*Post written by Mona Meyer, Archives and Special Collections Metadata Librarian, and James Wethington, senior library assistant at the University Archives and Special Collections.

October is American Archives Month! In honor of this month, #ArchivesFest2021 has returned. Be sure to visit amUSIngArtifacts each week to learn more about local museums, libraries, and archives in the Tri-State region! This week, we present the Lincoln Pioneer Village and Museum and Angel Mounds Historic Site.

Hours: May-October, Monday-Saturday, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM; Sunday 12:00 AM to 4:00 PM

928 Fairground Drive, Rockport, IN 47635

“Travel back through time and walk through cabins showing life as it was during Abe Lincoln’s early years. The Lincoln Pioneer Village is a historic memorial to Lincoln that visualizes the Spencer County environment in which Lincoln lived during the 14 formative years of his life, from 1816 to 1830. Walk through cabins depicting life 200 years ago as Lincoln would have lived it. Visit the museum on the grounds with displays of military artifacts, clothing, utensils, spinning wheels and a rare rocker beater loom still in use today. See the hutch handmade by Abraham Lincoln with the help of his father Thomas.”

For more information on Lincoln Pioneer Village and Museum, please visit https://lincolnpioneervillage.com/ and follow on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/LincolnPioneerVillage/.

Hours: Wednesday-Sunday, 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM

8215 Pollack Avenue, Evansville, IN 47715

“Located on the banks of the Ohio River in southwest Indiana, Angel Mounds State Historic Site is one of the best-preserved, pre-contact Native American sites in North America. Built between A.D. 1000 and 1450, the town was occupied by more than 1,000 people part of the Mississippian culture. The society built 11 earthen mounds as platforms to elevate important buildings. The original town covered an area of 103 acres and served as an important religious, political and trade center for people living within a 75-mile radius. The site was abandoned before European explorers came to North America. Possible explanations for abandonment are depletion of natural resources, climatic changes or the collapse of chiefdom. More than 600 acres comprise Angel Mounds State Historic Site, which includes an interpretive center, recreations of Mississippian buildings and a working reconstruction of the 1939 WPA archaeology laboratory. The 500-acre non-archaeological portion of the site contains a nature preserve with hiking and biking trails.

For more information on Angel Mounds State Historic Site, please visit at https://www.indianamuseum.org/historic-sites/angel-mounds/ and follow on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/AngelMoundsSHS.