Return to the Indiana Government Center - After more than a year, all DHPA staff will once again be in the office full-time beginning July 6. The COVID-19 pandemic brought unique challenges to everyone; however, our staff remained flexible and resourceful in order to keep customer service a priority during the time when we worked remotely. We have all been “IN this together!”
Outreach - Cathy Draeger-Williams was invited to return to the Syracuse-Wawasee Historical Museum in Kosciusko County for the youth history program. On June 10, the students participated in a mock dig to learn about the science of archaeology, changes in technology, and archaeological methods. The students learned about the life of an archaeologist by analyzing, recording, and interpreting the artifacts they found. Cathy also discussed what future archaeologists will discover about us.
- Also on June 10, 2021, Cathy Draeger-Williams spoke at the Friends of Mounds State Park meeting in Madison County about archaeology in Indiana. She talked about how different divisions of DNR work together in preserving, managing, and interpreting Indiana’s natural and cultural resources. Cathy worked remotely from Mounds State Park during the pandemic and met a lot of the Friends members and volunteers who are very important to the park.
Fort Ouiatenon - DHPA Director Beth McCord and State Archaeologist Amy Johnson were invited to attend a special ceremony on May 21 in West Lafayette. At the ceremony, France’s Ambassador to the United States, Phillippe Etienne, was welcomed to Indiana’s newest National Historic Landmark (NHL) and first NHL archaeological district. Beth and Amy were honored to be introduced to Etienne and to represent the DNR/DHPA at the event. Read about the Ouiatenon Preserve at tippecanoehistory.org/our-places/the-ouiatenon-preserve and the archaeology of the area in the 2019 volume of the Indiana Archaeology journal.
Archaeology Site of the Month- In honor of the 25th anniversary of a statewide celebration of archaeology, we have been highlighting the 25th recorded archaeological site for each county in Indiana! This will span all 92 counties. Archaeological sites are each given a unique, sequential identification number as they are recorded. This helps archaeologists keep track of the artifacts that come from the site and differentiates it from other sites in the area. The numbering system tells archaeologists what state and county a site comes from, and what the specific number in that county belongs to the site. For example, Angel Mounds is archaeological site 12-Vg-1, meaning it is from Vanderburgh County (Vg), Indiana (12), and is the first documented site in that county (1). In this newsletter, we continue our alphabetical march through the counties by highlighting the 25th site from Tippecanoe through Vigo County.
Tippecanoe County, 12-T-25: This is a historical-era Native American site that was investigated in 1984 by Dr. James R. Jones III, former Indiana State Archaeologist. Among the artifacts noted at the site were British and French gunflints, white beads, iron pot and knife fragments, and a large number of glass and lithic artifacts.
Tipton County, 12-Ti-25: This is a small lithic scatter that was documented in 1983.
Union County, 12-U-25: This small site consisted of two cores and a biface fragment. The site was recorded as part of a survey of Union County completed in 1972 by Ball State University.
Vanderburgh County, 12-Vg-25: While Vanderburgh County is typically known for its more elaborate sites (such as Angel Mounds), it doesn’t mean that all the sites are quite so extensive. Also, just because a site isn’t elaborate, it doesn’t mean we can’t learn information from it. Site 12-Vg-25 is a good example of this. The site consisted of a spall, flakes, a scraper, and “many points.” This information tells archaeologists that the part of the county where this site was found was utilized by Native American groups. Depending on the types of points that were found (sadly, the types aren’t listed on the site form), we can even determine a date for when the area was inhabited.
Vermillion County, 12-Ve-25: This 25th site has been reported as “Shrews Mound,” which appears to be a precontact cemetery placed within a naturally occurring mound.
Vigo County, 12-Vi-25: Reported in a 1952 survey of Vigo County, this site consists of an unidentified precontact Native American camp. The artifacts noted at the site included a hammerstone/abrader, lithic flakes, a small, stemmed projectile point, a hand muller, and an endscraper.
Be sure to join us next month for the final installment of the “25th Site” series!
This information is distributed via email by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology (DHPA). This is meant to provide information on current archaeological topics and issues in which the DHPA is involved. An archive of past Archaeology News issues is available. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact our office at 317-232-1646.
Mission Statement: The Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology promotes the conservation of Indiana’s cultural resources through public education efforts, financial incentives including several grant and tax credit programs, and the administration of state and federally mandated legislation.
Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology, 402 W. Washington St., Room W274, Indianapolis, IN 46204. www.IN.gov/dnr/historic, www.facebook.com/INdhpa
Indiana Archaeology Month (September) webpage - http://www.in.gov/dnr/historic/3674.htm
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Find the Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology on Facebook.
Compiled by Amy Johnson, State Archaeologist, Archaeology Outreach Coordinator, and Team Leader for Archaeology (July 2021). Text also provided by Rachel Sharkey and Cathy Draeger-Williams. Unless otherwise noted, photographs provided by Amy Johnson. #ArchaeoNewsIN
