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 The Carlton Site (11JS340) is located on the southern edge of Ferne Clyffe
State Park, in north-central Johnson County, Illinois.
Documentary research suggests that the Carlton Site was first
settled upon, or at least improved agriculturally, during the
middle-to-late nineteenth century—most likely during the 1870s.
James Carlton purchased the property in 1883 and eventually expanded
his landholdings to some 335 acres. Carlton capped his
agricultural success with the construction of a two-story, frame
I-House on his farmstead circa 1900. In March 2004, Fever
River Research conducted a National Register
of Historic Places Assessment of the Carlton Site at the request of the Illinois
Department of Natural Resources. Due to its poor condition, the house at
the site had been considered as a candidate for a practice burn exercised by a
local fire department. In addition to the dwelling, there also were two
outbuildings and a nearby, non-associated barn that were included in the
investigation. Scaled floor plans were prepared for the house, and detailed
notes were taken on the other structures in question. Although the Carlton Site
was not determined eligible to the National Register of Historic Places under
Criterion A, B, or C, it was considered eligible under D (archaeology) in
recognition of the information potential it offered pertaining to the Carlton
family’s living conditions, aesthetic tastes, building methods, and a partial
understanding of the spatial layout of their farmstead and the activity areas
within it. Used in conjuncture with the subsurface archaeology at the site,
this data has the potential to provide a better understanding of lifestyles and
living conditions in the Shawnee Hills during the late nineteenth and early
twentieth centuries. |
