News

Congratulations to the 2026 Permanent Fund Grant Recipients!

  Dr. Mary Vermilion for a field school held at the Fingerhut Tract at Cahokia.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Central Wabash Archaeology Chapter for a public event demonstrating the use of non-invasive techniques for site surveys at the Otter Pond site. 

The latest issue of Illinois Antiquity 61(1) showcases fresh research, insights, and news from Illinois archaeology.

The issue opens with “Sleuthing at Sleeth: Remote Sensing at a Late Pre-contact Village in the Illinois Valley,” where archaeologists used magnetometry to investigate a dense Late Precontact village that may represent a coalescent community of Oneota migrants and local Mississippian groups in the Central Illinois River Valley. The survey revealed hundreds of subsurface features and offers new clues about village organization and interaction.

Also featured is “The Archival Archaeology of Isaac Ellwood’s Farmstead (11D617),” demonstrating how archaeological excavation combined with archival research—land deeds, census records, and probate files—can reconstruct the lives of the families who lived and worked land owned by barbed-wire magnate Isaac Ellwood. The article traces the farmstead’s story from early settlement through the Civil War and into the twentieth century.

This issue also includes several important announcements and updates for the archaeology community:
• University of Iowa Press Book Release – This Is the Route of My Forefathers, exploring the historic 1837 Ioway map and Indigenous history of the Midwest.
• 2026 IAAA Annual Meeting Information – Hosted at Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site with presentations, tours, and a keynote lecture.
• 2025 IAAA Annual Business Meeting Minutes – A summary of the organization’s activities, finances, committee reports, and elections.
• Cahokia Archaeological Society Scholarship and Grant Opportunity – Supporting students and emerging archaeologists.
• In Memoriam: Lynn D. Stephens (1938–2026) – Honoring a lifetime devoted to documenting and preserving southeastern Illinois archaeology.

Discover the full issue, stay connected with the latest work and events in Illinois archaeology, and consider becoming a member of the Illinois Association for Advancement of Archaeology today.

Illinois Antiquity 60(4) is here — and it’s packed with must-read archaeology, history, and community news and announcements from across the state! 
DIG into a jam-packed issue featuring:
 
A British Revolutionary War Uniform Button Found at Fort Kaskaskia
🔹 The Oldest Date for Human Activity in Lombard, IL
🔹 Minohsayaki: A Legacy of Illinois
🔹 Unearthing the Story Beneath Garrison Hill Cemetery
🔹 ISAS Holiday Book Deals
🔹 A Banner Year at the 2025 Illinois State Fair
🔹 IAAA Award Nominations Call
🔹 2026 IAAA Permanent Fund Grant Notice
🔹 IAAA To-Dues Checklist
 
Remember: A membership with the Illinois Association for Advancement of Archaeology (IAAA) includes four issues of Illinois Antiquity each year — your gateway to fresh discoveries, research, and events statewide.
 
Check out Illinois Antiquity 60(4) today — and consider joining the IAAA to stay connected all year long!

2026 Permanent Fund Grant Notice

The IAAA Permanent Fund will continue our successful grant program in 2026. These grants are open to avocational, professional, student, museums, and educational groups for archaeological related projects conducted within or involving sites/collections from the state of Illinois. In 2026, the IAAA Permanent Fund will award up to four (and potentially more) $400 grants. The deadline for grant applications is the end of the day, Monday, January 19, 2026. The 2026 application form and guidelines can be found below. The guidelines and application form can also be obtained by contacting the IAAA Permanent Fund Chair at the email address listed below. 

Note that a change has been made to our grant guidelines which affects past grant recipients. Prior grant recipients must now wait one year after their grant year before re-applying for another grant.

The IAAA Permanent Fund sustains funding for the grants through an endowment and other funds and welcomes any donations to help support this effort. The IAAA Permanent Fund is classified by the IRS as a 501 (c) (3) organization and contributions are tax deductible.

2026 Permanent Fund Grant Application (click underlined text to download)

Permanent Fund Brochure (2024) (click underlined text to download)

Email questions to IAAAPF Chair, Doug Jackson (dkjackso@illinois.edu). 

Illinois Antiquity 60(3) is packed with fascinating new research and reflections on Illinois archaeology — from preserving our past in a changing climate to revisiting major projects 50 years later.

 In this issue:
 
Aiuvalasit , Lambert, & White explore how climate change will impact cultural heritage in Illinois — a must-read for anyone concerned about protecting the state’s archaeological record.
 
Pfannkuche reports on excavating an experimental archaeological site with the UIUC/IFR Field School, showcasing the power of hands-on learning.
 
Chervinko & Leach share a remarkable discovery — a pictogram found in the Bluffs near Alton, IL, adding new insight into the region’s Indigenous ideology.
 
Rucinski looks back at the FAI-270 project collection — 50 years later, reflecting on curation and preservation lessons learned.
Berkson reviews Rediscovery, Vol. 8, highlighting IAAA’s ongoing efforts to share Illinois’ deep and diverse archaeological heritage.
 
PLUS! The IAAA is holding a logo competition! Have an eye for design? Submit your idea and help shape the future look of the organization.
 
Illinois Antiquity (IA) 60(2) has been mailed out by our partners at Martin One Source! 
 
This issue includes two fabulous research articles, two announcements, and one news report.
 
IAAA Permanent Fund winners Hertel and Therrell produce a fascinating article about freedom for people of color in Ridge Prairie, which includes in depth genealogical and historical review, the reporting on a exceptional clandestine room used during the Underground Railroad, and the utilization of dendrochronology to date a cabin found on Old Enterprise Farms (11S2321).
 
Multi-IAAA Permanent Fund winner Vermilion reports on her continued work at Fingerhut Tract (11S34/7N), which describes the excavation, explanation, and exasperation of doing fieldwork at Cahokia Mounds.
 
Related to the new Illinois State Archaeological Survey (ISAS) book entitled “Archaeology of Illinois: The Deep History of the Prairie State”, two announcements are made. The first, penned by ISAS, highlights the content, production, and pricing for this must have book for Illinois Archaeology enthusiasts, to be released in summer 2025.
 
The second announcement comes from IA Layout Editor Dan Bartlett, who highlights Illinois Archaeology: The Deep Roots of the Prairie State, a traveling exhibit that is the companion to “Archaeology of Illinois”. The well-designed and visually appealing exhibit takes a look at where and how people have lived in Illinois for the last 12,500 years.
 
Lastly, IA Editor Dr. Dale F. Simpson Jr. reports on this year’s well-organized and attended IAAA Annual Meeting, hosted by the Central Wabash Archaeology Chapter, which focused on Illinois and Indiana’s early trails and interactions between First Nations Groups and Euro-Americans.
 
IA is a benefit to members of the Illinois Association for Advancement of Archaeology who receive the quarterly in March, May, October, and December. For more info, please check the IAAA webpage.

Congratulations to the 2025 Permanent Fund Grant Recipients!

  • IAAA Central Wabash Chapter: Lidar Study Early Trails/Roadways in SE Illinois (Crawford)
  • IAAA Chicago Archaeological Society (Dr. Dale F. Simpson Jr.): Digitizing Bob Stelton’s Filming Legacy (Cook)
  • IAAA State Fair Committee (Anne Wilson-Dooley): Upgrading IAAA State Fair Displays (Sangamon)
  • Katie Parker: Use/Distribution of Plant Remains in Cahokia’s Copper Workshop (Madison)
  • Tyler Ferree: Sleeth Site Geophysical Survey Project (Fulton)
 

The first Illinois Antiquity (IA) of 2025, 60(1), is printed and will be sent out this week! This IA number has three thought-provoking articles along with two IAAA announcements.
 
The cover article is an in-depth discussion about the use of artificial intelligence in archaeology by Jankiewicz of Argonne National Laboratory. The piece illustrates how our nation’s first national laboratory has the potential to use its new Aurora Supercomputer, along with language learning models, generative pre-trained transformers, and drone technology, to deepen our understanding of humanity’s past, and ensure that our cultural legacy is preserved and accessible for generations to come.
 
The second article, by University of Illinois at Chicago scholar Meierhoff, is a historic/genealogical piece that asks the question, who is buried at Kellogg’s Grove?, a Black Hawk War Monument found near Kent, Illinois, erected in 1886. Results show that, at times, monuments do not tell the entire story of the past…
 
The last article is entitled “Exploring Kincaid’s Mx2 Mound”. As a result of an IAAA Permanent Fund Grant, Welch and Butler, retirees from Southern Illinois University (Carbondale) and members of the Kincaid Mounds Support Organization, used the funding to conduct core sampling and produce radiometric dating of one of the 35 mounds found at the site. The authors conclude that Kincaid was a vibrant community throughout the 1300s, but was abandoned in the early-to-middle 1400s.
 
The first announcement includes information and details about the 2025 IAAA Annual Meeting, which will be held May 2nd through 4th in Robinson and Flat Rock, IL. Members of the Central Wabash Archaeological Chapter are excited to host this event and present “Early Pathways into Southeastern Illinois”. The second announcement, penned by IAAA Secretary Holly Labisky, reports the business meeting minutes from the 2024 IAAA Annual Meeting that was held at Augustana College, in Rock Island, IL.
 
IA is a benefit to IAAA members, with four numbers a year published regarding a variety of topics in archaeology, history, genealogy, and material culture studies.

Editors Dr. Dale F. Simpson Jr. and Dan Bartlett are happy to announce that the last Illinois Antiquity for 2024, 59(4), which includes three OUTSTANDING articles and two IAAA announcements, will gift mailboxes on schedule.

The cover article, written by Illinois State Archaeologist and Illinois State Archaeological Survey (ISAS) Director Dr. Timothy R. Pauketat, comments on his six years of service and outlines three ways that Illinois archaeology should move forward.

Illinois Department of Transportation Cultural Resources Unit Manager and Chief Archaeologist Dr. Joseph Galloy illustrates Cahokian settlement patterns, or, better said, lack of settlement in State Park Place by looking at “that dirt”.

IAAA Illinois State Fair coordinator Anne Wilson-Dooley and ISAS Senior Scientific Specialist, Simpson Jr.., both members of the Chicago Archaeological Society, present a report of the 2024 State Fair and outline examples of archaeological outreach.

Two IAAA announcements include the upcoming due date for Permanent Fund Grant applications, and 2025 IAAA dues that are due!

We hope you enjoy this number of Illinois Antiquity, one of the many benefits of a IAAA membership.

2025 Permanent Fund Grant Notice

The IAAA Permanent Fund (IAAAPF) has been awarding annual research assistance grants since 2004. These grants are open to avocational, professional, student, and educational groups for archaeologically related projects conducted within the state of Illinois. In 2025, the IAAAPF will award up to four $400 grants. The deadline for grant applications is the end of the day, Monday, January 20th, 2025.

The IAAAPF sustains funding for the grants through an endowment and other funds and welcomes any donations to help support this effort. The IAAAPF is classified by the IRS as a 501 (c)(3) organization and contributions are tax-deductible.

2025 Permanent Fund Grant Application (click underlined link to download)

Permanent Fund Brochure (2024) (click underlined link to download)

Email questions to IAAAPF Chair, Doug Jackson (dkjackso@illinois.edu).