The Website of Fever River Research
Springfield, IL

Personnel

Floyd Mansberger, Director of Fever River Research, received his bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois (1977, in Anthropology) and his master's degree from Illinois State University (1981, in History).  Over the past 20 years, Mansberger has participated in a variety of cultural resource management projects such as archaeological and architectural surveys, archaeological excavations, and archival research as well as preparing historic structure reports for historic buildings.  Mansberger has published articles on his research in such journals as Illinois Archaeology, Transactions of the Pioneer America Society, Historic Illinois, Wisconsin Archaeologist, Agricultural History, Journal of the Illinois Geographical Society, and Western Illinois Regional Studies.  Additionally, Mansberger has contributed a chapter within the University of Illinois Press book entitled French Colonial Archaeology: The Illinois Country and the Western Great Lakes.  Mansberger has been recognized for his expertise in his field and presently sits on the State of Illinois' Historic Sites Advisory Council.  Mansberger can be contacted at fmansberger@comcast.net.

 

Christopher L. Stratton, Research Historian, Archaeologist and Architectural Historian, began his career with Fever River Research in 1993. A graduate of Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, he received a bachelor's degree (1993) in History.  Stratton has a strong knowledge of vernacular architectural history, material culture studies, political history, and American studies in general.  Prior to graduation, he participated in a study-abroad program, spending a year in Athens, Greece, where he developed an interest in Byzantine Studies.  Christopher lives in Waterloo, Illinois, with his wife and their two children.  Stratton can be contacted email at stratton@htc.net.

 

James R. Yingst, is a part-time Research Associate in Archaeology with Fever River Research.  Yingst received his bachelor's degree from Eastern New Mexico University (in Anthropology) and a master's degree from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (in Anthropology).  He is presently working towards the completion of a post master’s degree in Anthropology from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Yingst has a broad range of knowledge and experience in anthropology, however the archaeology of the Midwest and the Southwest United States has been the focus of his research.  He has published articles on various aspects of prehistoric and historic archaeology of the Midwest in journals such as the Magazine of the Midwest Open-Air Museums Coordinating Council and Historic Illinois. During his career Yingst has served as Staff Archaeologist with the Division of Preservation Services of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, Springfield, Illinois, and as a Visiting Research Associate with the Resource Investigation Program of the Department of Anthropology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.  He also served as Regional Archaeologist and Director of the State Archaeology Region 5 Center based at the Neville Public Museum of Brown County, Wisconsin, where he was responsible for six counties in northeastern Wisconsin.  Yingst is also, currently, both the president and chief archaeologist of the contract archaeology firm, N.E.W. Archaeological Research, Casco, Wisconsin.  In addition to his primary research in Wisconsin, Yingst works in collaboration with Fever River Research conducting archaeological investigations in Illinois. 

 

Ruth Jorgensen, Field and Laboratory Technician, received her bachelor's degree in Parks and Recreation from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois.  In addition to her interest in archaeology, she is also a volunteer with the Illinois State Museum and a member of L.O.E.S.S. which promotes earth sciences such as geology, anthropology, and paleontology, among others.  Ruth joined Fever River Research in August, 2005.

 

Bill Flescher received his bachelor’s degree (in Sociology/Anthropology) from Illinois State University in 1984.  During his undergraduate years, Bill worked as an assistant archaeologist for the Midwestern Archaeological Research Center (MARC), and cut his teeth on both historic archaeology and historic research.  During the 1980s, Bill worked for both the MARC and Resource Investigation Program (RIP; now Illinois Transportation Archaeological Research Program).  While at RIP, Bill worked throughout the State of Illinois, and it was during this time that he also learned a great deal about the prehistory of the state, working at sites such as Tree Row, Rockford Airport, and Sister Creeks.  During his years at MARC, Bill also worked at Hutsonville, the Drake Site, and the Gaylord Building (in Lockport).  Throughout these years, Bill also had a strong interest in photography, and brought his photographic skills to many an archaeological project.  During the late 1980s, Bill studied electronics, his other obsession, at Parkland College and worked a while in the custom design of computers and flight trainers.  Through the 1990s, he rejoined the ITARP (formerly RIP) program and continued with the district archaeology program, but also became refocused on computerized mapping.  As the senior cartographer at ITARP, he set up their mapping program, GIS program, and mastered the use of a total station transit.  In the late 1990s Bill decided that his field time in archaeology was getting shorter, and he wanted to participate in field projects.  It was at that time that he joined the Fever River Research team.  He worked full time with Fever River Research doing fieldwork for 1 1/2 years, and then opted for an electronics job with the University of Illinois.  Today, although he works full time in the Life Sciences Electronics Shop at the University, he also conducts large scale photography for Fever River Research on an as-needed basis.

 
 

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