Bootheel
The Lilbourn Mace points to New Madrid County's mound-town archaeology
Mizzou's Museum of Anthropology ties the Lilbourn Mace to a fortified mound site in New Madrid County, adding a museum-research layer to the county's story.
The Lilbourn Mace is a chipped-stone object from a fortified mound site in New Madrid County. The mace probably dates to the late 1200s or early 1300s. Radiocarbon dates place activity at the site from about the mid-1200s to the early 1400s.
Mizzou archaeologist Carl Chapman led excavations because a public school building and sewage lagoon were expected to destroy the site. The find moved part of Lilbourn’s older story into the University of Missouri Museum of Anthropology.
The museum displays a cast replica rather than the original because the mace was found with human remains. That careful choice is part of the story too. The object survives as both a record of Mississippian life and a reminder of what modern construction nearly erased.
Where to see it
- University of Missouri Museum of Anthropology: Lilbourn Mace
Use the museum page for the official object and archaeology context.
References
More from New Madrid County: browse every local note for the county.
Last checked against the sources above: July 16, 2026.