The Sangamo Frontier
History And Archaeology in the Shadow of Lincoln
Mazrim, Robert
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BOOK SUMMARY
When Abraham Lincoln moved to Illinois 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,
Submit a book reviewBOOK SYNOPSIS
When Abraham Lincoln moved to Illinois' 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 Lincoln's shadow.
Named after a shallow river that cuts through the prairies of central Illinois, the Sangamo Country--an area that now encompasses the capital city of Springfield and present-day Sangamon County--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 clich--‚©s of pioneer history, Mazrim deftly uses his findings to portray the homes, farms, taverns, and pottery shops where Lincoln's neighbors once lived and worked.
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 today'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.
BOOK EXCERPTS
42 halftones, 45 figures, 13 maps
AUTHOR BIO
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, 18001840
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 Mosess Sangamo: Relocating a Lost Town
14 Exploring Mosess Sangamo: Excavations at Sangamo Town
15 Lincolns New Salem: History and Archaeology
16 Behind Lincolns New Salem: Archaeology and Revisionism
17 The End of the Trail
Notes
Index
FOR RELATED BOOKS
Social Science Books :: Archaeology Books
MORE BOOK INFO
ISBN: 0226514250
ISBN(13-digit): 9780226514253
Dewey Decimal: 977.3/56
Library of Congress: 2006018787
Book Publisher: Univ of Chicago Pr
Language: ENG
No. of Pages: 352
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