Since 1953 Kampsville Illinois has been the headquarters for teams of archeologists who have been studying the more than 12,000 years of prehistory in the Lower Illinois River Valley. In the more than 70 years of its existence, the organization now known as the Center for American Archeology has hosted, trained and employed many, many thousands of individuals of all ages and a wide range of academic backgrounds.
Some came as college field school students. Many were Archeologists who came to the region to excavate in the pursuit of knowledge. Starting in the 1970’s the program in Kampsville hosted a myriad of archeological field school programs for age groups ranging from Jr. High School students to adults. About that time the program also branched out into Contract Archeology. The forward-thinking founders and leaders of the various programs have left an amazing legacy.
It is not just the ground-breaking strategies in archeological theory and practices; nor the stacks of published research papers that define the Kampsville Legacy. It is also the training methods that were used to teach (students of all ages) and backgrounds. It can be argued that the most important part of this legacy is the high level of success of the individuals who were trained in Kampsville.
The purpose of this site is to gather, preserve, and share the various stories and collective memories of those who have participated in the Kampsville Archeological programs over the years, so that the stories and the legacy can be passed on to future generations.
- If you participated in a program in Kampsville and your thoughts, and/or images you want to share (please click here)
- Starting in 1971 Mr. Jeffery D. Trilling came to Kampsville to participate in the very first one-week field school hosted at the Koster Site. Jeff went on to pursue a career in photography. Between his time in the Navy as a photographer and his undergraduate/graduate degree(s) in photography he also spent a number of years working in Kampsville (and taking photographs). Over the years he has returned many times to continue photographing the people he worked with as well as Kampsville and the surrounding area. (to see his work click here)
We look forward to receiving and adding your stories and images to this site.