Picture Courtesy of Jim Kuntz

Picture Courtesy of Jim Kuntz

Built in about A.D. 150, this massive mound is thought to be the largest prehistoric earthwork in the Illinois River Valley. It is the largest known mound built by Indians of the Western Hopewell of Havana culture. Found along major rivers of the midwest, mounds of the Havana culture were usually built over the log-covered tombs of prominent leaders. Ceremonial and everyday items were often placed with the burials. It has been estimated that this two-acre, 14 foot high mound required about 1,700,000 basket loads of earth to construct.

Because of its size and strategic location opposite Spoon River, Rockwell Mound was probably the most important of the Havana site's more than twenty mounds. Havana was a trading and ceremonial center with trade routes that spanned much of the midcontinent.

This mound was not scientifically verified until 1986, when a small test trench yielded pottery fragments and a variety of other identifiable material. Individual basket loads of earth were clearly visible in the walls of the trench. The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.

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