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McCullough, Bob

Section Head, Special Projects

Illinois State Archaeological Survey

Address and Contact Information

209 Nuclear Physics Laboratory

M/C 571

23 E. Stadium Dr.

Champaign, IL 61820

(217) 244-8795

Education

Ph.D. Department of Anthropology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale
M.A. Department of Anthropology, Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana
B.A. Department of Anthropology, Indiana University, Bloomington

Research Biography

https://experts.illinois.edu/en/persons/robert-gene-mccullough

Professional Affiliations

Midwestern Archaeological Conference
Southeastern Archaeological Conference
Kentucky Organization of Professional Archaeologists
Illinois Archaeological Survey
Indiana Archaeology Council

Research Interests

Dr. McCullough’s research interests include the archaeology of the eastern woodlands, especially the population movements and interactions of late prehistoric and Mississippian populations of the Great Lakes and the Wabash and Ohio river drainages, as well as contact /fur trade–era sites, prehistoric ceramic analysis, and non-invasive geophysical methods. Dr. McCullough initially focused on the interactions of the Fort Ancient and Great Lakes Late Woodland populations of central/southern Indiana, where he directed 12 field schools and participated in 4 others. A key research question was how ethnicity is expressed through the built environment in multiethnic settlements. Most recently he has collaborated on the investigations of a Langford–Mississippian village in central Illinois, where the two groups are living side by side.

Dr. McCullough is also active in the application of geophysical survey techniques to archaeological sites. Awarded National Science Foundation grants for instrumentation and then research experience for undergraduates in 2004/2005, he taught geophysical survey methods for three summers and has continued applying these techniques on archaeological sites in the Midwest. He has worked on such varied projects as 17^th and 18^th century forts, Middle and Late Woodland mounds and villages, and numerous late prehistoric sites that include Upper Mississippian/Oneota sites, and large Mississippian towns and mound complexes in the Illinois, Wabash, Ohio, and Mississippi river basins. Currently Dr. McCullough manages the Special Projects section and directs the geophysical survey program for ISAS. He was been awarded (along with Andrew White) National Park Service funding for developing procedures for the use of electromagnetic induction techniques on historically damaged archaeological resources.

Current Projects

National Park Service, National Center for Preservation Training and Technology grant (with Andrew White) for developing electromagnetic induction techniques for the evaluation of earthen mound preservation.

Supervising the geophysical component of a National Endowment for the Humanities grant that seeks to identify circular mounds at Cahokia and surrounding mound sites in an attempt to trace early Mississippian steam bath ceremonialism.

Coordinating and editorial assistance for the Grossmann site report. An early Mississippian upland administrative center in the Richland Complex near the American Bottom.

Currently developing presentations/publications on geophysical surveys on the Mississippian villages of Orr-Herl, Mason-Richardson, and Orendorf, as well as the Langford Tradition Briscoe Mounds site and the 1812-era Fort Edwards site.

Selected Publications

Cheryl A. Munson and Robert G. McCullough (2021) The Early Mississippian Occupation in the Falls Region: A View from the Prather Mound Center. In Falls of the Ohio River: Archaeology of Native American Settlement, edited by David Pollack, Anne Tobbe Bader, and Justin N. Carlson, pp. 186–211. University of Florida Press, Gainesville.

Michael Strezewski and Robert G. McCullough (2019) Fort Ouiatenon, 1717–2019: 300+ Years of Indiana History. Indiana Archaeology 14(1):54-88. Featured article.

Logan Miller, Robert G. McCullough, and B. Jacob Skousen (2019) A Wall-Trench Structure from the Langford Tradition Village of Noble-Wieting (11ML24), McLean County, Illinois. Illinois Archaeology 31:1–29.

Robert G. McCullough (2018) Geophysical Survey of Nadine Mound Group (11HE69), Henderson County, Illinois. Illinois Archaeology 30:120–136.

Steven Boles and Robert G. McCullough (2018) Gypsy Rose Lee, an Early Mississippian Site in the Greater Cahokia Uplands: It's Not Just a Small Farmstead Like We Once Thought. Illinois Archaeology 30:43–79.

Robert G. McCullough (2017) The Use of Magnetometry and Magnetic Susceptibility as Complementary Geophysical Methods: Case Studies from Sites in Illinois. In Cahokia and Beyond: Essays in Honor of Thomas E. Emerson, edited by John A. Walthall and David J. Nolan. Illinois Archaeology 28:99–116.

Robert G. McCullough (2015) Building Community on the White River in Central Indiana: Structures as Reflective of Societal Change at the Late Prehistoric Castor Farm Site. In Building the Past: Studies of Prehistoric Wooden Post Architecture in the Ohio Valley-Great Lakes Region, edited by Brian G. Redmond and Robert A. Genheimer, pp. 252-294. University of Florida Press, Gainesville.

Robert G. McCullough, Thomas Loebel, and Robert Mazrim (2015) Glimpses of the French Colonial Capital of Illinois: Geophysics at Fort De Chartres, Randolph County, Illinois. Illinois Antiquity 50(3).

Robert G. McCullough (2012) Summary of Structures Identified to Date within Strawtown Koteewi Park. Indiana Archaeology, 7(1):58–82.

Robert G. McCullough and Colin D. Graham (2011) Current Investigations at the Kramer Enclosure (12AL15): A Western Basin Tradition-Related Site in Northeastern Indiana. Indiana Archaeology 6(1):64–89.

Robert G. McCullough (2009) Excavations at the Strawtown Enclosure, 2007. Indiana Archaeology 4:(1)81–107.

Robert G. McCullough, Christopher R. Andres, Dorothea McCullough, and Michael Strezewski (2009) Archaeological Investigations of Fort St. Philippe des Miamis (1722) and the First American Fort (1794) in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Indiana Archaeology 4(1):108–130.

Robert G. McCullough (2003) Cultural Interaction along the West Fork of the White River during the Late Prehistoric Period. In Facing the Final Millennium of Indiana Prehistory, A.D. 700 to 1700. Special edition, Indiana Archaeology:141-171.

Brian Redmond and Robert G. McCullough (2000) The Late Woodland to Late Prehistoric Occupations of Central Indiana. In Late Woodland Societies: Tradition and Transformation across the Midcontinent, edited by T. Emerson, D. McElrath, and A. Fortier, pp. 643–685. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln.

Robert G. McCullough (1997) Swidden Cultivators of Central Indiana: The Oliver Phase in a Context of Swidden Agriculture and the Implications of Regional Climate Change. Indiana Archaeology 1(1):54–114.

Selected Papers Presented

Robert G. McCullough, Daniel J. Joyce, David J. Nolan, and Joseph L. Bartholomew. Rediscovering Fort Edwards Utilizing Multiple Geophysical Techniques. Paper presented at the 65th Annual Meeting of the Midwest Archaeological Conference. October 15, 2022, La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Robert G. McCullough, Geophysical Surveys and Langford Village Structure: Current Research. Paper presented at the 66th Annual Meeting of the Illinois Archaeological Survey, Springfield, Illinois, September 10, 2022.

Steve Boles, Robert G. McCullough, Tamira Brennan, and B. Jacob Skousen. Orr-Herl: Sitting on top of the Underworld. Paper presented at the 66th Annual Meeting of the Illinois Archaeological Survey, Springfield, Illinois, September 10, 2022.

Timothy R. Pauketat, Robert McCullough, Michael Farkas, and Susan M. Alt. Steam Bath Ceremonial from the Top Down. Paper presented at the symposium, “Recent Advances in Cahokia Research,” at the 87th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, March 31, 2022, Chicago, Illinois.

Jacob Skousen and Robert G. McCullough (2019) Constructing Identity on the Langford Frontier: The 2019 ISAS Excavations at the Noble-Wieting Site. Paper presented at the 63rd Annual Meeting of the Illinois Archaeological Survey, September 7, 2019.

Robert G. McCullough, Donald L. Booth, Patrick R. Durst, Duane E. Esarey, and Thomas L. Loebel (2018) Reevaluation of the Mitchell Site in the Northern American Bottom. Paper presented at the 62^nd Annual Meeting of the Midwest Archaeological Conference, Notre Dame, Indiana, October 13, 2018)

Cheryl A. Munson and Robert G. McCullough (2017) The Early Mississippian Occupation in the Falls of the Ohio Region: A View from the Prather Mound Center. Invited paper presented at the Falls of the Ohio Conference sponsored by the Kentucky Heritage Council, Louisville, Kentucky, March 2–5, 2017.

Michael Strezewski and Robert G. McCullough (2017) Recent Research at Fort Ouiatenon, 2009–2017. Paper presented at the 13^th Annual Midwest Historical Archaeology Conference, West Lafayette, Indiana, October 19, 2017.

Duane Esarey, Robert McCullough, and Gregory Wilson (2017) Fandel Mounds: A Lohmann Horizon Mississippian Mound Center in the Central Illinois River Valley. Paper presented at the 61^st Annual Meeting of the Midwest Archaeological Conference, Indianapolis, Indiana, October 20, 2017.

Robert G. McCullough (2017) Comparing Magnetic Susceptibility and Magnetometry: Two Case Studies from Illinois. Paper presented at the 61^st Annual Meeting of the Midwest Archaeological Conference, Indianapolis, Indiana, October 21, 2017.

Logan Miller, B. Jacob Skousen., and Robert G. McCullough (2017) Preliminary Results of a Joint ISU and ISAS Field School at the Noble-Wieting Site (11ML24). Paper presented at the 61^st Annual Meeting of the Midwest Archaeological Conference, Indianapolis, Indiana, October 21, 2017.

Functional Changes in Late Prehistoric Enclosures in Indiana. Paper presented at the 58th Annual Meeting of the Midwest Archaeological Conference, Champaign, Illinois, October 2–4, 2014.

Continuing the Fort Ancient Conversation, an invited symposium focusing on Fort Ancient structures, Sunwatch Village, September 15–16, Dayton, Ohio. Co-organizer with David Pollack, Gwynn Henderson, and William Kennedy.

The Castor Phase: Late Prehistoric Farmers in Central Indiana. Invited paper presented at the symposium “Indiana Archaeology: The Crossroads of American Archaeology,” 56th Annual Meeting of the Midwest Archaeological Conference, Bloomington, Indiana, October 21–24, 2010.

The Fourteenth and Early Fifteenth Century Oneota Presence in Central Indiana: Cultural Interactions on the Eastern Periphery. Invited paper presented at the symposium “Perspectives on Socio-cultural Changes during the Late Mississippian Period of the Ohio Confluence and Neighboring Regions in the Southeast and Midwest,” 56th Annual Meeting of the Midwest Archaeological Conference, Bloomington, Indiana, October 21–24, 2010. Lead author with Dr. Mark Hill, Ball State University.

The Oliver Phase: Fort Ancient's Westernmost Expression, A.D. 1200–1450. Invited paper presented at the symposium “Since Adams County: (Almost) Twenty-five Years of Fort Ancient Research and, What's Next?,” 67th Annual Meeting of the Southeastern Archaeological Conference, Lexington, Kentucky, October 28–31, 2010.

Investigations at Fort Ouiatenon and Kethtippecanunk, Two Fur-Trade Era Sites in Tippecanoe County, Indiana. Paper presented at the 75th Annual Meeting, Society for American Archaeology, St. Louis, Missouri, April 14–18, 2010. With Michael Strezewski (lead author).

Preliminary Report of Investigations at the Late Prehistoric Kramer Enclosure (12-Al-15) in Northeastern Indiana. Paper presented at the Midwest Archaeological Conference, Iowa City, Iowa, October 17, 2009.

Central Indiana as a Prehistoric Frontier: Western Basin, Fort Ancient, and Oneota. Invited paper presented in the symposium “Mounds, Towns, Theories, and Numbers: Celebrating the Career of Christopher S. Peebles,” at the 74th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, Atlanta, Georgia, April 23, 2009.

Late Prehistoric Enclosures and Western Basin Transformation in Northeastern Indiana. Invited paper presented at the Archaeology of Prehistoric Native Americans in the Western Lake Erie Region Conference, University of Toledo, March 28, 2009.

Oneota in Central Indiana: Two 14th-Century Expressions on the Eastern Periphery. Invited paper presented in the symposium “An Oneota Forum in Five Sessions. Part 1: Oneota Origins,” at the 53rd Annual Meeting of the Midwest Archaeological Conference, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, October 4–6, 2007.

Castor Phase Peoples of Central Indiana. Invited paper presented in the symposium “Filling the Black Hole: Current Research in Indiana Archaeology,” at the 53rd Annual Meeting of the Midwest Archaeological Conference, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, October 4–6, 2007.

Three Years of Geophysical Archaeology at Strawtown, Indiana: An Overview of Archaeological and Educational Results from a National Science Foundation Sponsored Research Experience for Undergraduates program. Poster presented in poster symposium (organized by McCullough, Wells, and Strezewski) “Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne Archaeological Survey’s Research Experiences of Undergraduates in Geophysical Archaeological Methods,” at the 53rd Annual Meeting of the Midwest Archaeological Conference, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, October 4–6, 2007. With Michael Strezewski, Joshua Wells, and Andrew White.

Ancient and Modern Technologies Workshop: Upper Mississippian Ceramics. Invited participant in workshop held at the 52nd Annual Meeting of the Midwest Archaeological Conference, Urbana, Illinois, October 12–14, 2006.

The 2005 Archaeological Investigations at the Prather Site (12-Cl-4): Surveys, Geoarchaeology, and Test Excavations. Paper presented at the 52nd Annual Meeting of the Midwest Archaeological Conference, Urbana, Illinois, October 12–14, 2006. With Cheryl Munson (lead author) and C. Russell Stafford.

Overview of Research Experiences for Undergraduates in Geophysical Survey at Strawtown Koteewi Park. (Co-authored with Andrew A. White) Poster presented at the 51st Annual Meeting of the Midwest Archaeological Conference, Dayton, Ohio, October 20–23, 2005.

Geophysical Survey and Excavation of a Semi-Subterranean Structure at the Castor Farm Site (12-H-3), a Late Prehistoric Village in Central Indiana. Paper presented at the 82nd Annual Meeting of the Central States Anthropological Society, Oxford, Ohio, March 10–12, 2005. With Andrew A. White.