jlking

March 31, 2020May 1, 2020

COVID-19 | An Appeal for Aid

The Center for American Archeology is actively monitoring the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has ordered all Illinois residents to stay at home and for all non-essential businesses to cease operations until 7 April 2020 in order to combat the coronavirus outbreak. The CAA is complying with this order.

Though the coronavirus outbreak has not yet been documented in Calhoun County, the disease is spreading. We do not know the full effect of the pandemic on our programs, but it is already having consequences.

Arizona State University has cancelled the 2020 ASU Kampsville Field School at the CAA.

We have not cancelled our other programs for now. We are still accepting enrollments in the hope that we will be able to have them. However, we may have to cancel all of our Spring and Summer 2020 programs, and perhaps those in the Fall, if this crisis continues.

Cancellation of the 2020 ASU Field School represents a temporary, but significant, setback for the CAA. Further program cancellations present a real risk for the Center for American Archeology.

Students and staff will not be able to participate in our annual field program for the first time in decades.
New discoveries about the past will not be made.
The CAA will lose tens of thousands of dollars in annual revenue we need to survive.

We realize this is a challenging time for everyone. If you are able, please make a donation to the CAA now. We need your help.

No matter its size, your donation will allow us to weather this crisis and continue to pursue our 67-year mission of education, research, and public service in archeology.

Donate Now

March 30, 2020May 1, 2020

COVID-19 Statement (30 March 2020)

The Center for American Archeology is actively monitoring the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has ordered all Illinois residents to stay at home and for all non-essential businesses to cease until 7 April 2020 in order to combat the coronavirus outbreak . The CAA is complying with this order.

We do not know how the pandemic will affect our programs.

At the time of this posting, we are accepting enrollments for our programs in the hope that we will be able to have them. We are not accepting deposits or tuition payments at this time.

If you would like to attend a field school or other program, simply submit your enrollment and scholarship forms. Invoices for tuition payment will be sent once we are certain programs will occur.

In the event that programs are cancelled because of the coronavirus, refunds will be issued. Until that time, our standard refund policies are in place.

The deadline for the Women in Archeology Internship has been extended by ten days to give applicants more time to complete their applications and for recommenders to get their letters submitted.

Please note: Arizona State University has cancelled the ASU Kampsville Field School at the CAA. Students in enrolled in that program have been notified and should contact ASU with questions.

February 12, 2020

Experience Archeology in 2020

The Center for American Archeology is pleased to announce that enrollment is open for all 2020 programs!

Field Schools

Join us at the German site, a Late Woodland / Jersey Bluff (ca 800-1200 CE) habitation site in the Crawford Creek valley. Fieldwork in 2019 revealed several possible structures and associated features. Excavators recovered domestic artifacts, including chert tools, pottery, animal bone, and botanical remains. In 2020 we will continue to locate and excavate house basins and associated features in order to better understand Late Woodland communities in the Lower Illinois Valley.

Spring Adult Field School — May 10-23
Arizona State University Field School — June 14-July 25
High School Field School — June 14-July 11
Summer Adult Field School — July 12-August 8
Fall Adult Field School — September 13-26

The CAA offers partial scholarships for the High School and Adult Field Schools.

Women in Archeology Internship

The Women in Archeology Internship is a ten-week internship for women pursuing a career in archaeology funded by a generous grant from the Monticello College Foundation. Interns work with CAA archaeologists and supervise field and laboratory activities for our field schools. The application deadline is April 5!

Flintknapping Workshop

Enrollment is open for the 2020 Flintknapping Workshop with Tim Dillard. The workshop is a week-long class on all aspects of stone tool production such as percussion, billet and pressure flaking, tool forms, chert, quarrying strategies, and local geology. Participants go on chert collection trips and learn how to heat-treat their own chert.

Archeology Day 2020

Join us for Archeology Day — 10 am-4pm on Saturday, July 18!

Archeology Day is our free open house for all ages. Learn about archaeology, the CAA, and over 10,000 years of Illinois River valley history. There are activities for all ages, including site tours of the our excavation at the German Site.

Check out our full list of programs!

July 9, 2019July 9, 2019

Archeology Day 2019 Cancelled

Archeology Day 2019 is cancelled due to flooding. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Archeology Day will be offered again in 2020. We hope to see you next year.

May 8, 2019May 8, 2019

Flood Update

It’s been one week since our post announcing the museum’s closing as a result of flooding. At the time, none of our buildings were affected, but NWS predicted the flood to crest at 37.5 ft. We closed the museum and began preparing for high water immediately.

The river is currently at 37.85 ft.

Flood stage and prediction as of 3:30 pm at the Hardin gauge.

Our hope is that this is the beginning of the end of the 2019 flood, however it is possible that the rivers could begin to rise again. Here are some pictures of what’s happening in Kampsville:

Back door of the Museum on Saturday, 4 May 2019.
Lost Crops Garden, Saturday, 4 May 2019.
Tepen building on Saturday, 4 May 2019.
A view of Kampsville from the Greene County landing for the Kampsville Ferry on Monday, 5 May 2019.
Looking south down IL-100, Monday, 6 May 2019.
Maynard and the Museum, Monday, 6 May 2019.
Maynard and the Museum, Wednesday, 8 May 2019. The flood at or near 37.82 ft.
Looking north on IL-100 on Wednesday, 8 May 2019. The flood is at or near 37.82 ft.
The Tepen building (left) and flotation shed (right) on Wednesday, 8 May 2019 on Wednesday, 8 May 2019. The Lost Crops Garden is between the two and underwater. The flood is at or near 37.82 ft.
The old university lab/museum/mess hall on Wednesday, 8 May 2019. The flood is at or near 37.82 ft.
The Kampsville Inn, Wednesday, 8 May 2019. The flood is at or near 37.82 ft.