Man Mound Road
Historic Name: | Man Mound (additional documentation and boundary expansion) |
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Reference Number: | 10000211 |
Location (Address): | Man Mound Road |
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County: | Sauk |
City/Village: | |
Township: | Greenfield |
Man Mound Man Mound Road, Town of Greenfield, Sauk County Period of construction: AD 750 – 1200 The Man Mound (also known as the Greenfield Man Mound) is the only surviving earthen anthropomorphic effigy in the Upper Midwest. The figure is the sole mound at a small Late Woodland Stage/Effigy Mound culture mortuary and ceremonial center (ca. AD 750-1200). The site is located on gently sloping ground at the north base of the North arm of the Baraboo Range, northeast of Baraboo, in the civil township of Greenfield. Most of the human figure is in excellent condition, with the exception of the figure’s lower legs and feet. The bulk of the mound is preserved within Man Mound Park. Man Mound Road passes through the lower legs of the earthwork, and the feet of the figure are located on private property north of the road. Surface indications of the feet have been heavily worn down by cattle pastured on the property. In 1859, W. H. Canfield, a local surveyor and antiquarian, first identified and mapped the Man Mound. Canfield forwarded his survey maps to famed naturalist Increase Lapham, who published Canfield's findings in a short journal article that year. The mound was surveyed a second time in 1905, by Arlow Stout, a member of the Wisconsin Archeological Society. Stout discovered that the landowner was planning to plow the mound, which had already been damaged by the placement of a road through its lower legs. An appeal to private individuals and state and local historical societies swiftly raised the money necessary to purchase the portions of the effigy south of Man Mound Road. A formal ceremony to dedicate the park was held on August 8, 1908. Since 1908 additional land has been added to the east side of the park, nearly doubling its size. In 2008, the park was re-dedicated, and the contours of the feet and legs were painted on the road and pasture using Canfield's original survey measurements. The Man Mound may be visited during regular park hours.
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Period of Significance: | 750-1200 |
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Area of Significance: | Archeology/Prehistoric |
Area of Significance: | Art |
Area of Significance: | Religion |
Applicable Criteria: | Information Potential |
Applicable Criteria: | Architecture/Engineering |
Historic Use: | Religion: Ceremonial Site |
Historic Use: | Funerary: Graves/Burials |
Architectural Style: | Other |
Resource Type: | Site |
Historic Status: | Listed in the National Register |
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Historic Status: | Listed in the State Register |
Historic Status: | National Historic Landmark Status Granted |
National Register Listing Date: | 04/26/2010 |
State Register Listing Date: | 07/17/2009 |
Number of Contributing Buildings: | 0 |
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Number of Contributing Sites: | 1 |
Number of Contributing Structures: | 0 |
Number of Contributing Objects: | 0 |
Number of Non-Contributing Sites: | 1 |
Number of Non-Contributing Structures: | 0 |
Number of Non-Contributing Objects: | 0 |
National Register and State Register of Historic Places, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |