Return to Press ReleasesMCHS Begins 2024 Speaker Series with Larry KinsellaOn Sunday, February 11 at 2 p. m. the Madison County Historical Society will welcome Larry Kinsella as the first presenter in the 2024 MCHS Speaker Series. The event is held. at the Main Street Community Center at 1003 N. Main Street in Edwardsville, Illinois. Speaker Series events are free and open to the public.Kinsella will discuss last summer's “Chip-a-Canoe” project, where volunteers spent 451 hours turning a felled tree into a canoe using only hand-made stone tools. Although others have made canoes in recent years, those were done using fire. In analyzing the few existing dugout canoes from the prehistoric past, Kinsella theorized that they did not use fire to construct these early canoes. Instead, he believes they used only stone tools, from taking down the tree to shaping the canoe, and this experimental archaeological project set out to prove that premise. The project not only proved the validity of the experiment, it was also documented every step of the way by journalist/videographer Steve Rensberry. Kinsella is presently working with archaeologist Steve Boles, Senior Research Archaeologist at the Illinois State Archaeological Survey, to write a presentation based on the documentation and observations accumulated through the Chip-a-Canoe Project. The presentation will be offered at the 2024 Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Kinsella, who has a strong interest in experimental archaeology, had considered doing this project for more than 35 years. He said, “It's inevitable that someone finally calls your bluff. That's what happened a few years ago at the Rabbit Stick Rendezvous in Rexburg, Idaho. Myron Cretney told me I'd better start the project while I still could.!” Kinsella, an amateur archaeologist, has volunteered at Cahokia Mounds for 50 years and has been involved in archaeology for more than 65 years. He began to flintknap in 1980 and has authored many articles and papers on experimental archaeology. In addition to his work on flintknapping, he has also written and published articles on atlatls and banner stones in numerous archaeology publications. In 2010, he was awarded the prestigious Don Crabtree Award by the Society of American Archaeology. A carpenter by trade, he combines those skills with his experience in experimental archaeology to provide programming for libraries, schools, universities, and now, the Madison County Historical Society. The Madison County Historical Society owns and operates the MCHS History Museum and Archival Library at 801 N. Main Street in Edwardsville, Illinois. The museum is currently closed for renovation, but library hours are Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. and Sun. 1-4 p.m. The Society preserves documentation and artifacts of Madison County and provides a variety of educational programming including a summer history camp for children. Founded in 1921, MCHS is a 501(c)3 charitable organization that receives no public funding. For more information on the 2024 Speaker Series or to learn more about Madison County history, visit the Society's website https://madcohistory.org/, visit its Facebook page (Madison County Historical Society), or call 618-656-6579. Link: http://madcohistory.org Submitted: 02/05/24 Article By: Madison County Historical Society |