“Here I Have Lived”: An Historical Archaeology of Lincoln’s Springfield, Illinois. This powerpoint presentation is a short summary of the archaeological excavations conducted by Fever River Research for the National Park Service within the Lincoln Home National Historic Site, Springfield, Illinois.
Lincoln Home Site (1985 Excavations). In the summer of 1985, in anticipation of planned restoration construction activity, archaeological excavations were conducted around the Lincoln Home, the Cook House, the Shutt House, as well as the Arnold Barn.
Dean House Site (1997 Excavations): Archaeological investigations, aided by the
limited archival resources available, resulted in the documentation of two nineteenth
century carriage barns and multiple privy pits at the Dean House. These investigations have documented the evolution of the Dean House rear yard during the nineteenth
and early twentieth century. Besides documenting the evolution
of the rear yard landscape at the Dean House, the investigations have also resulted in the
collection of a wide range of artifacts from several well-dated contexts. These artifacts
document a rise in economic prosperity for the site occupants during the middle to late
nineteenth century and a subsequent decline in prosperity during the late nineteenth
through early twentieth centuries. Additionally, these artifacts document a wide range of
activities that occurred at the site through these years and offer insights into the changing
character of the house, outbuildings and individuals that occupied this site.
Carrigan House (1997 Monitoring and Excavations)
Sprigg House Site (1997 and 2003 Excavations): In anticipation of restoration activities at this site, Fever River Research conducted
archaeological excavations in both 1997 and 2003 at this site. In 1997, the investigations
focused on that area of the site adjacent to the house. Later, in 2003, the investigations focused
on the rear yard in anticipation of the reconstruction of a privy and carriage barn. The
investigations documented the evolution of the house and surrounding yardscape, and have
resulted in the recovery of a wide range of artifacts from a variety of encapsulated middens and
subsurface features (particularly cisterns and privy pits). The artifacts recovered during these
investigations not only document the lifeways of the nineteenth century occupants at this site, but
allow for some relatively new interpretations of the Sprigg Site. Based on these investigations,
the Sprigg Site appears to have been occupied earlier than previously thought, and the
early occupant at this site conducted a variety of metalworking and woodworking activities
within a building located along the rear alley.
Dubois House (2002 Excavations): The NPS has not funded the preparation of a report for the fieldwork conducted around the Dubois House in 2002. The artifact analysis and report preparation remain outstanding. Subsequent excavations at the rear of the house lot in 2009 in association with the restoration of the Aitken Barndiscusses these earlier excavations.
Corneau House Site (1997 and 1998 Excavations): In anticipation of restoring the Corneau house, archaeological investigations were conducted at the Corneau Site. These archaeological investigations were conducted in late
1997 and again in the spring and late summer of 1998. This work consisted of the evaluative
testing of the east third of the lot in that area where the house originally was located. The second
phase of this research consisted of the evaluative testing of the carriage barn and privy locations. The investigations documented the location of the original house, the size and location of two
carriage houses and/or urban barns, a mid-nineteenth century privy, and several middens. A
wide variety of artifacts associated with the early component of this site were recovered from
both the privy pit and early rear yard middens. These artifacts give us new insights into the early
site occupants and their activities at this location. The results of these investigations were
discussed in terms of the discrete functional areas associated with urban house lots in
Springfield.
Arnold House (1998 Letter Report)
Morse House Site (1999 Excavations; 2007 Report): In anticipation of restoring the Morse house, archaeological
investigations were conducted for the National Park Service at the Morse Site,
which is located within the Lincoln Home National Historic Site, Springfield,
Illinois. These archaeological investigations
were conducted in the spring (April and May) and late summer (August) of 1999,
with limited inspection of underground utility line construction in the summer
of 2000. This fieldwork consisted of the
evaluative testing of the area immediately around the house in anticipation of
the construction of new foundation system.
The investigations documented the size and configuration of the
original front porch, as well as provided insights into the age and evolution
of the house at this location. Additionally,
a variety of artifacts associated with the occupation of this house were
recovered. Funding for the report preparation was not secured until late 2007.
Conference Center Site (2002 Excavations): In anticipation of new construction onto the rear of the circa 1966 building, Fever River Research conducted archaeological excavations to mitigate the impact of construction on a middle-nineteenth century historical archaeological component present at the site. The excavations were conducted within what would have been the Mid-Yard activity area of a late 1830s and/or 1840s urban occupation. Besides a relatively intact (and encapsulated) midden, several shallow features were documented. These features probably represent the remains of two relatively ephemeral Mid-Yard frame outbuildings (such as summer kitchen and/or wood house). Additionally the midden yielded a variety of domestic artifacts once associated with this occupation. One unusual feature documented during these investigations was a shallow, rectangular pit that was filled with charred corncobs and wood fragments. This pit may represent a smudge pit (associated with insect control), or document either hide or meat processing activities.
Dean House Site (2007 Excavations): Construction of a carriage house and related landscape features on the rear lot of the Dean House (HS-13) was anticipated for 2008. Phase II archaeological testing within the area of the proposed carriage barn, which was undertaken by Fever River Research in 1997 (Mansberger 2004), located several historic features within the proposed construction area. In an effort to mitigate the impact of the proposed construction on historic resources, the National Park Service contracted with Fever River Research to excavate areas within the footprint of the proposed building that had not been excavated during the previous 1997 investigations. This report summarizes the results of those investigations.
Morse House Site (2009 geothermal well monitoring)
Aitken Barn (Dubois House Site, 2009 Excavations): In mid- 2009, construction
activity for the rehabilitation of the Aitken Barn, located on the Dubois House
lot in the Lincoln Home National Historic Site (Springfield, Illinois), was
being scheduled for later that fall.
This proposed construction work consisted of substantial ground
disturbing activity (particularly the construction of a new foundation system
and poured concrete floor). In an effort
to mitigate the impact of the proposed construction on historic resources, the
National Park Service contracted with Fever River Research, Inc. to excavate
areas within the footprint of the proposed building and within an 18” buffer
around the outside perimeter of that structure.
The archaeological investigations documented four discrete construction
“phases” within the rear yard location of the Dubois House lot. This report summarizes the methods and
results of those investigations which were conducted during the late fall and
early winter of 2009-2010.
Stuve Site (Letter Report)
