New images, artifacts shed light on Indiana archaeologist
EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) - Archaeologist Glenn Black is still spoken about with esteem by Indiana's historians and scholars.
His name is synonymous with Angel Mounds State Historic Site, the pre-European contact Native American metropolis near Evansville where he excavated continuously for 25 years until his 1964 death.
One of the first to professionally study Indiana's prehistoric cultures, Black also identified other Native American archaeological sites in the area. In 1971, Indiana University honored him with the dedication of its Glenn Black Laboratory of Archaeology.
"He was Indiana's only archaeologist for a long time," said Mike Linderman, site manager at Angel Mounds. "I guess you could call him Indiana's archaeologist. He had national recognition. People still talk about Glenn Black."
Visitors have been able to come to Angel Mounds and view many of its artifacts for years. Soon the public will also be able to see numerous historical artifacts associated with Black, his financial patron and friend Eli Lilly and their time at Angel Mounds.
In 2015, Black's great-niece donated 30 boxes of Black's personal items to the site, including nearly 1,700 photographs and slides - many including Black, his wife Ida and Lilly.
"These photos and artifacts have never been seen by the public, so it's a rare glimpse into their friendship," Linderman said.
An early proponent of studying Indiana's prehistoric sites, Black recognized the value of the Angel Mounds site long before others - including local residents.
Linderman said Black began taking road trips to visit Angel Mounds in 1931 but by 1938 his fundraising attempts to preserve the site had only yielded $127 from area residents.
"It was the Great Depression," Linderman said.
It was at that point that Eli Lilly donated $63,000 to purchase Angel Mounds, which was named for the Angel family that farmed the area for many generations.
A pharmaceutical industrialist and philanthropist from Indianapolis, Lilly was president of Eli Lilly and Company, the family-owned business established by his grandfather.
Black and his wife moved into a two-bedroom site at Angel Mounds in 1939 and with Lilly's support, Black began excavations with the Works Progress Administration, and later by hosting summer field schools there with Indiana University and the Indiana Historical Society.
Although the pictures and slides donated to Angel Mounds include images of Glenn and Ida Black at the house - now occupied by Linderman and his family - many others depict images from the couple's travels and with Lilly.
"Lilly always said Glenn was the son he never had," Linderman said.
Black's notes on the backs of the pictures and slides recorded their details with the meticulous eye of an archaeologist.
"It really fleshed him out for us. He wasn't just the archaeologist anymore," Linderman said. "It really puts a human element to him and his wife."
Among the items that will be on permanent display are a signed, leather-bound copy of Lilly's book, "Prehistoric Antiquities of Indiana."
Black was well-known for his own book, "Angel Site: An Archaeological, Historical and Ethnological Study," published in 1967 several years after his death. It described what was known about Angel Mounds and its culture at the time.
The desk at which Black wrote the book will be among the items on display, as well as the first trowel Black used at Angel Mounds, and other memorabilia.
Linderman will give a public lecture at 7 p.m. Sept. 17, about Eli Lilly and Glenn Black using the hundreds of slides and photographs donated by Black's great-niece, as as some of the other personal items. The lecture will be at the Angel Mounds Interpretive Center at 8215 Pollack Ave.
"These photos and artifacts have never been seen by the public, ever, so it's a rare glimpse into their friendship," Linderman said.
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Source: Evansville Courier and Press, http://bit.ly/2bLdueI
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Information from: Evansville Courier & Press, http://www.courierpress.com