National Register of Historic Places

Beattie Park Mound Group

Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois
Listed
February 27, 1991
Type
Site
Period
Pre Contact
Ref No.
91000084

About this property

The Beattie Park Mound Group is a grouping of Late Woodland period Indian mounds located in downtown Rockford, Illinois, United States. The Beattie Park Mound Group is located in downtown Rockford, Illinois' Beattie Park. It consists of three conical mounds (one outside the park boundaries), an effigy mound in the shape of a turtle, and a linear mound. Beattie Park is north of Park Avenue and south of Mound Avenue, but there is one mound remnant in front of the house at 509 Indian Terrace. On its west, the park is bounded by Main Street and to its east lies the Rock River. Mounds are the most visible evidence of cultures that lived for hundreds of years in the mix of biomes in northern Illinois. Mound groups in eastern North America are primarily located along waterways, as is the case with the Beattie Park Mounds. Effigy (animal-shaped) mounds are found in Wisconsin and adjoining parts of neighboring states south of the conifer hardwood forests and stretch from eastern Iowa to Lake Michigan The mounds and mound remnants in Beattie Park date from an era during the Late Woodland known as the Effigy mound Period. This period spanned from about 700-1100 C.E. in the Upper Mississippi River Valley in parts of Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota. Native American Mound builders were not a single culture but several groups that interacted and made artifacts and structures such as mounds in similar ways. The mounds in Beattie Park probably date from the early part of the time period 700-1100, when most of the effigy mounds seem to have been built. The grouping represents the remnants of a cluster that originally included nine conical mounds, a linear mound, an earthen embankment, and two effigy mounds: a bird and a turtle. Through the years, some of the mounds were destroyed or disturbed. When Sears now the home of Rockford Art Museum constructed a parking lot on North Main Street in the mid-1950s one of the conical mounds was destroyed. A bird effigy was destroyed when the North Main Manor apartment building was under construction across Park Avenue from the mounds. List of archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places in Illinois Rohrbough, Charles T. "Beattie Park Mounds Group," (PDF), National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form, 1 July 1990, HAARGIS Database, Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. Retrieved 16 July 2007. Property Information Report, Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, accessed October 23, 2008.

Location

Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois
42.27457, -89.09191

Categories

PREHISTORICARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Beattie Park Mound Group

This page lists Beattie Park Mound Group. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
First month just $5.99, then $11.99 a month. Unlimited locations, cancel anytime.

Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

Start your Beattie Park Mound Group report
Or see a real report first

Nearby Historic Sites

Emerson-Keith House
Industrial
0 mi
Rockford Elk's Lodge #64
Industrial
0.1 mi
Coronado
Industrial
0.1 mi
Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall
Industrial
0.2 mi
West Downtown Rockford Historic District
Listed
0.2 mi

Nearby Battles

Stillman's Run May 14 1832
1832Early Republic
13 mi
Battle of Stillman's Run (Illinois)
1832Early Republic
13.2 mi
Black Hawk War — Battle of Stillman's Run
1832Early Republic
15.3 mi

Questions about this property

When was Beattie Park Mound Group listed on the National Register?

Beattie Park Mound Group was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 27, 1991.

What type of historic resource is Beattie Park Mound Group?

Beattie Park Mound Group is classified as a site in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Beattie Park Mound Group?

The period of significance for Beattie Park Mound Group is recorded as the pre_contact era.

Can I research the history near Beattie Park Mound Group?

Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Beattie Park Mound Group will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

More in Winnebago County

Historic places, battles, and census history across Winnebago County.

Explore WinnebagoCounty ›

More historic places in Illinois

Browse all historic places in Illinois.

View Illinoishistoric sites ›

Conflict records

Explore 19,000+ military engagements across American history.

Browse US conflicts ›

Illinois history

Colonial settlement, territorial period, and statehood narrative.

Illinoishistory ›

Research the history near this site

An Aubrey US report for an address near Beattie Park Mound Group will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.

Research your locationView a free sample report