Giant City Stone Fort Site
Also known as: 11j35
Approximate location: the National Park Service places this pin arbitrarily within the property, not at a surveyed point (stated accuracy ±12 m).
Why it's listed
Giant City Stone Fort Site sits on a steep-sided bluff spur within Giant City State Park, south of Carbondale in southern Illinois. Its main feature is a simple stacked sandstone wall about 75 meters long across the narrow neck of the ridge, enclosing roughly an acre. The site dates to the Late Woodland Raymond phase, A.D. 600-900. The wall seen today is a 1934-1935 Civilian Conservation Corps reconstruction of an original that local settlers had taken apart for building stone. Archaeological work by Southern Illinois University Carbondale in 2000-2001 found that the ridge had never been plowed and was well preserved. Crews recovered hundreds of Late Woodland potsherds and uncovered pits, hearths, basins and a postmold. It is one of about ten known stone fort sites in the region and the smallest of them. Its listing rests on its potential to explain how such enclosures fit into Late Woodland settlement. Two early twentieth-century features north of the wall are not counted as significant.
Significance in brief: The site is one of about ten known Late Woodland stone fort sites in southern Illinois and the smallest of them. Excavations in 2000-2001 found dense artifacts, storage pits, hearths and earth ovens in an excellent state of preservation. The nomination argues it can yield information about the role of stone enclosures in the Late Woodland settlement system that few other sources can provide.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 02000848, listed August 9, 2002. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Stone Fort Rd., Makanda |
|---|---|
| County | Jackson County |
| Listed | August 9, 2002 |
| Reference number | 02000848 |
| Resource type | Site |
| Architectural style | Other - Late Woodland Period Stone Wall |
| Areas of significance | Prehistoric |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Located within Giant City State Park (current use: landscape/park). The present wall is a 1934-1935 Civilian Conservation Corps reconstruction of the original, which settlers had dismantled for building stone. |
| Acreage | 1.4 |
| Coordinates | 37.62348, -89.19708 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
Sites (archaeological sites, battlefields, landscapes) are often listed with a restricted address to protect them from looting or disturbance. Listing is honorary for private owners; federal undertakings on or near the site go through Section 106 review, and state laws may protect burials and artefacts regardless of listing.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 02000848.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q16891638
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.