michael strezewski | University of Southern Indiana (original) (raw)

Articles by michael strezewski

Previous studies of Harmonist households and town planning in New Harmony have considered the con... more Previous studies of Harmonist households and town planning in New Harmony have considered the construction of space in only very general terms. More in-depth study is therefore necessary to better understand how they chose to arrange both people and structures in keeping with their beliefs. Various primary sources indicate that the town plan evolved through time, in keeping with the Society’s changing needs and vision. From 1814 to 1820, most Harmonists lived in individual log dwellings with members of their nuclear family. Beginning in 1820, however, significant changes were made to the town layout, as a result of the construction of communal dormitories and improved single-family housing. Most significantly, populating the communal dormitories resulted in the alteration of long-standing domestic units. Ultimately, it seems that the dormitory experiment failed, as the Harmonists reverted to their previous living arrangements after they left Indiana in 1825.

Midcontinental Journal of Archaeology, Mar 2014

Numerous Late Prehistoric nonburial mortuary features have been identified in the greater Illinoi... more Numerous Late Prehistoric nonburial mortuary features have been identified in the greater Illinois region. Often, and sometimes uncritically, these features have been referred to as “charnel houses” in the literature. To date, there has been no attempt to tie all of the information on these features together. This study critically examines the features’ attributes and provides possible explanations of how they were used in the context of mortuary ritual. Two major types of features have been identified. The first is an above-ground feature consisting of a scaffold or small structure supported by posts. The entire feature is surrounded by a lightly built wall or fence. The close association of secondary human remains with these features suggests that they were used to expose, store, or display them. The second type is an enclosed area or a lightly built structure constructed directly on the ground. Examples from the American Bottom differ from those noted elsewhere. In some instances, the two feature types were paired at a single site, suggesting that they had complementary functions. The presence of multiple examples of nearly identical features at some sites also suggests that the remains may have been segregated according to kin-group affiliation.

Wisconsin Archeologist, 2012

The 1928 excavation of the Upper Mississippian Oakwood Mound in Oakwood Cemetery, Joliet, Illinoi... more The 1928 excavation of the Upper Mississippian Oakwood Mound in Oakwood Cemetery, Joliet, Illinois, was one of the earliest projects undertaken by Fay-Cooper Cole’s fledgling Archaeological Survey of Illinois. Only brief summaries by Krogman (1928b) and Skinner (1953) report on those investigations. The importance of the Oakwood population to understanding late prehistoric lifeways encouraged the authors to undertake this study of the population’s chronological, cultural, osteological, and dietary attributes. AMS dates indicate the cemetery was used between the mid-eleventh and mid-thirteenth centuries A.D. The mound’s construction consisted of thin lenses of earth, often including fire and ash deposits, and the limited use of stone slab platforms. The artifact assemblage is scant but can generally be attributed to the Langford cultural pattern. The excavated population contains 150 individuals. Our examination and stable isotopes analysis of the human remains, although not comprehensive, provides preliminary information on health, diet, and levels of physical stress for both individuals and the population as a whole. These corn-fed farmers were generally healthy, with few signs of interpersonal violence. Burial practices are varied and do not seem restricted on the basis of sex, age, or status. Limited burial evidence suggests that juveniles were recognized as having attained adult status at ~10 years of age. The Oakwood Mound research provides another window into the significant variation present among late prehistoric populations in northeastern Illinois.

Illinois Archaeology, 2009

Analysis of Mississippian mortuary data from seven sites in the Central Illinois River valley ind... more Analysis of Mississippian mortuary data from seven sites in the Central Illinois River valley indicates that a particular suite of grave goods are found with children less than eight years of age. These items include shell beads, marine shell pendants, and antler bracelets. Ethnographic and ethnohistoric data suggest that these patterns may be related to commonly held notions of personhood in the Eastern Woodlands and eastern Plains. It is suggested that around the age of eight, Mississippian children began the process of becoming fully constituted “persons.” Beads may have been included with young juveniles to protect them on their journey to the afterlife and to confer group membership on those who were not fully constituted members of society.

MCJA. Midcontinental journal of archaeology, Jan 1, 2006

Midcontinental Journal of Archaeology, Jan 1, 2003

North American …, Jan 1, 2002

Reports by michael strezewski

In 2014, personnel from the University of Southern Indiana (USI) conducted archaeological investi... more In 2014, personnel from the University of Southern Indiana (USI) conducted archaeological investigations in the area of the Harmonist Dormitory 1, which was constructed in 1817. From 1821 to 1825, the dormitory served as a communal living facility for male and female members of the Harmony Society. The site (12-Po-1312) encompasses the former location of the dormitory building, as well as a number of outbuildings related to the dormitory’s use, all of which were demolished in the nineteenth century. Excavations resulted in the identification of the dormitory's foundation and cellar, providing information on the methods used in its construction. Also found was a portion of the dormitory kitchen, which later served as David Dale Owen's first geology laboratory during the period 1833-1835.

This report outlines the excavation of two structures built by the Harmonists, a Utopian religiou... more This report outlines the excavation of two structures built by the Harmonists, a Utopian religious group who founded the town of New Harmony in 1814. Excavations (conducted in the 1970s) were conducted at a Harmonist dwelling, the Wolf house, and the Harmonist warehouse, where goods were stored and packed for shipping. Earthen root cellars were identified at both sites and contextual and artifactual evidence indicates that they were used by the Harmonist occupants of the town, ca. 1814-1820.

This report details the results of the 1971, 72, and 74 investigations at the multicomponent Kues... more This report details the results of the 1971, 72, and 74 investigations at the multicomponent Kuester site. The most significant of these occupations is a Mann phase habitation component, dating to the late Middle Woodland / early Late Woodland transition. The upper component contains late Late Woodland Yankeetown and Mississippian Angel phase materials.

With funding from the American Battlefield Protection Program (grant #GA-2255-12-025), personnel ... more With funding from the American Battlefield Protection Program (grant #GA-2255-12-025), personnel from the University of Southern Indiana (USI) conducted archaeological investigations at three sites related to the summer 1791 Scott and Wilkinson expeditions against the Wabash River Indian villages. The 2012/2013 investigations focused on developing a better understanding of two Native American villages that may have been destroyed as part of the Scott and/or Wilkinson expeditions. Both are located in present-day Tippecanoe County. The first site, 12-T-9, encompasses the former location of Fort Ouiatenon (initially constructed by the French in 1717) as well as one or more unnamed Kickapoo/Mascouten Indian villages. The second site, 12-T-335, is located immediately north of 12-T-9 and likely also represents one of the Kickapoo/Mascouten villages in the Ouiatenon vicinity. Fieldwork was performed in two phases. The first, which occurred in November/December 2012, consisted of magnetometry survey at sites 12-T-9 and 12-T-335, with limited, non-systematic surface collection. The second phase consisted of additional magnetometry and ground-truthing excavations at 12-T-9 only. Excavations resulted in the identification of a Native American wall trench structure approximately 6.2 m in diameter. Artifacts suggest that it was occupied sometime between 1760 and 1791.

... Keywords. archaeology, Indiana, fur trade, French, Native American, northwest border wars. Di... more ... Keywords. archaeology, Indiana, fur trade, French, Native American, northwest border wars. Disciplines. Anthropology | Archaeological Anthropology. Opus Citation. MichaelStrezewski Ph.D. and Robert G. McCullough Ph.D. (2010). ...

As a part of the 2001 Indiana University/Glenn A. Black Laboratory Field School in Archaeology, e... more As a part of the 2001 Indiana University/Glenn A. Black Laboratory Field School in Archaeology, excavations were conducted at the Pottersville site (12Ow431), in Owen County, Indiana. Initial investigations at Pottersville this summer were disappointing. Our eight initial test units revealed a very shallow plowzone, on the order of 15cm in some places, which suggested active scouring and deflation. Late in the excavation however, we encountered a large, dark stain at the base of plow, near the northern edge of the site. After opening up larger areas around the stain, it became apparent that this was a circular structure, the interior dimensions of which measured approximately 7m north-south by 7.5m east-west. Dark, artifact-laden soil in the center of the structure indicated portions of an intact housefloor containing domestic-type debris. In the little time we had left, we were able to expose about 2/3 of the house in planview and open four small test trenches to determine its method of construction. Our excavations established that the structure was built by digging a deep wall-trench. A number of bone, mussel shell, and charcoal concentrations were found in the interior of the structure at the base of plow. These probably represent the very bases of interior storage pits that were later filled in with refuse. A single tightly flexed interment of a young adult was also encountered 2.5m to the southeast of the house, just below the base of the plowzone. The burial was poorly preserved. Grave goods were minimal, and consisted of a large piece of limestone at the knees and two articulated adult raccoons at the back of the head. The results of three radiocarbon assays place the occupation of the Pottersville site within the latter portion of the 13th century, most likely circa A.D. 1275.