*Please note: Rates of admission and telephone numbers have been omitted here, whereas they appear in the printed text. Since the text was printed in 1983, rates and phone numbers have since been subject to change. Updates are in the works and will be posted as soon as complete.
Nearly all archaeological sites are located on privately owned property and are not generally accessible to the public for that reason. However, there are two publically owned sites in Indiana and others in nearby states that are preserved and interpreted. Also, several museums have educational displays based on prehistoric collections.
Angel Mounds State Memorial
Angel Mounds is located about four miles east of Evansville and one mile south of State Road 662 on Pollack Avenue. It was a large Mississippian Tradition town. A modern interpretive center has exhibits based upon the twenty-seven years of excavation there, and trails over the site lead the visitor through the town and past reconstructions of typical houses, the stockade, and a large structure on one of the earth mounds. Explanatory markers placed strategically provide information about these and other features at this very large site. Lilly Endowment, Inc., made possible the interpretation of the site. Group tours may be arranged by writing Angel Mounds State Memorial, 8215 Pollack Avenue, Evansville 47701 or calling at least two weeks in advance. Hours: Sunday and Tuesday 1-5, Wednesday through Saturday 9-5, Free.
Glenn A. Black Laboratory of Archaeology (Indiana University)
This archaeological research facility is located on the Bloomington campus, Indiana University, at the corner of 9th and Fess streets. There is a small museum devoted to the archaeology of the Great Lakes-Ohio Valley areas. Groups may make arrangements for tours of the museum and research facilities by writing the Director or calling 812-855-9544. Hours: Monday through Friday 8-12, 1-5. Free.
Indiana State Museum
The Indiana State Museum is located at 202 North Alabama Street, Indianapolis. Parking is available immediately to the north of the museum. Exhibits include an American Indian gallery that emphasizes both prehistory and the historic Native American in the state. Tours can be arranged by writing the Curator of Education or calling 317-232-4948. Hours: Daily 9-4:45.
Mounds State Park
Mounds State Park is located about two miles east of Anderson on State Road 32. There are no interpretive facilities or tour arrangements, but the park contains a fine Woodland Tradition mound group. Particularly notable are several geometric earthworks, both circular and rectangular. Hours: 8 am to 11 pm. Admission waiver for school groups can be obtained by writing Director of State Parks, State Office Building, Indianapolis 46204.
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Fort Ouiatanon Blockhouse
This replica of an early historic blockhouse is located about three miles east of West Lafayette. Although it is not on the actual site of Fort Ouiatanon, the early French post for which it is named, the blockhouse contains a small museum devoted to the early American Indian-European contact period. Many of the artifacts on exhibit were recovered from the French settlement itself. Hours: 10-8, Fri., Sat., Sun., April into November. Free.
Many local museums exhibit collections of prehistoric artifacts. Among these are: Evansville Public Museum; Northern Indiana Historical Museum, South Bend; Tippecanoe County Historical Museum, Lafayette; and the Allen County-Fort Wayne Historical Museum.
The State of Ohio has developed its archaeological resources in a particularly effective manner. The Ohio Historical Center, Columbus, north of the business area off Interstate 71, has excellent archaeological exhibits that display some of the finest examples of Woodland Tradition craftsmanship to be found anywhere. Also, a number of sites are accessible to the public, and interpretive centers have been constructed. Currently these are open only from late spring into early fall. Among these are: Fort Ancient State Memorial near Lebanon; Flint Ridge State Memorial two miles north of Interstate 70 on Licking County Road 668; Fort Hill State Memorial just off State Road 41 in Highland County; the Newark Earthworks State Memorial on the west side of Newark; the Great Serpent Mound off State Road 73 in Adams County; and Seip Mound State Memorial about nine miles west of Chillicothe on U.S. 50. The Mound City Group, a national archaeological monument just north of Chillicothe is a most impressive site. The Cincinnati Museum of Natural History, 1720 Gilbert Avenue, has a substantial gallery that exhibits material on area prehistory. Similarly, the Dayton Museum of Natural History has prehistoric displays, as does the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.
In Illinois, the Don Dickson Mounds, a division of the Illinois State Museum, located a short distance south of Lewistown, has excellent interpretive exhibits and a partially excavated and stabilized Mississippian Tradition cemetery. Cahokia State Park east of Collinsville and directly across the Mississippi River from St. Louis preserves a portion of what was the most populous Indian town north of Mexico, as well as the largest temple mound. A small museum provides further documentation for this very important Mississippian Tradition center. Also, the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago has outstanding exhibits on the American Indian, including impressive examples of prehistoric artifacts from our general area. The Illinois State Museum, Springfield, has major galleries devoted to the prehistoric and historic Native American occupancy.