneering families in McLean County, moved to this area in 1823 or 1824. Four of the sites were abandoned before the twentieth century while 11ML271 was occupied possibly as late as the 1960s or 1970s. Fieldwork was conducted at all five sites in 1993. Intact, pre-Civil War cultural deposits were located at all sites except 11ML271. The artifacts recovered are generally indicative of the time period between 1820 and 1890 and are generally consistent with a rural but middle to upper socioeconomic status, as suggested by the historic documentation. Given the presence of intact, pre-Civil War features at 11ML272, 11ML274, 11ML279, and 11ML280 and the association of these sites with the Rhodes family, they are believed to be eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. As such, Phase III mitigation is recommended if these sites will be adversely affected by proposed development. The house and associated structures at 11ML271 were completely bulldozed in the 1970s. No intact pre-Civil War features remain, and the site is not believed to be eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. No further work is recommended at 11ML271.
The Public Service Archaeology Program conducted Phase II archaeological excavations at sites 11AX114 and 11AX334. These sites are located within the impact area of a proposed Closed Maximum Security Corrections Center near Tamms, Alexander County, Illinois. Portions of these two sites within the project area were examined in order to evaluate their potential eligibility for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. Work was conducted in 1994 and included contour mapping, a systematic grid collection, and machine stripping and hand excavations of selected site areas. The two sites have been impacted by agricultural plowing, logging, and probably land leveling. The controlled surface collections were used to define artifact concentrations within the two site areas. Four concentrations were defined at each site, with most dating to the Archaic and Woodland periods, although one area at 11AX114 contained only Dalton period diagnostic artifacts. Machine and hand excavations were then conducted within each of the defined concentrations. While historic features and tree stains were located, no prehistoric features or intact midden deposits were identified. An analysis of the surface artifact distributions and the inability to locate intact prehistoric deposits indicates a lack of integrity at both sites. As such, the portions of these sites examined do not meet the eligibility criteria established for the National Register of Historic Places.
A Phase I archaeological survey of several alternate routes and river crossings along the proposed FAP 301/U.S. Route 20 corridor was conducted by the Public Service Archaeology Program between 1993 and 1995. The survey areas consisted of segments of three alternate routes and six river crossings between Freeport and Galena, Illinois. During the period of investigation, more than 130 prehistoric and historic archaeological sites and isolated finds were located in the survey of more than 2,000 acres. Sites tend to cluster along larger waterways such as the Galena and Apple rivers and Yellow Creek. Fewer sites were recorded along the smaller drainages such as Smallpox, Furnace, and Rindesbacher creeks. While few prehistoric sites contained temporally diagnostic artifacts, all time periods from Early Archaic through Mississippian were represented. The site distribution tentatively identified during this phase of the project may be consistent with a pattern of seasonal transhumance identified in adjacent regions to the north and west. As a management and planning study, the present investigations indicate that the highway construction would have its greatest impact on archaeological sites at the Galena and Apple rivers and Yellow Creek crossings.
Volume 1. The Public Service Archaeology Program of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign undertook Phase II National Register of Historic Places evaluation of sites located in the proposed area for the relocation of the Village of Valmeyer, Illinois. Fourteen sites were evaluated using a combination of systematic surface collection and excavation techniques from 12 May to 16 June 1994. Diagnostic artifacts from the sites document Paleoindian through Mississippian components in the project area. Prehistoric features were identified at three sites, two of which demonstrated substantial integrity. Ten of the examined sites are recommended as ineligible for listing in the NRHP due to poor subsurface integrity. The portion of one site, 11MO880, within the project area is considered ineligible for NRHP listing, but the remaining portion outside the project area is unevaluated and remains potentially eligible for listing in the NRHP. Three sites, 11MO841, 11MO885, and 11MO891, have been determined eligible for listing in the NRHP. This volume is one of three that documents cultural resource management investigations undertaken at the Valmeyer relocation parcel.
Volume 2. Phase II investigations by the Public Service Archaeology Program indicated that 11MO841, the Strong site, was eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. Total data recovery was conducted by the Public Service Archaeology Program in advance of construction for the relocation of the community of Valmeyer, Illinois, from 12 July through 30 July 1994. The plow zone was mechanically removed from 22,000 square meters and exposed 66 prehistoric pit features. Six radiocarbon age determinations on charred nutshell and wood indicate occupation of the site between 6900 and 6500 B.P. The artifact assemblage from the site includes lithic remains indicative mainly of early-stage reduction activities and use of expedient tools. The botanical remains indicate an emphasis on the harvesting and processing of hickory nuts. The site is interpreted as a Middle Archaic residential extractive camp. Data are presented to define a new projectile point type, Valmeyer Corner Notched, and a new Middle Archaic phase for the southern American Bottom. The Dennis Hollow phase is defined on the basis of radiocarbon age determinations and the Valmeyer Corner Notched projectile point. The phase precedes the previously defined Nochta phase for the American Bottom.
Volume 3. Phase II investigations by the Public Service Archaeology Program indicated that 11MO891, the Stemler Bluff site, was eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. Total data recovery was conducted by the Public Service Archaeology Program in advance of construction for the relocation of the community of Valmeyer, Illinois, from 27 July through 16 September 1994. The plow zone was mechanically removed from over 25,000 square meters and 218 prehistoric pit and structural features were exposed. Thirteen radiocarbon age determinations on charred wood and nutshell indicate occupation of the site between 1110 and 760 B.P. The assemblage from the site includes ceramic, lithic, and subsistence remains indicative of recurrent, but never intensive, occupation during the Late Woodland, Emergent Mississippian, and Mississippian periods. Also present is a spatially discrete mortuary area containing 51 features.
In 1997 the Public Service Archaeology Program conducted a Phase II National
Register of Historic Places evaluation of the Benjamin Brownfield site (11CH357)
located north of the City of Urbana, Illinois. The excavations, designed
to yield information necessary to evaluate the site for listing in the National
Register, included extensive documentary and archival research on the Brownfield
family, a controlled surface collection, machine stripping of more than
450 square meters of site area, the excavation of 27 features, and the analysis
of more than 1,500 artifacts. The artifacts and archival research indicate
that the Benjamin Brownfield site is the location of a blacksmith shop operated
between 1836 and 1853. Based on the spatial organization of features, it
is posited that the site represents the remains of the blacksmith shop and
a corral. The Benjamin Brownfield site has yielded information on pioneer
life in general and blacksmithing in particular, nonfarmstead site organization,
and a typical domestic artifact assemblage dating the second quarter of
the nineteenth century. Based on the integrity of features at the site and
its ability to yield information important to the early history of Champaign
county, the site is recommended as eligible for listing in the National
Register of Historic Places.
In 1997 and 1998 the Public Service Archaeology Program conducted a Phase II National Register of Historic Places evaluation of the Henry Cryder site (11GR176) located northeast of the City of Morris, Grundy County, Illinois. The evaluation was undertaken prior to the land sale of the tract within which 11GR176 is located. The investigations, designed to yield information necessary to evaluate the site for listing in the National Register of Historic Places, included archival research on the Cryder family, supplemental posthole testing, a metal detector search, hand excavation of 13.5 m2 across seven test units, production of a site plan and topographic map, and the analysis of recovered artifacts. The site represents the remains of the Cryder homestead. The artifacts and archival research indicate that the Cryder family arrived at the location of 11GR176 in late 1833 or early 1834, constructed a log house, farmed, and eventually moved, most probably in 1838. The Henry Cryder site can yield additional information on early homesteading in northern Illinois. Based on the integrity of features at the site and its ability to yield information important to the local history of Grundy County, 11GR176 is recommended as eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places.
In 1998 the Public Service Archaeology Program conducted Phase II National
Register of Historic Places evaluation of sites 11GR96 and 11GR172 located
northeast of Morris in Grundy County, Illinois. The project was undertaken
prior to the land sale of the tract within which the sites are located.
The investigations, designed to yield information necessary to evaluate
each site for listing in the National Register of Historic Places, included
controlled surface collections production of site plan and topographic maps,
machine excavation of trenches, and the analysis of recovered artifacts.
The sites represent the remains of prehistoric habitation locales, and the
artifacts indicate that both were most heavily occupied during the Late
Woodland to Mississippian periods. Excavations at 11GR96 did not identify
intact deposits, and the site is recommended as not eligible for listing
in the NRHP. In contrast, numerous intact prehistoric pit features and possible
wall trenches were located at 11GR172. Based on the high level of subsurface
integrity demonstrated at this location, 11GR172 is eligible for listing
in the NRHP.
In 1998 the Public Service Archaeology Program conducted a Phase II National
Register of Historic Places evaluation of 11CH390, a mid-nineteenth century
site located north of Urbana in Champaign County, Illinois. The investigations,
designed to yield information necessary to evaluate the site for listing
in the National Register, included archival research on the Somers family,
a controlled surface collection, production of a site plan and topographic
map, machine excavation of 350 m2 of site area, and the analysis of recovered
artifacts. The site appears to represent the remains of a short-term occupation,
perhaps by Waitman T. Somers, during the mid-nineteenth century. Archival
research indicates Waitman T. Somers arrived in Champaign County in 1840
and purchased the land on which 11CH390 is located in 1849. No features
or other intact deposits were identified, and relatively few artifacts were
recovered. For these reasons, 11CH390 is considered ineligible for listing
in the National Register of Historic Places, and no further work is recommended.
In 2000 the Public Service Archaeology Program conducted Phase II National
Register evaluation of 11WI2268, a mid-nineteenth century site located near
New Lenox in Will County, Illinois. The evaluation was undertaken prior
to the construction of a proposed bike path. The investigations, designed
to yield information necessary to evaluate the site for listing in the National
Register, included archival research on the site property and the Chicago
& Rock Island Railroad, a controlled surface collection, production
of a site plan and topographic map, hand excavation of two 1-x-1-m test
units, machine excavation of 98 sq. m of site area, and the analysis of
recovered artifacts. The site appears to represent the remains of a short-term
occupation, perhaps associated with the Chicago & Rock Island Railroad,
during the mid-nineteenth century. Structural remains and two shallow refuse
pits were identified, and numerous artifacts were recovered. the assemblage
lacks storage vessels and agricultural implements, suggesting a specialized
type of site occupation, possibly related to the adjacent railroad line.
For these reasons, 11WI2268 is recommended as eligible for listing in the
NRHP.