What’s happening with the Indian Mound located inside Community Park?: What’s happening with the Indian Mound located inside Community Park? The conical (dome) shaped mound located to the right of the entrance to Community Park in Delavan is being returned to its natural state.  Native American Burial Mound (WL-0009, Burial #BWL-0079) was identified in 1924 by archaeologist Charles E. Brown, along with other effigy mounds, one shaped like an 85 foot  bird and one shaped like a 132 foot long comet within Community Park.  Estimates suggest that as many as 100 mounds might have stood on the shores of Lake Delavan. Archaeology Inventory and Evaluation, Walworth County Metropolitan Sewerage District.  David F. Overstreet, Ph.D., Principal Investigator.  9.1.76. Sarah T. Lahey, Lake Magazine, "Building Mounds, Unearthing History."  April 18, 2017. 11.30.23 Did you know the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus also has a rich history of Indian mounds? As the Town of Delavan looks into how to preserve and maintain our Indian mounds located in Community Park, the Parks and Tourism Committee reached out to Dr. Amy Roseborough for her advice and guidance.  Dr. Amy Rosebrough is a Staff Archaeologist with the Office of the State Archaeologist at the Wisconsin Historical Society. A native of the Missouri Ozarks, she has long had an interest in burial monuments and archaeology. She is an alumni of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and she received her doctorate for region-wide re-analysis of Wisconsin's effigy mounds and mound builders. Click on the link to learn more from Dr. Roseborough and to tour the Indian mounds located on the campus of the University of Wisconsin which has more effigy mounds than any other university in the world. http://www.c-span.org/video/?322375-1/native-american-effigy-mounds Source:  Native American Effigy Mounds, C-Span Cities Tour.  American History TV. 11.08.23Community Park has Effigy Mounds? Yes, we do.  We have two!  In 1924 archaeologist Charles E. Brown identified a bird and a shape similar to a comet in Community Park.  (See photo).  Brown called them the “inlet mound group” because of their proximity to the Delavan Lake Inlet.   Archeology records confirm that 65 mounds existed as of 1926 and estimates suggest that as many as 100 mounds might have stood on the shores of Delavan Lake.  (Sarah T. Lahey) The ”bird effigy” located in Community Park measured 85 feet and the “comet” shaped effigy measured 132 feet long.   Effigy mounds represented an ancient belief system in which earth, air, and water spirits lived in balance with each other.  The air effigies, often shaped like birds, signaled the strong but kind force of the Upper World.  The water effigies, resembled turtles or lizards stood for the menacing force of the Lower World.  The earth effigies, shaped like bears or men represented everything in between.  Evidence suggests that mound-builders of this period (700-1100 A.D.) were ancestors of the Ho-Chunk Nation. Sarah T. Lahey, Lake Magazine, "Building Mounds, Unearthing History." April 18, 2017. Archaeology Inventory and Evaluation, Walworth County Metropolitan Sewerage District.  David F. Overstreet, Ph.D., Principal Investigator.  9.1.76. What is the most famous effigy mound in the world? Serpent Mound is an internationally known National Historic Landmark build by the ancient American Indian cultures of Ohio.  It is an effigy mound shaped like a snake with a curled tail.  (see photo of Serpent Mound) Aerial image taken between 1960-1980 shows the full Serpent Mound site in Adams County, Ohio.  Photo courtesy of Ohio History Connection via Ohio Memory.  10.25.23What is meant by the term EFFIGY MOUND? Wisconsin is the geological center of effigy mound distribution, with more effigy mound sites than anywhere else in the world!    Effigy mounds are giant earthen sculptures that may be shrines built to honor the powerful spirits they represent.   Effigy mounds in southern Wisconsin and eastern Iowa typically were used for burial. The stories and legends of the Native Americans whose ancestors built the mounds describe the effigy mounds as ceremonial and sacred sites.  Archeologists believe the effigy mounds delineated territories of choice gathering and hunting grounds.  COMMUNITY PARK in DELAVAN contains at least two effigy mounds, one shaped as a serpent-like water effigy that measures roughly 132 feet long and an 85 foot bird effigy.   Delavan’s rich Native American history is important to preserve and the Town of Delavan Parks and Tourism Committee is dedicated to honor, remember, and respect this sacred gift left to our Town. Pictured below are effigy mounds of the Wisconsin River Valley, Man Mound Park located in Baraboo, Wisconsin and a falcon effigy of the upper Mississippi River. Watch for more information about Effigy Mounds and the Indian Mounds of Community Park in Delavan.  Effigy Moundbuilders, National Park Service, May 17, 2021. Archaeology Inventory and Evaluation, Walworth County Metropolitan Sewerage District.  David F. Overstreet, Ph.D., Principal Investigator.  9.1.76. Why return it to its natural state? Burial sites are universally considered sacred, and it is DNR policy that all such areas on DNR properties will be appropriately cared for, and will be treated with the respect they deserve.  No disturbance may take place near the perimeter or base of a mound; visitors should not walk over or picnic on burial mounds and other designated burial sites.  Mounds are considered to be human burial sites and are protected on all non-federal lands in the state of Wisconsin’s Burial Sites Preservation Law (Wis.Stats 157.70) and Wisconsin’s Field Archaeology Act (Wis. Stats 44.47).  Delavan is very fortunate to have such a rich history with Ho-Chunk and Potawatomi tribes settling on the shores of Lake Delavan.  There’s a newfound respect for the wishes of descendants. These sites are sacred sites to Native Americans and the Town of Delavan plans to meet those wishes. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.  Burials, Earthworks and Mounds Preservation Policy and Plan.  DNR Burial Site Maintenance Plan (Final).  Spring 2008.

TEST TW WEATHER

Posted on , by Town Clerk

Notice of Spring Election

NOTICE OF SPRING ELECTION

TOWN OF DELAVAN

WALWORTH COUNTY

April 5, 2022

 

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that an election is to be held in the Town of Delavan on Tuesday, April 5, 2022, the following offices are to be elected to succeed the present incumbents listed. The Term of the office is two years beginning, Tuesday, April 19, 2022, to succeed the following incumbents:

 

                        OFFICE                                                          INCUMBENT

           Town Board Supervisor                                        Kim Jedlicka

            Town Board Supervisor                                        Lynnette Phillips

 

NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that the first day to circulate nomination papers is Wednesday, December 1, 2021 and nomination papers must be filed at the Town of Delavan Town Hall in the Clerk’s Office, 5621 Town Hall Road, Delavan, Wisconsin 53115 by 4:30pm, Tuesday, January 4, 2022.

 

NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that if a primary is necessary, the primary will be held on Tuesday, February 15, 2022.

 Kristy L. McChristy

Municipal Clerk

Town of Delavan

*

TO RUN FOR OFFICE

Would you like to know how to run for a municipal office in the Town of Delavan)?

The following links provide you with the necessary forms, for doing so. Please complete these forms and file them with the Town Clerk – [email protected]

Need a Hard Copy of the Candidate Packets? Stop by the Town Hall at 5621 Town Hall Road in Delavan, to receive your hard copy!  Questions? Contact Clerk McChristy 262-728-3471 

Note:  A municipality may enact an ordinance establishing a code of ethics for public officials that may require a candidate for municipal office, in addition to the office of municipal judge, to file a Statement of Economic Interests (SEI).  Please contact the municipal clerk to find out if this requirement applies.

Local candidates should visit the Local Campaign Finance page on the Wisconsin Ethics Commission website for information about campaign finance registration and reporting.

General information for local government candidacy: http://elections.wi.gov/candidates/local/non-partisan

State offices up for election are Governor and Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, State Treasurer, Secretary of State, State Senator (odd-numbered districts), and State Representative. Federal offices up for election are U.S. Senate and Representative to Congress.

VIDEO ON HOW TO GET ON THE BALLOT

Here is a video that provides detailed information about how to get on the ballot at our municipality.

Registered Write-In Candidates

To register as a write-in candidate, you must file a Campaign Registration Statement (CF-1) with the filing officer prior to collecting or spending any money on the campaign. The CF-1 form is available from the Wisconsin Ethics Commission’s website or the local filing officer. The deadline to register as a write-in candidate is 12:00 p.m. (noon) the Friday before the election.

NOTIFICATION OF NON-CANDIDACY

If you are an elected official who is not running again, you are required to file a Notification of Non-Candidacy form with the filing officer to give potential candidates notice of an open seat.

Notification must be received by the proper filing officer no later than 5:00 p.m. on the 2nd Friday preceding the deadline for filing ballot access documents to avoid an extension of time for filing such papers. A general list of filing officers for offices is listed below.

Non-Candidacy Form 

All forms should be turned in to the Town Clerk at [email protected]

WHO IS RUNNING FOR OFFICE?

A list of state candidates who have registered their campaigns with the Wisconsin Ethics Commission or filed a Declaration of Candidacy form with the Wisconsin Elections Commission is attached below. Federal candidates running for U.S. Senate and Representative to Congress often do not file a Declaration of Candidacy form with the Elections Commission until the spring of 2022. Therefore, the best source of early information about who is running for those federal offices may be the campaign finance reports filed with the Federal Elections Commission’s website: https://fec.gov