Albany Mounds Site, Whiteside County

Albany Mounds

Middle Woodland people constructed more than 80 mounds on a high ridge in the Mississippi River flood plain just south of the present town of Albany in Whiteside County. For over a century, scientists and laymen have explored these mounds and a nearby village. The Middle Woodland residents of Albany shared a way of life seen at other sites in Illinois, Ohio, and Missouri. These people were part of an extensive Middle Woodland trade network.
Pieces of obsidian from Wyoming, copper from the upper Great Lakes, and marine shells from the Gulf of Mexico have been found at the Albany mounds.

Some archaeologists believe that between 100 and 250 people lived in and around the Albany site over a period of perhaps two centuries, after which the site was abandoned.

A study of their funeral practices suggests that when residents of Albany died, they were not immediately buried. After lying in the open for some time, they were placed in a tomb located in one of the mounds. Objects, including personal belongings, were often placed with the person.

The Albany Mounds is a state historic site. Visitors may walk between the mounds and contemplate what life was like in this place 2,000 years ago.

Ogden-Fettie mound and village, Fulton County

Ogden-Fettie Mound Group and Village

The Ogden-Fettie Mound Group and Village is located in Fulton County on the grounds of the Dickson Mounds Museum. Archaeologists from the University of Chicago studied the site in the 1930s. A large mound dominates the landscape at the site, but there were once were about 30 mounds present. Many of the mounds have disappeared due to modern cultivation. The large central mound and three others were set off from the rest of the site by a large ditch. Middle Woodland artifacts have been found at Ogden-Fettie. Some of these objects are on exhibit at Dickson Mounds; others may be found in the Illinois State Museum's collection.

Residents of Ogden-Fettie also traded with other Middle Woodland people. Some of the objects found here are similar to those found at Albany Mounds and elsewhere.

Visitors to Dickson Mounds Museum can visit the Ogden-Fettie site. Another site that can be visited by the public is just across the Illinois River from Dickson Mounds Museum in the city of Havana. The Rockwell Mound, another large Middle Woodland mound, may be seen in the city's park.