Synopses & Reviews
When Abraham Lincoln moved to Illinoisand#8217; Sangamo Country in 1831, he found a pioneer community transforming from a cluster of log houses along an ancient trail to a community of new towns and state roads. But two of the towns vanished in a matter of years, and many of the activities and lifestyles that shaped them were almost entirely forgotten. In The Sangamo Frontier, archaeologist Robert Mazrim unearths the buried history of this early American community, breathing new life into a region that still rests in Lincolnand#8217;s shadow.and#160;
Named after a shallow river that cuts through the prairies of central Illinois, the Sangamo Countryand#8212;an area that now encompasses the capital city of Springfield and present-day Sangamon Countyand#8212;was first colonized after the War of 1812. For the past fifteen years, Mazrim has conducted dozens of excavations there, digging up pieces of pioneer life, from hand-forged iron and locally made crockery to pewter spoons and Staffordshire teacups. And here, in beautifully illustrated stories of each dig, he shows how each of these small artifacts can teach us something about the lifestyles of people who lived on the frontier nearly two hundred years ago. Allowing us to see past the changed modern landscape and the clichand#233;s of pioneer history, Mazrim deftly uses his findings to portray theand#160;homes, farms, taverns, and pottery shops where Lincolnand#8217;s neighbors once lived and worked.and#160;
Drawing readers into the thrill of discovery, The Sangamo Frontier inaugurates a new kind of archaeological history that both enhances and challenges our written history. It imbues todayand#8217;s landscape with an authentic ghostliness that will reawaken the curiosity of anyone interested in the forgotten people and places that helped shape our nation.
Synopsis
Uncovers the buried history behind a pioneer community in Illinois that was transforming from a cluster of log houses along an ancient trail to a community of new town and state roads when Abraham Lincoln moved there, but vanished in a matter of years, taking with them the activities and lifestyles that shaped them. Simultaneous.
About the Author
Robert Mazrim is director of the Sangamo Archaeological Center in Elkhart, Illinois, and also serves as the Historical Resources Specialist for the Illinois Transportation Archaeological Research Program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Journey to Sangamo
Part 1: Americans, Frontiers, and Archaeology
1 The Making of an American Frontier
2 The Arrival of Archaeology and the Shadow of Lincoln
Part 2: Illinois in History
3 Before the Americans
4 The Americans
Part 3: Archaeology of the Frontier
5 At Home, 1800–1840
6 Under the House, Behind the House
7 Goods in the Forests
Part 4: The Origins of Sangamo
8 The Hole in the Map
9 A New Frontier
Part 5: The Archaeology of Sangamo
10 Overlooking Wilderness: Excavations at Elkhart Hill
11 Earthenware at Cotton Hill: The Ebey-Brunk Kiln Site
12 The Origins of a State Capital: The Iles Store Site
13 Moses’s Sangamo: Relocating a Lost Town
14 Exploring Moses’s Sangamo: Excavations at Sangamo Town
15 Lincoln’s New Salem: History and Archaeology
16 Behind Lincoln’s New Salem: Archaeology and Revisionism
17 The End of the Trail
Notes
Index