Dickson Mound - Lewiston, IL - American Guide Series on Waymarking.com

Near Lewiston, along Dickson Mound Road, is Dickson Mound and Dickson Mound Museum, listed in the American Guide for Illinois.

From the Guide:

Left is the DICKSON MOUND (40c per person, special group rates), 2.5 m, which has been owned by the Dickson family for three-quarters of a century. The father of the present owner unearthed Indian skeletons while grading the crescent-shaped mound to fill the basin between its arms. No anthropological significance was placed on the find until later years. Only a small portion of the mound has been laid open, but 230 skeletons have been exhumed and left lying in their original postures, together with some of their possessions - tools, pottery, weapons, and ornaments. The skeletal exhibits appear in all kinds of positions and apparently without pattern, in small groups, family groups, and singly. The excavated portion reveals at least five different burial tiers, each of which must have corresponded to the existing surface of the hill. Underlaid with earth, other burials were placed upon preceding ones, until the top of the mound reached a height of 50 feet. A building has been erected over the main excavation to protect the exhibits; other diggings are in progress. The DICKSON MOUND MUSEUM houses artifacts and other material taken from the excavations, and also the Edward W. Payne Stone Age and Indian Collection, one of the largest of its kind.
-- American Guide Series: Illinois - A Descriptive and Historical Guide, p 575.

Today

The mound and museum still exist. Today, the property is now owned by the Illinois State Museum, and makes the property available free of change. The museum of today sits on top of the mound and over the area that was excavated. Up until 1992, the exposed graves were visible to museum visitors. According to the Chicago Tribune article, as part of an agreement with local Native Americans, the display was closed off and the remains entombed in concrete. In recent days, the Illinois State Museum, including the Dickson Mounds Museum, have been closed due to state budget restrictions - it was open at the time of visit. Also on the property are other preserved areas, including Eveland, where there are buildings sheltering the outlines of three ceremonial buildings.

Sources:

Illinois State Museum:
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Illinois State Museum (Payne Stone Collection):
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Chicago Tribune (Native American Display...):
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QCTimes.com (Dickson Mounds Museum Explains Ancient Culture):
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Book: Illinois Page Number(s) of Excerpt: 575 Year Originally Published: 1939

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Date Logged Log User Rating   11/14/2018 YoSam. visited it