Archeology enthusiasts dig up relics from Rockton’s past at Macktown settlement

ROCKTON, Ill. (WTVO) — Archeologist Rochelle Lurie has been conducting digs at the Mackton settlement in Rockton for 30 years. This week, in honor of Archeology Awareness Month, she’s with a group of volunteers for the latest expedition.

The tiny pieces Lurie’s team are uncovering are artifacts from the mid-1800s when settlers like Rockton founder Stephen Mack had homes and other buildings on the 50-acre property now known as Macktown Living History, 2221 Freeport Road.

“What we are getting are little, tiny pieces, not a quarter of a plate or rim from a cup,” Lurie said. “The archeology that we have done because, of the kinds of nails and so forth that we’ve found, they’re really board and batten homes very much like Stephen Mack’s house.”

Other artifacts that have been found belong to indigenous tribes that predated Stephen Mack’s arrival.

Volunteer archeologist Peter Czyzewski said, “Most of the time, you don’t see anything as we are scraping down with the trowel. But, when they sift it out, then it will jump out.”

The artifacts that are uncovered during this archeological dig will be identified on the local level before being cataloged at the Illinois State Museum.

“We’ve got a lab in the visitors center over there. We will be washing them. That’s first thing you do is wash them, then you dry them out. Then you identify what it is,” said Lurie.

The process of identifying the artifacts and sending them to the state takes about a year.

“You have to categorize them,” Lurie said. “It’s a long process.”

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