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39-540: The Stoner Site is a substantial archaeological site in the far eastern portion of the U.S. state of Illinois . Discovered during the Great Depression, the site has produced large numbers of artifacts from a prehistoric village that was once located there, and archaeological investigations have shown it to be one of the area's most important archaeological sites for the Allison-Lamotte culture . After more than

78-494: A Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and that will contain both locational information and a combination of various information. This tool is very helpful to archaeologists who want to explore in a different area and want to see if anyone else has done research. They can use this tool to see what has already been discovered. With this information available, archaeologists can expand their research and add more to what has already been found. Traditionally, sites are distinguished by

117-470: A decade of fruitful research and predictions of potentially rich results from future work, it has been designated a historic site . Stoner lies in the middle of open fields several miles from the nearest community. Located near the Wabash River and about 4.5 miles (7.2 km) south of the village of Hutsonville , the site is situationed in rural eastern Crawford County . It lies in the floodplain of

156-407: A diameter of almost 450 feet (140 m) and a height of nearly 1 foot (0.30 m), the midden contains numerous postholes , but its most prominent feature is found at its northeastern corner: a substantial mound measuring 33 metres (108 ft) by 24 metres (79 ft) and approximately 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) high. Despite its prominent size, the mound has been greatly reduced since

195-428: A female householder with no husband present, 4.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.4% were non-families. 37.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.97. The median age in the town was 39.4 years. 30.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.8% were between

234-407: A household in the town was $ 31,528, and the median income for a family was $ 33,333. Males had a median income of $ 30,250 versus $ 20,750 for females. The per capita income for the town was $ 13,087. About 13.5% of families and 14.5% of the population were below the poverty line , including 11.4% of those under the age of eighteen and 3.6% of those 65 or over. Merom has a public library , a branch of

273-683: A sequence of natural geological or organic deposition, in the absence of human activity, to constitute a site worthy of study. Archaeological sites usually form through human-related processes but can be subject to natural, post-depositional factors. Cultural remnants which have been buried by sediments are, in many environments, more likely to be preserved than exposed cultural remnants. Natural actions resulting in sediment being deposited include alluvial (water-related) or aeolian (wind-related) natural processes. In jungles and other areas of lush plant growth, decomposed vegetative sediment can result in layers of soil deposited over remains. Colluviation ,

312-453: A site worthy of study. Different archaeologists may see an ancient town, and its nearby cemetery as being two different sites, or as being part of the same wider site. The precepts of landscape archaeology attempt to see each discrete unit of human activity in the context of the wider environment, further distorting the concept of the site as a demarcated area. Furthermore, geoarchaeologists or environmental archaeologists would also consider

351-482: A small number of artifacts are thought to reflect a lack of past human activity. Many areas have been discovered by accident. The most common people who have found artifacts are farmers who are plowing their fields or just cleaning them up, and they often find archaeological artifacts. Many people who are out hiking and even pilots find artifacts, and they usually end up reporting them to archaeologists for further investigation. When they find sites, they have to first record

390-402: A small stream, Sugar Creek, which flows about 1 metre (39 in) below the site, approximately 180 metres (590 ft) to the northeast; the soil is largely clay, but due to the presence of the stream, much of the immediate vicinity is typically marshland. The surrounding countryside is the heavily glaciated prairies typical of much of Illinois, although before settlement the region straddled

429-500: Is a branch of survey becoming more and more popular in archaeology, because it uses different types of instruments to investigate features below the ground surface. It is not as reliable because although they can see what is under the surface of the ground, it does not produce the best picture. Archaeologists still have to dig up the area in order to uncover the truth. There are also two most common types of geophysical survey, which is, magnetometer and ground penetrating radar. Magnetometry

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468-543: Is located at 39°3′25″N 87°34′0″W  /  39.05694°N 87.56667°W  / 39.05694; -87.56667 (39.056950, -87.566573). According to the 2010 census, the town has a total area of 0.36 square miles (0.93 km ), all land. The Bluff Park in Merom is the site of the type locality of the Merom Sandstone. As of the census of 2010, there were 228 people, 99 households, and 59 families living in

507-418: Is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology and represents a part of the archaeological record . Sites may range from those with few or no remains visible above ground, to buildings and other structures still in use. Beyond this, the definition and geographical extent of a "site" can vary widely, depending on

546-629: Is the technique of measuring and mapping patterns of magnetism in the soil. It uses an instrument called a magnetometer, which is required to measure and map traces of soil magnetism. The ground penetrating radar is a method that uses radar pulses to image the subsurface. It uses electromagnetic radiation in the microwave band of the radio spectrum and detects the reflected signals from subsurface structures. There are many other tools that can be used to find artifacts, but along with finding artifacts, archaeologists have to make maps. They do so by taking data from surveys, or archival research and plugging it into

585-477: Is unusually valuable: it retains substantial evidence of that culture's occupation, and this evidence is unmixed with materials from other cultures. As a result, the Illinois Archaeological Survey deemed it the state's purest example of the culture, and two of its archaeologists predicted that future excavations would be able to gain crucial evidence of daily life from its richness and purity. Into

624-562: The Havana Hopewell left minimal artifacts, and the locally prominent Riverton culture of the earlier Archaic period was also present, but their artifacts are few and insignificant compared to those of the Allison-Lamotte period. Particularly rich is the collection of earthenware from the site, which is so comprehensive as to make it a potential type site for the culture's pottery. As a well-preserved Allison-Lamotte village, Stoner

663-786: The National Register of Historic Places because of its archaeological potential. It is one of three archaeological sites in Crawford County to be accorded this distinction, along with the Riverton Site (type site for the Riverton culture) and the Riverton-era clam shell midden known as the Swan Island Site . Archaeological site An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity

702-585: The Sullivan County Public Library . The grand opening of the Merom – Gill Township Carnegie Library was on Sep. 1, 1918. The two-story structure has beautiful oak woodwork and paintings by local artist Will Turman. The Merom Library became a part of the Sullivan County Public Library system on Dec. 28, 1967. Locals believe that Merom is the smallest town in the U.S. with a Carnegie-built library. The Merom Camp and Retreat Center

741-420: The subsoil , he demonstrated the existence of a village: by the early 1960s, he had revealed more than three hundred postholes and thus shown the complete outline of one house and portions of outlines for eleven other buildings. Stephens returned to the site once more in the late 1960s to test an area away from his previous excavations; this excavation's nearly complete absence of discoveries helped to demonstrate

780-468: The ages of 18 and 24; 21.5% were from 25 to 44; 27.1% were from 45 to 64; and 16.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 50.4% male and 49.6% female. As of the census of 2000, there were 294 people, 108 households, and 81 families living in the town. The population density was 813.7 inhabitants per square mile (314.2/km ). There were 135 housing units at an average density of 373.6 per square mile (144.2/km ). The racial makeup of

819-573: The area, and if they have the money and time for the site, they can start digging. There are many ways to find sites, one example can be through surveys. Surveys involve walking around analyzing the land and looking for artifacts. It can also involve digging, according to the Archaeological Institute of America, "archaeologists actively search areas that were likely to support human populations, or in places where old documents and records indicate people once lived." This helps archaeologists in

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858-461: The boundary between the open plains to the west and the woodlands to the east. A gravel road traverses the fields a short distance west of the site. Its location in a prairie near marshland is common for sites of the culture that inhabited the village. The predominant feature of the Stoner Site is a wide semicircular midden that is believed to have been the site of a prehistoric village. With

897-428: The burial of a site by sediments moved by gravity (called hillwash ) can also happen at sites on slopes. Human activities (both deliberate and incidental) also often bury sites. It is common in many cultures for newer structures to be built atop the remains of older ones. Urban archaeology has developed especially to deal with these sorts of site. Many sites are the subject of ongoing excavation or investigation. Note

936-576: The difference between archaeological sites and archaeological discoveries. Merom, Indiana Merom was founded in 1817, and a log courthouse located there served as the first Sullivan County seat. The town's name commemorates the Battle of the Waters of Merom in the Hebrew Bible . The Merom post office has been in operation since 1818. Union Christian College existed in Merom from 1859-1924. Merom

975-410: The disadvantage (or the benefit) of having its sites defined by the limits of the intended development. Even in this case, however, in describing and interpreting the site, the archaeologist will have to look outside the boundaries of the building site. According to Jess Beck in "How Do Archaeologists Find Sites?" the areas with numerous artifacts are good targets for future excavation, while areas with

1014-420: The future. In case there is no time or money during the site's discovery, archaeologists can come back and visit the site for further digging to find out the extent of the site. Archaeologist can also sample randomly within a given area of land as another form of conducting surveys. Surveys are very useful, according to Jess Beck, "it can tell you where people were living at different points in the past." Geophysics

1053-560: The inhabitants, which contrasts strongly with comparable nearby sites, such as the Daugherty-Monroe Site northwest of Merom. Stephens' unfamiliarity with the artifacts that he found in his early excavations led him to suggest that the village was populated by members of a previously unknown culture. His further work permitted the inhabitants to be identified as members of the Middle Woodland period Allison-Lamotte culture, which

1092-564: The late 1970s, the distinctions between Allison-Lamotte and contemporary cultures elsewhere in the region were poorly known, so the IAS archaeologists suggested that excavations at Stoner would permit researchers to draw much clearer conclusions about the relationships between the different cultures living along the Middle Wabash in the Middle Woodland period. In 1978, the Stoner Site was listed on

1131-467: The midden has also been shown to be a common feature for Allison-Lamotte villages. Unlike many of the mounds built by other peoples of the Woodland period, Allison-Lamotte mounds were sometimes built for non-mortuary purposes; the owners' inability to find grave goods in the mound is comparable to the results of looting at many other mounds of the culture. Small elements of other cultures appear at Stoner;

1170-431: The middle of the 20th century; before that time, the site was covered by woods, but cultivation since that time has reduced the mound from its previous height of 2.4 metres (7 ft 10 in). The Illinois Archaeological Survey first recorded the Stoner Site in 1930 and carried out a minimal field survey at the site, collecting materials that could be found at the surface. Aside from occasional reckless digging into

1209-426: The mound in the early 1950s by the owners, no further work of any sort was done for nearly thirty years. Local resident Denzil Stephens, an amateur archaeologist, conducted far more detailed work at the site starting in the late 1950s: besides investigating the mound, he excavated the surrounding field and discovered the midden and village site. By digging test pits at regular intervals and removing everything down to

Stoner Site - Misplaced Pages Continue

1248-441: The period studied and the theoretical approach of the archaeologist. It is almost invariably difficult to delimit a site. It is sometimes taken to indicate a settlement of some sort, although the archaeologist must also define the limits of human activity around the settlement. Any episode of deposition, such as a hoard or burial, can form a site as well. Development-led archaeology undertaken as cultural resources management has

1287-465: The presence of both artifacts and features . Common features include the remains of hearths and houses. Ecofacts , biological materials (such as bones, scales, and even feces) that are the result of human activity but are not deliberately modified, are also common at many archaeological sites. In the cases of the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic eras, a mere scatter of flint flakes will also constitute

1326-428: The site's boundaries. Due to the cursory work done by the IAS field survey in the early 1930s, few artifacts from Stoner were known until Stephens began working at the site. His early excavations revealed unfamiliar types of pottery and hitherto-unknown forms of projectile points . As he returned to the site in the 1960s, he began to uncover plentiful cultural materials, including many projectile points identified as

1365-474: The town was 98.30% White , 0.68% African American , and 1.02% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.68% of the population. There were 108 households, out of which 43.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.2% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.0% were non-families. 21.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.1% had someone living alone who

1404-438: The town. The population density was 633.3 inhabitants per square mile (244.5/km ). There were 123 housing units at an average density of 341.7 per square mile (131.9/km ). The racial makeup of the town was 100.0% White . Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.4% of the population. There were 99 households, of which 36.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.4% were married couples living together, 13.1% had

1443-666: The work of the Allison-Lamotte culture , numerous stone tools (e.g. scrapers and celts , plus more than three hundred lamellar flint knives), gorgets , and projectile points strongly resembling those found at the Merom site in the nearby town of Merom, Indiana . Clay artifacts are also known at the site; the owners found pieces of pipes while digging around the mound, Stephens' excavations yielded more pipe pieces and one substantial clay figurine, and more than five thousand potsherds of various types have been recovered. Excavations yielded virtually no evidence of shellfish consumption by

1482-450: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.12. In the town, the population was spread out, with 32.0% under the age of 18, 3.4% from 18 to 24, 32.0% from 25 to 44, 19.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.9 males. The median income for

1521-399: Was first defined in 1963, and which flourished from around the birth of Christ until AD 400. The arrangement of the postholes enabled him to understand the site as a collection of circular houses (typically 22 feet (6.7 m) in diameter) partially encircling a central plaza . Later research demonstrated similar town planning at other Allison-Lamotte sites, and the placement of a mound near

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