Larson Site

The Larson Site is a prehistoric archaeological site in Fulton County, Illinois, near the city of Lewistown. The site was the location of a Mississippian town and was occupied during the 13th and 14th centuries. The town was one of seven major town sites in the central Illinois River valley and served as a social and economic center for surrounding villages and farms. The artifacts uncovered at the site have been well-preserved and include both organic remains and intact homes, providing significant archaeological evidence regarding the Mississippian way of life.[2]

Larson Site
Nearest cityLewistown, Illinois
Area70 acres (28 ha)
NRHP reference No.78001145[1]
Added to NRHPNovember 21, 1978

Early History

The Larson Site was a stockaded village with a large flat-topped mound in an open plaza surrounded by homes.[3][4] The Larson site was located at the confluence of the Spoon River and Illinois River.[5]

Spoon River Mississippian consists of three phases:[6]

  • Eveland (A.D. 1050–1150)
  • Orendorf (A.D. 1150–1250)
  • Larson (A.D. 1250–1300)

Archaeology

In 1964 through 1970, archaeologist Alan Harn excavated the Larson Site.[7][8] The village had been attacked and burned circa 1240.[9]

The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 21, 1978.[1]

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. Maruszak, Kathleen. National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Larson Site. National Park Service, 1977-09.
  3. "Native Americans: Prehistoric: Mississippian". Illinois State Museum. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
  4. Conner, Michael D. (2016). "Mississippian Habitation Components at Dickson Mounds in the Central Illinois River Valley". Midcontinental Journal of Archaeology. 41 (1): 67–92. ISSN 0146-1109.
  5. "Native Americans: Prehistoric: Mississippian: Economy:Settlement". Illinois State Museum. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
  6. Kuehn, Steven (2013). "Mississippian Faunal and Botanical Remains from the Tree Row (11F53) and Baker-Preston (11F20) Sites, Fulton County, Illinois". Illinois Archaeology. 25: 27–62 – via Academia.edu.
  7. "Dickson Mounds Still Yield Clues To Early Native American Life". WGLT. September 23, 2015. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
  8. Harn, Alan D. (1986). The Marion phase occupation of the Larson site in the central Illinois River valley. Kampsville seminars in archeology. Vol. 2. Center for American Archaeology Press. ISBN 978-0-942118-24-7.
  9. "Oral History Interview - Historians Speak Alan Harn". presidentlincoln.illinois.gov. Retrieved September 23, 2023.


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