  One
of the most important archaeological sites in Illinois, Albany
Mounds contains evidence of continuous human occupation over
the last 10,000 years. The Albany Mounds date from the Middle
Woodland (Hopewell) period (200 BCE-CE 300), older than either
the Cahokia or Dickson Mounds of the Mississippian period.
While still obtaining food largely through hunting and gathering,
Woodland peoples began practicing basic horticulture of native
plants. Woodland peoples are distinguished from earlier inhabitants
by the development of pottery and the building of raised mounds
near large villages for death and burial ceremonies.
The only Middle Woodland site owned by the state, Albany
Mounds originally was made up of ninety-six burial mounds.
At least thirty-nine of the mounds remain in good condition,
while eight have been partially destroyed through erosion,
excavation, or cultivation. Burial artifacts include non-local
materials, indicating the existence of trading networks
with Native Americans from other areas. The site of the
nearby village remains privately owned. The mounds were
placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.
In the 1990s the site was “restored” to a natural
appearance and a prairie of about one hundred acres established.
The site also contains a parking lot and picnic shelter,
walking trails, and interpretive signs along a bike trail.
The Friends of the Albany Indian Mounds Foundation is dedicated
to the preservation and interpretation of the site. |
