Archaeology

Saratoga NHP to Study Hudson Floodplain

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The National Park Service (NPS) is conducting a study of lands of the Saratoga National Historical Park that lie within the Hudson River’s 100-year floodplain in Stillwater.

The study is part of the NPS’s ongoing evaluation of the Park’s archeological resources under the National Historic Preservation Act and will further the NPS’s work with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to ensure that activities to clean up polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)
contamination in the Hudson River’s sediments and floodplain minimize potential harm to, or loss of, historic materials and the context in which they are found.

An archeology team will evaluate the presence and significance of any artifacts or features and report findings to the public by 2013. If objects of cultural significance are recovered that relate to the Battles of Saratoga or the area’s early settlement, the park will try to place them on public display.

Because the study area may be contaminated with PCBs, staff conducting the study will be outfitted in personal protective gear and the public will not be able to enter work areas for their safety. For more information about the study, contact Charles Sullivan, Environmental Protection Specialist, Saratoga National Historical Park at 664.9821 ext. 235 or by email at, [email protected]

Saratoga National Historical Park is one of 396 national parks in the United States. For further information about the park and programs, please call (518) 664-9821 ext. 224 or check their website.

Searching For MacDonoughs War of 1812 Shipyard

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The Lake Champlain Maritime Museum has received a grant of $23,985 from the National Park Service’s American Battlefield Protection Program (ABPP) to undertake an archeological survey to determine the precise location and established boundaries for MacDonough’s War of 1812 Shipyard in Vergennes, Vermont.

&#8220We are proud to support projects like this that safeguard and preserve American battlefields,&#8221 said Jon Jarvis, Director of the National Park Service. &#8220These places are symbols of individual sacrifice and national heritage that we must protect so that this and future generations can understand the struggles that define us as a nation.&#8221


This grant is one of25 National Park Service grants totaling $1.2 million to preserve and protect significant battle sites from all wars fought on American soil. Funded projects preserve battlefields from the Colonial­ Indian Wars through World War II and include site mapping (GPS/GIS data collection), archeological studies, National Register of Historic Places nominations, preservation and management plans.

Federal, state, local, and Tribal governments, nonprofit organizations, and educational institutions are eligible for National Park Service battlefield grants which are awarded annually. Since 1996 more than $12 million has been awarded by ABPP to help preserve significant historic battlefields associated with wars on American soil.

Additional information is online at www.nps.gov/history/hpslabpp. To find out more about how the National Park Service helps communities with historic preservation and recreation projects please visit www.nps.gov/communities.

Artist conception of MacDonough’s War of 1812 Lake Champlain Shipyard Workers by Kevin Crisman, LCMM Collection).

Historic Huguenot St Creates New Scholarship Fund

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In 1689, when the founders of New Paltz hired Jean Tebanin as the first schoolmaster in the small settlement, they set a precedent for the community. This focus on education continues today at Historic Huguenot Street (HHS) in both the programs and scholarships offered by the New Paltz organization.

Earlier this month, the organization received a bequest from Lucille Stoeppler Baker. The funds were given with the stipulation that they be used for scholarship assistance. Ms. Baker’s intent was to provide financial help to undergraduate students majoring in historical anthropology.

Dr. Baker, who held degrees from the College of St. Vincent, Fordham University and Cornell University, was devoted to the field of education. She served for twenty-four years as Professor of Sociology at Tompkins Cortland Community College in the Finger Lakes region of New York. She was awarded the college’s first Professor Emerita status in March 1993. The Dr. Lucille S. Baker Learning Commons on campus is named in her honor. Dr. Baker’s interest in Huguenot history grew from a friendship with Kenneth Hasbrouck, the long-time director of HHS, and members of the LeFevre Family Association. She is interred at the Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery.

The funds given by Dr. Baker will be used to create the Lucille Stoeppler Baker Memorial Scholarship Fund. With the creation of this fund, Historic Huguenot Street will now have five distinct scholarship funds. Scholarships are offered on an annual basis in collaboration with the Hasbrouck Family Association.

The deadline for scholarship applications is quickly approaching. Submissions must be received by August 31, 2011. More information and guidelines are available at www.huguenotstreet.org or by calling (845) 255-1660.

Schoharie Crossing to Host Mohawk Archaeology Talk

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Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site will host a lecture entitled “The Proof is in the Ground: Previous Archaeological Excavations at Schoharie Crossing” sponsored by the Friends of Schoharie Crossing and presented by Michael Roets, the Bureau of Historic Sites Archaeologist, responsible for ensuring the preservation of Archaeological resources at the 41 Historic Site and Historic Parks managed by the New York State Office of Parks and Historic Preservation.

The talk will give an overview of the Historic Sites Bureau at Peebles Island and what they do with a focus on the Archaeology Program then move on to discuss some of the interesting findings that have been made at Schoharie Crossing including the 18th century Mohawk Iroquois Occupation in the vicinity of Enders House.

The event will be held Tuesday, May 24, 2010 at 6:30 pm at Enders House, adjacent to the Schoharie Crossing Visitor Center at 129 Schoharie Street, Fort Hunter, five miles west of Amsterdam. All are welcome to attend- the meeting and lecture are both open to the public.

For more information about this event or how to join the Friends of Schoharie Crossing, call their Visitor Center at (518) 829-7516. You can also friend them on Facebook.

Champlain Maritime Museum Announces Changes

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The Lake Champlain Maritime Museum (LCMM) is undergoing its first change in leadership in the 26 years since it was founded. Art Cohn and LCMM’s Board of Directors have just unveiled their transition plan for the next years of leadership for LCMM.

This fall, Art Cohn, co-founder and executive director, will take on the new role of Senior Advisor and Special Projects Director, while Erick Tichonuk and Adam Kane, both longtime members of the museum staff, will ascend to the position of Co-Executive Directors.

Tichonuk will have primary responsibility for the fleet, museum programs and operations, while Kane will be Archaeological Director of LCMM’s Maritime Research Institute. They will work in tandem on the overall leadership of LCMM.

In a letter sent to community leaders, museum members and supporters, Cohn explained “Several years ago I began to ponder the prospect of transition, and I came to believe that passing leadership of the museum to the next generation was perhaps the most important responsibility I would have. Over the years, I have focused very hard on identifying and recruiting the best and brightest to the museum with the hope and expectation that the next generation of leaders would be among them. I am pleased to report that they were.”

Sandy Jacobs, LCMM Board Chair from 2006 to 2009, and Darcey Hale, incoming Board Chair who took office on May 1, elaborated: “The museum is what it is today because of the vision that Art Cohn and Bob Beach had 26 years ago, Art’s skillful leadership, his devotion to every aspect of the institution and, most of all, his passion for everything that relates to Lake Champlain. As many of you have so aptly stated, ‘Art is the Maritime Museum.’ Adam Kane and Erick Tichonuk have worked closely with Art for many years, helping to shape the values and the culture of the museum, and they have been thoughtful and thorough in their proposal for carrying forward the Museum’s mission and vision. We are confident that under their leadership the museum will continue to grow and to flourish.” “Two more talented, dedicated and thoughtful people you could not find,” Cohn declared, “I am so pleased for them and for the museum family.”

The announcement comes as the Maritime Museum prepares to launch into a typically busy “open” season. Kane is deploying teams of LCMM nautical archaeologists to fieldwork and consultations in Onondaga Lake and Lake George as well as Lake Champlain, while Tichonuk directs the installation of the museum’s new exhibits, readies the Philadelphia II and Lois McClure for the new season, and works with waterfront communities around the lake in anticipation of the schooner’s “Farm and Forest” tour this summer. In the months ahead, LCMM’s Board and leadership staff will also be engaged in a strategic planning process that will chart LCMM’s future course. “This is a wonderful opportunity for all of us to reach out and celebrate the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum – past, present and future,” Hale exclaims. “We are sincerely grateful to all of the many people who over the years have demonstrated their support, interest, and belief that LCMM plays a vital role in the history and well being of our region and far beyond.” Cohn concurs: “We have just celebrated LCMM’s twenty-fifth anniversary year, and this positive transition plan provides assurance that the museum will build upon its accomplishments and be even more productive in the years to come.”

Photo: LCMM Co-founder and Executive Director Art Cohn (center) with Erick Tichonuk (left) and Adam Kane, who will become Co-Executive Directors of Lake Champlain Maritime Museum in the fall.

11th Annual Algonquian Peoples Seminar

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The Native American Institute of the Hudson River Valley and The New York State Museum have announced the program for this year’s 11th Mohican/Algonquian Peoples Seminar to be held at the NYS Museum in Albany April 30, 2011.

This year’s featured topics will include: Archaeological Research on First Peoples of Eastern New York and the New England-Maritimes, Life’s Immortal Shell: Wampum as a Light and Life Metaphor, The 150th Anniversay of the Mohican Stockbridge-Munsee in the Civil War, Frank Speck on Penobscot and Iroquois Worldviews in the Cosmological Narratives, Investigation of the Vosburg Archaeological District, Growing up on the Reservation, Lithic reduction & resource use in southern New York State and the Stephentown Mounds


For a complete schedule and registration information email Mariann Mantzouris, Seminar Chairwoman at [email protected] or call 518-369-8116.

September Is Vermont Archaeology Month

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Events ranging from a canoeing trip to the site of an ancient Native American village to a lecture on the sinking and discovery of the Civil War ironclad U.S.S. Monitor are on tap during Vermont Archaeology Month.

The Vermont Archaeological Society and Vermont Division for Historic Preservation are presenting events around the state to celebrate the importance of archaeology to the state.

“We’re very pleased that Governor Jim Douglas has proclaimed September Vermont Archaeology Month,” said Giovanna Peebles, director of the Division for Historic Preservation and Vermont State Archaeologist. “The role of archaeology in understanding Vermont’s past and charting its future can’t be overstated.”

Events taking place include boat tours of shipwrecks under Lake Champlain using a robotic camera- a Sept. 23rd lecture in Waterbury on archaeology finds at the site of the Champlain Bridge reconstruction- and the unique, two-day 15th Fifteenth Annual Northeastern Open Atlatl Championship at the Mount Independence State Historic Site Sept. 18-19.

“This slate of events really has something for everybody,” said Shirley Paustian, Vermont Archaeological Society President. “From active outdoor events like hikes and canoe trips, to lectures and hands-on workshops in pottery making and flint-knapping, people of all ages and interests can find something.”

Formed in 1968, The Vermont Archaeological Society (VAS) is a non-profit volunteer organization comprised of professional and avocational archaeologists and the interested public, and is committed to raising the awareness of Vermont’s past, while at the same time protecting its valuable cultural resources from injury and exploitation.

The Division for Historic Preservation is the public agency designated to be the advocate for historic and prehistoric resources in Vermont. It is located within the Agency of Commerce and Community Development.

For a full schedule of events or more information visit: http://vtarchaeology.org/ or www.Historicvermont.org.

Thomas Coles New Studio Plans Revealed

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There will be a party at Thomas Cole’s home in Catskill with cocktails on the lawn followed by dinner at one of several magnificent river-front homes nearby on Saturday September 11, 6pm. The event is a fundraiser, and the newly completed architectural drawings for Thomas Cole’s &#8220New Studio&#8221 will be unveiled. The building was designed by Cole and built in 1846, but was demolished in 1973. The original stone foundation has been unearthed, and the fascinating archaeological site will be on view. The evening includes a viewing of the current exhibition in the Main House, &#8220Remember the Ladies: Women of the Hudson River School.&#8221 Tickets are $225 for the cocktail and dinner, or $70 for the cocktail party only.

Archeology to be Focus Of Mount Independence Hike

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The mysteries of Mount Independence’s past will be revealed in the annual archeology hike into history at the historic site in Orwell, Vermont. Archaeologist Allen Hathaway will lead the hike on Sunday, September 5 at 2:00 p.m. and share his extensive knowledge about what archeology can and has revealed about the original inhabitants of the Mount- the American Revolution- and even the earlier French and Indian War.

“Allen is a popular guide and has visited the Mount for years, so he really knows the trails and the history behind them as well as what kind of archeological finds have been made,” said Elsa Gilbertson, Regional Site Administrator with the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation.

The event is part of Vermont Archeology Month, she said, and participants are encouraged to wear sturdy shoes and dress for the weather.

Mount Independence, a National Historic Landmark, is one of the best-preserved Revolutionary War archeological sites in America. Visitors can see the evidence of this vast fortification by walking along the six miles of trails.

The Baldwin Trail, circling much of the southern half of the Mount, has gentle grades and compacted surfaces, suitable for easy walking, outdoor wheelchairs, walkers, and strollers.

In 1776, the sprawling military complex at Mount Independence was one of the largest communities in North America after some 12,000 soldiers built a massive fort to defend against an anticipated British attack from the north.

On the night of July 5, 1777, General Arthur St. Clair withdrew the American army from Mount Independence and nearby Fort Ticonderoga without firing a shot after a British force more than twice his size occupied high ground from which they could bombard him with impunity.

The British and Germans occupied Mount Independence until November of that year. Though his actions helped preserve the army, Congress was outraged and censured St. Clair for the loss. He later argued that his conduct had been honorable- demanded review by a court martial- and was ultimately exonerated.

Mount Independence is located near the end of Mount Independence Road, six miles west of the intersections of VT Routes 22A and 73 near Orwell village. Admission is $5.00 for adults and free for children under 15, and includes the guided walk, access to all the trails, and a visit to the air-conditioned visitor center with its exhibits.

Call (802) 948-2000 for more information or visit www.historicvermont.org/sites

Vermont Adopts New Archeological Protection

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A new rule for protecting archeological and historical sites during development under Act 250 is in place after a legislative panel signed off the changes.

Officials from the Douglas administration said the new rule would maintain the protection of archeological sites while making it easier for applicants to comply with the state’s environmental protection and development control law.

“This new rule should make the process of applying for an Act 250 permit smoother and more predictable for an applicant under the ‘historic sites’ section of Criterion 8,” said Tayt Brooks, Commissioner of Economic, Housing and Community Development, including the Division for Historic Preservation.

Under Act 250, the division makes recommendations to the district environmental commissions on whether a proposed development would impact “historic sites,” including archeological sites.

The new rule clarifies that District Commissions, not the Division, have the final decision-making authority about such questions as whether to require additional field studies, and whether a site is historically significant enough to warrant protecting it.

“The division doesn’t issue permits,” Brooks said. “Our experts provide testimony to the District Commission about historic and archeological resources, and whether or not a project will adversely affect them.”

While the state recommends how much field study should be done to determine whether an area is historically significant and should be protected if a permit is issued, the District Commissions make those decisions

The new rule also clarifies that the definition of a “historic site” includes archeological sites that have not yet been discovered, and encourages applicants to work with the Division as early as possible in the planning process to identify and protect sites, even well before an Act 250 application is submitted.

“We can identify an area as historically significant and recommend to the District Commission that an archeological investigation be conducted by the applicant to ensure no undue adverse effect,” Brooks said. “The applicant can still present evidence to the commission disputing that.”

The new rule also sets additional time limits for reviews to make the process more predictable for permit applicants.

Brooks said the changes reflected the feedback received during five public meetings last summer around the state, and minor changes were made after a hearing before the Legislative Committee on Administrative Rules, which then recommended approval of the new rule.

Additional details and the final rule are available at www.HistoricVermont.org