National Register of Historic Places

Thompson Brothers Rock Art

Makanda, Union County, Illinois
Listed
December 29, 2015
Type
Site
Period
Pre Contact
Ref No.
15000933

About this property

The Thompson Brothers Rock Art is an inscribed rock located within Giant City State Park in Union County, Illinois. Four names are carved into the rock, all but possibly one of which were inscribed by Union soldiers or supporters during the Civil War. The two most prominent signatures belong to brothers Albert S. and T. W. Thompson; the former was a Union soldier, while the latter served as Deputy Provost Marshal and was responsible for locating Union deserters. Union soldier Thomas L. Bailey also carved his name into the rock; the fourth name, A. Parker, may have been either a fellow soldier or a resident of the area who added his name after the war. The rock was carved at a time when Union supporters and Southern sympathizers fought for control of southern Illinois, and as the Thompson family were among the most prominent Union supporters, it represents an attempt to physically claim the area for the North. The Confederate sympathizers' inability to deface the names signifies their gradual loss of power in the area. The rock is now one of the few surviving Civil War sites in Illinois. The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 29, 2015.

Location

Makanda, Union County, Illinois

Categories

HISTORIC - NON-ABORIGINALARTMILITARY
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.

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Overview
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The Land
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Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
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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
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Rivers & Rail
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Notable People
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Finds & Access
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Literature
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Questions about this property

When was Thompson Brothers Rock Art listed on the National Register?

Thompson Brothers Rock Art was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 29, 2015.

What type of historic resource is Thompson Brothers Rock Art?

Thompson Brothers Rock Art is classified as a site in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Thompson Brothers Rock Art?

The period of significance for Thompson Brothers Rock Art is recorded as the pre_contact era.

Can I research the history near Thompson Brothers Rock Art?

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 Thompson Brothers Rock Art will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

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