American Bottom Field Station (ABFS)
ABFS fieldwork for the month of January included a pedestrian and auger test survey in Lawrence County and a shovel test survey in Randolph County. The investigations in Randolph County resulted in the recovery of a Late Archaic Merom point and a Dalton peiod point associated with 11R932. Early nineteenth century (ca. 1830-1860) historic artifacts were alsofound at the same site. Time was also devoted to the completion of the No Danger (11MS1636), Adze Kickin' (11JY570), and L. Becker (11MG258) archaeological reports. Upcoming fieldwork is scheduled for multiple projects in Madison and Clinton Counties and further testing is pending in Randolph County at 11R932.
Central Illinois Field Station (CIFS)
In January, CIFS completed fieldwork for a project in DeKalb County just before the worst of winter weather set in. One ASSR for a project in Macon County was completed. Three surveys remain to be completed in DeKalb, Vermilion, and Will counties once surface visibility conditions improve. CIFS staff also continued to assist Curation staff with various projects. The Architecture section continued working on the U.S. 34 project in Henderson County and the Illinois 62 Study in Cook County, as well as beginning the process to integrate past and present architectural reports into the Statewide Project Database.
Northern Illinois Field Station (NIFS)
Throughout January, NIFS staff completed ASSRs for projects in Will County (District 1), and in Carroll, Jo Daviess, and Whiteside (District 2). Staff have also been working on background research, mapping, and landowner contacts for seven new projects assigned thus far to NIFS in 2019. Documentation and analysis of materials recovered from the ca. 1848 Nancy Kimball Cobblestone House continued this month. In partnership with the Elgin Historical Society, and as part of ongoing restoration work on this property, NIFS recovered materials from beneath the interior house floor and from an abandoned cistern under the house addition. Some interesting finds from the Kimball House include handmade shell buttons, a bone toothbrush, and a small assemblage of bottles dating primarily between 1890 and 1920 from under the house floor. This includes two bottles from the Elgin Eagle Brewery, which had the distinction of being the first brewery in the United States to be shuttered by the Federal Government under the Volstead Act. Also in January, Paula Bryant presented “The Chicago Portage: An Archaeological Perspective” to the South Suburban Archaeological Chapter of the IAAA.
Western Illinois Field Station (WIFS)
WIFS spent much of January in analysis and report mode, although some of our Jacksonville crew braved the polar vortex to document a new mound within the preferred alignment for a new bridge crossing the Illinois River in Pike County and survey some recently thawed fields in Calhoun County. Several ATSRs were completed and sent to SWS for review, along with two others that were submitted to the IDOT Cultural Resources Staff as part of the completion of our compliance activities. In addition, an alysis and writing continued on the Spica (11A1391), Spoon Toe (11MG179), and Marseton II (11MC71) technical reports, as well as other ATSRs (Cardosi [11F3424], Chicken Run [11MD1223], and Bricker Ridge [11MD1184].
