Incorporated Orange County Chapter of the New York State Archeological Association

National Park Service issues warning for coccidioidomycosis among archaeologists!

2012-01-26T16:43:00.003-05:00

Although not a big concern for us in the wet northeast, many of our members visit arid sites:

National Park Service Risk for coccidioidomycosis among archaeologists NPS units

January 2012

Background: In July 2011, a university student was diagnosed with coccidioidomycosis (a.k.a. Valley fever) after participating in an archaeological dig at PINN. The student was likely exposed after inhaling fungal spores that were aerosolized during soil-disturbing activities. Previously, 10 DINO workers (2 employees, 8 volunteers) also contracted cocciodioidomycosis after conducting similar archaeological activities in 2001. All 11 case-patients had mild- moderate symptoms and recovered.

This briefing statement reviews signs and symptoms of coccidioidomycosis, risk factors for infection, and appropriate prevention and control measures. Archaeologists and other NPS employees involved in soil-disturbing activities—particularly in the Southwest U.S. where coccidioidomycosis is endemic—should be aware of this potential health risk.

Full briefing with recommended precautions & symptoms at:

http://tinyurl.com/18r

1712-2012 - Celebrating the 300th Anniversary of Sarah Wells' Arrival

2012-01-26T16:23:00.000-05:00

1712-2012

Celebrating the 300th Anniversary of Sarah Wells' Arrival

Ray Decker photo

William Bull and Sarah Wells Stone House Association, Inc.

183 County Route 51, Campbell Hall, NY 10916-2924

845-496-2855 - info@bullstonchouse.org - www.bullstonehouse.org

The year 2012 marks an extremely significant time for the Hudson Valley. It was 300 years ago, in 1712 that Sarah Wells arrived to the Wawayanda Patent which covered most of what is now south central Orange County. The Board of Directors of the William Bull and Sarah Wells Stone House Association and I invite you to join us in celebrating the 300th Anniversary of Sarah Wells' arrival at several events throughout this year.

Sarah Wells was a young indentured servant to Christopher and Elizabeth Denn. In 1712 Mr. Denn asked Sarah to sail up the Hudson River to settle his portion of the Wawayanda Patent. Accompanied by Indian guides and carpenters, Sarah ventured inland with horses, cows, dogs, and household equipment. Hard work and a formidable character allowed Sarah to survive the unsettled and wild territory of that time. In 1718, Sarah married William Bull, a stonemason, and together they raised a large and enduring family. At the time of her death in 1796 there were 335 descendants of Sarah and William Bull; today there are more than 65,000 names in the Bull family genealogy.

To this day, throughout Orange County, there are still many physical connections to Sarah Wells and William Bull: road and street names, towns and buildings. Two of the earliest of these are the 1722 Bull Stone House and the New World Dutch Barn on the original Bull property in Hamptonburgh. William built the Bull Stone House and named his homestead Hamptonburgh after his birthplace in Wolverhampton, England. The Sarah Wells Trail is a main road that connects Goshen to Washingtonville; most likely a path well worn by Sarah Wells herself. Have you heard of Bullville, NY and Thomas Bull Memorial Park? All part of the Sarah Wells and William Bull legacy.

1712-2012 - Celebrating the 300th Anniversary of Sarah Wells' Arrival

Please join us as we celebrate the Sarah Wells Tricentennial at any or all of the following exciting events:

The Sarah Wells Tricentennial Reception on February 23 at SUNY Orange, Middletown campus 7:00-9:00 p.m. in the Gallery - music, presentations, artifact displays and light refreshments

Sarah Wells Day - family-style country fun on May 19 at the Bull Stone House

Running With the Bulls - 5k walk/run between Hill-Hold, another Bull family structure, and the Bull Stone House, date TBA in the fall.

We also ask that you help "spread the word" about our 300th Anniversary events and the importance of Sarah Wells to the history of the local area and New York State.

For further information please feel free to contact Todd Vandervort at 518-376-4476 or by e-mail at todd@vandervortgroup.com.

2012-01-20 Meeting

2012-01-21T09:05:00.001-05:00

Progress reported on April's upcoming State Conference, although Barry is concerned over the relatively few paper submittals received, possibly from the delay of the State Association in distributing the 'First Call for Papers!" Submit your proposals to Barry!

Steph will be setting-up some laboratory sessions to process Florist Site artifacts. She'll sent out an email to the membership with the details.

Barry Kass announced that there are just a few more openings on his Italy tour scheduled for this summer! The archaeological highlight will the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in Bolzano, South Tyrol, Italy to visit Ötzi the Iceman, the well-preserved natural mummy of a man who died about 5,300 years ago in the Ötztal Alps, near Hauslabjoch on the Austrian-Italian border. <http://tinyurl.com/7t362lc>

We are planning on attending the Ice Harvest February 19th on the lake at Arrow Park in Monroe NY. We'll join a number of organizations including the Arts Council, several farmers, historical societies, etc. in the heated pavilion space at the park to promote our Chapter. Bring your displays of interesting stuff! More details to follow.

Ice Pick (from Chester Historical Society)

Following the meeting, Dave Johnson tried to warm us with a trip to the American Southwest, reporting on his recent work plotting aquifers and noticing their relationships with ancient ruins.

““A Rare Glimpse of the Enslavement of Indians In Orange County, New York”

2012-01-20T15:34:00.004-05:00

“A Rare Glimpse” is the result of research by member Ray Decker. His amazing discovery of a 1720 deed and memorandum regarding the sale of the Crommelin Plantation in Orange County listed all of the chattels included in the sale, including three slaves, two of which were Indians. This document is believed to be the only extant record of the enslavement of Native Americans in Orange County, New York.

Chapter members Ginny Privitar and Clifton Patrick will present this mostly forgotten aspect of Orange County history to The Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame's "Lunch & Learn Midday Lecture Series," on Monday, February 13 , 2012 in Goshen.

Right click image below for flyer.

THE ARCHAEOLOGIST Excerpts - Vol. 1, January 20, 2012

2012-01-08T19:39:00.001-05:00

THE ARCHAEOLOGIST

THE INCORPORATED ORANGE COUNTY CHAPTER

OF THE NEW YORK STATE ARCHAEOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION

Vol. 1, January 20, 2012

Chapter Web Site - http://ioccnysaa.blogspot.com/

Chapter email - ioccnysaa@gmail.com

Chapter meetings are held on the third Friday of each month except July and August.

** REMEMBER NEW LOCATION FOR MONTHLY MEETINGS **

The January meeting will be held on Friday, the 20^th, at 7:30 P.M at

Mulberry House (Middletown) Senior Center.

The address is 62-70 West Main Street in Middletown. The location is handicapped accessible. If it works for us, we will continue to hold our meetings there and then move to the new location with them. The following maps show its location.

View Larger Map

Program - David Johnson will discuss sites in Arizona and New Mexico, including Chaco Canyon and Anasazi Roads.

________________________________________________

President’s Message

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday even through it seemed like early spring. The holiday party went well with a wide variety of food and was enjoyed by all. Now it is time to get ready for the state conference this April. I will be posting a signup sheet for volunteers. We will need people to help with setting up, registration, audio-video and poster room to mention a few. Don’t forget, dues are due.

I hope to see you at this month’s meeting.

Dave

Schedule

February 20, 2012 - Barry Kass will discuss "Ancient Greco-Roman sites in Sicily and southern Italy, including Pompeii and Herculaneum"

March 16, 2012 – Stephanie Tice will be presenting a course on how to identify and label artifacts. This is presentation is especially important to anyone who will be working at the Florist site.

________________________________________________

Dues

Dues are due for 2012. Please contact our treasurer, Jon Leonard, to send in your payment. Or you can pay your dues at the monthly meeting. He can be reached at the following: ioccnysaa@gmail.com

________________________________________________

State Newsletter

The recent state newsletter which has an interesting article on Spanish Hill starting on page 10. Website: http://nysaaweb.bfn.org/

(Editors note: The state site did not load as of 2012-01-08)

________________________________________________

96^th ANNUAL MEETING OF THE

NEW YORK STATE ARCHAEOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION

April 27^rd – 29^th, 2012

HOSTED BY:

THE INCORPORATED ORANGE COUNTY CHAPTER

OF THE NEW YORK STATE ARCHAEOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION

http://ioccnysaa.blogspot.com/

Location:

The Clarion Hotel & Conference Center

2170 South Road / Route 9, Poughkeepsie, NY, 12603

845-462-4600

Hotel Reservation:

*** PLEASE NOTE – A block of 50 rooms has been reserved and will be held for our conference untilFriday, March 16, 2012. This is 6 weeks before the conference. Therefore, to ensure you reserve one of these rooms you need to make your reservation by Friday, March 16, 2012. After that date the hotel will open any unreserved rooms in this block to the public. This is to prevent our chapter from having to pay for unused rooms within the block of 50. If all 50 rooms are reserved prior to March 16, 2012 additional rooms will be added to the conference block.

To reserve your room call the Clarion Hotel at 845-462-4600. The rate is $99.99 per room per night plus tax, 12.125% and includes breakfast.

REGISTRATION FORM

Please Print:

Names of people in your party:

________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
Contact Address: _________________________________

Phone Number: ________________________
Email: __________________________

REGISTRATION FEE

Early Registration $30 - the deadline is Friday, April 13, 2012.

After April 13, 2012 registration is $35.

Buffet Banquet Saturday Evening is $25.

Conference Registration:

Date _________ Number of Persons ______ $ Amount __________

Banquet Reservation:

Number of Persons ______ $ Amount ___________

Total Enclosed: ____________

Please make checks out to IOCCNYSAA and send your check to:

Jon Leonard

34 Clark Road

Goshen, NY 10924

Sunday Afternoon Field Trip Options

We are offering a field trip Sunday afternoon to the Fishkill Cantonment and Van Wyck Historical House in Fishkill, New York. This event requires advanced scheduling by our chapter; therefore we need to know approximately how many people are interested in attending before the conference. Please send in the field trip reservation with your conference registration form. Located just 6.5 miles south of the hotel at the intersection of Route 9 and Interstate 84, the Fishkill Cantonment is one of the most important revolutionary encampments. This tour will include the 1732 Van Wyck House Museum and a tour of the Revolutionary War cemetery with Bill Sandy. The tour will begin at 1 and take about an hour and a half. The only cost is a donation to the Van Wyck Homestead Museum. http://www.museumsusa.org/museums/info/1155369

Please fill in this form and send it in with your conference reservation.

Number of people in your party:

Please list Names:

________________________________________________

Call For Papers:

Barry Kass, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology, SUNY Orange, and Cory Harris, Ph. D., Chair of the Behavioral Sciences Department, SUNY Orange, are the program co-chairs. The deadline for submissions isMarch 1, 2012. Paper proposal abstracts should be e-mailed to Barry Kass as Microsoft Word attachments:barry.kass@sunyorange.edu. Call with questions: 845 733-1830.

Book Room Reservation: Contact David Johnson at 845-454-1860 or globaldj@optonline.net to reserve a table in the book room:

Banquet speaker: David Johnson

Analyzing New York State’s Archaeology based on Peruvian and Southwestern United States Surveys

Although Johnson has been associated with New York State archaeology for the last 45 years, he didn’t realize he was missing something here in New York State until 1996, when he discovered a correlation existed between Peru’s Nasca Lines and groundwater. During the last fifteen years his research team has provided considerable evidence indicating many of the ancient Nasca Lines map the course of aquifers from the Andes, across Peru and Chile’s coastal desert, to the Pacific coast. Eventually he expanded his study to include the southwestern United States and found a similar correlation existed between Chacoan Roads, archaeological sites and aquifers in Arizona and New Mexico. As in Peru and Chile surface features mapped the flow of aquifers. This led him to wonder if Native Americans used similar techniques in the northeast, especially New York State, for the same purpose. Interestingly, preliminary data suggests this theory also applies to our region. During his presentation he will present the similarities between these regions regarding surface mapping and aquifers.

David Johnson has been a member of the New York State Archaeology Association since he was sixteen years old. He is a National Geographic Research and Exploration recipient for his research on the Nasca Lines and has written several articles and a book on this subject. Currently he is collaborating with archaeologists in Peru, Arizona, New Mexico and New York to develop a better understanding of how ancient Native Americans were able to locate and map groundwater resources. You can learn more about Johnson by visiting his website at:www.global-learning.us

For Additional Information please contact:

David Johnson at 845-454-1860 or globaldj@optonline.net

________________________________________________

Search the Penn Museum's digital collections!

2012-01-07T15:11:00.002-05:00

Since its founding in 1887, the Penn Museum, University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, has collected around one million objects, many obtained directly through its own field excavations or anthropological research. Search the Penn Museum's digital collections including 326,000 object records representing 660,000 objects with 51,500 images at: www.penn.museum/collections

December Meeting & Holiday Grab Bag

2011-12-18T11:45:00.003-05:00

After a short meeting, our annual Holiday Grab Bag was engaged. It is hard to say whether our bellies are sore from consuming too much food or from laughing so hard. T'was a nice evening of cheer!

IOCCNYSAA December 16, 2011 slideshow
Send photos that you'd like added to this slideshow to ioccnysaa@gmail.com

Happy Holidays to one and all!

Hike Iona Island December 11th!

2011-11-29T11:16:00.003-05:00

Ruins of early Dutch settlement from 2009 tour.

Doc Bayne, renowned local historian, photographer and educator, will again lead a hike around Iona Island in the Hudson River below Bear Mountain.

From evidence of native Americans on the island through the colonial farms and settlements, when it was known as Salisbury Island, and later as Weygant's Island. In the late 1800s it attracted tourists with an amusement park, hotel, and picnic grounds. Iona Island served as a major Northeast United States Naval arsenal from 1900 to 1965, complete with explosions, saboteurs and of course, the famous mothball fleet following WWII. Since 1965, when the Palisades Interstate Park Commission took possession, much of the island and surrounding marshes have become a wildlife preserve, providing valuable habitat for many species, including winter nesting for Bald Eagles, during which the Island is off limits to human visitors.

To reserve your spot on the tour, call the number below.

	Subject:		Hike on Iona Island
	Start Date:		Sunday, December 11 2011 10:00AM
	End Date:		Sunday, December 11 2011 1:00PM
	Summary:		THE FRIENDS OF STERLING FOREST (F.S.F.) a newly formed FRIENDS GROUP, organized to help preserve Sterling Forest State Park. The F.S.F. will continue to educate and share the beauty of this region with our friends who love the out-of-doors. There will not be any fee for our events, Donations are accepted to assist F.S.F. preserve the history of your park. Hike on Iona Island Sunday December 11 10 AM Come and explore the, closed to the public island of Iona. Iona has had a vast history in the formation of our country. You will be surprised at what happened on this Island. We will meet at the kiosk by the RR tracks on Iona Island at 10 AM The trails can be steep and rocky, so please wear sturdy hiking shoes. Our hikes will include stops along the way to interpret natural and historic features. Registration is required. For more information or to register, call 845-351-5907.

Florist Site 2011-11-20

2011-11-22T17:10:00.002-05:00

Another chilly and raw day digging in cold moist and sticky soils!

Gary & Steph

A few flakes came out of today's test pits.

Clif

Clif and Steph shown double checking a few measurements to the property's boundaries.

Steph

After freezing her fingers off today, Steph declared the 2011 field season officially finished and 2011/12 lab season open.

Tour Northern Italy: People, Culture, History with Barry Kass! July 12-22, 2012

2011-11-14T18:28:00.002-05:00

Northern Italy: People, Culture, History

SUNY Orange Travel-Learn Program

July 12-22, 2012

Sponsored by C.A.P.E. (Office of Continuing and Professional Education)

Highlights include:

Visits to beautiful Lakes Maggiore and Como in the Italian Alps
An Excursion by boat to visit the Borromean Islands on Lake Maggiore, with their beautiful palaces and ornamental gardens
Visits to Milan, Verona (the city of Romeo and Juliet), and Padua
An excursion to Bolzano to visit the new museum devoted to the famous “Iceman” discovery in the Italian Alps
An excursion to the ancient town of Modena, including a wine tasting and ‘rustic’ lunch on a balsamic wine estate
Three nights in Venice
Expert English-speaking guides will accompany the tour group throughout our visit
Three-Four star hotels
Continental buffet breakfasts daily, welcome dinner, farewell dinner and one lunch included
Informational seminars prior to departure held at the Middletown campus

Cost of program: $3298per person double occupancy: $548 single supplement.

(cost includes round-trip airfare, nine-nights accommodations, meals as above, museum entrance fees, guide services; cost does not include CAPE registration fee, tips, airline fuel surcharge )

Reserve your space now: Deposit due December 10, 2011

FOR FULL INFORMATION, PROGRAM ITINERARY, REGISTRATION FORMS CONTACT TOUR ESCORT:

Barry D. Kass

Professor Emeritus of Anthropology

845 341-4364 office/845 733-1830 home

barry.kass@sunyorange.edu

C.A.P.E. office: 845 341-4125

Download flyer here.

Florist Site 2011-11-13

2011-11-13T17:01:00.001-05:00

Following last night's annual meeting and dinner, a few souls, braved the raw weather and moist, cold soil to processed several more test pits. Several flakes and a few cobbles were recorded today.

Gary, Veronica & Steph.

2011 Annual Meeting and Diner

2011-11-12T22:35:00.013-05:00

President Dave Johnson convened the 2011 Annual Meeting and Dinner at Catlin Gardens' newly constructed facility in Slate Hill.

Stephanie Tice was very honored to introduce her former professor and mentor, Dr. David Starbuck, who provided fascinating foundation on the French and Indian War in the Lake George region upon which he discussed his archaeological findings over the last twenty some odd years at Fort William Henry, site of the "Last of the Mohican."

The French and their Indian allies took this English Fort in August 1757. French offered the British very generous surrender terms without the consent of their Indian allies who attacked the disarmed British troops as they marched back to the British lines under the 'protection' of the quickly disappearing French escort. French General Louis-Joseph de Montcalm stopped the attack some time after it was launched, though, by that time, a number of British soldiers and civilian had lost their scalps. Following the battle, the French destroyed the Fort and marched thirty miles north to their base at Fort Carillon, now known as Fort Ticonderoga. The site lay essentially dormant until the 1950s, when a replica was constructed. Since the early 1990s, David Starbuck and his teams have conducted investigations, both within and around the Fort, including the e-coli contaminated 25 foot deep dug well within the Fort. Numerous important finds have both reinforced and contradicted the historical record and lore.

David Starbuck noted the importance of the various interested groups, such as archaeologists, preservationists, historians, period re-enactors, Fort William Henry owners, etc. in working together to promote, improve and conserve this pivotal site in America's early history!

Dr. David Starbuck & Stephanie Tice

Barry Kass

Gary Keeton

Following Dr. Starbuck's excellent presentation, the evening's meal was served. Following the scrumptious dessert, President Dave, formally installed the two trustees elected to serve the 2012-2013 term. Incumbent Gary Keeton was reelected and Barry Kass, elected to succeed retiring Richard Havilech.

2011 Awards:

Lifetime Recognition: Harold Ray Decker

In recognition of extraordinary contributions to advancement of Orange County Archaeology through tireless promoting, giving presentations and living the mission of the Orange County Chapter and StateAssociation.

(Unfortunately Ray returned to Florida shortly before the Dinner)

Most Active Member for 2011: Clif Patrick.

Presidential Citation: Richard S. Havlicek.

Certificate of Merit: Gary Jay Sipila.

2011 inductees into the "Order of the Trowel" are:

Fred Assmus

Stephanie Tice

Joe Mlcoch (not at Dinner)

- - -

Barry Kass reminded everyone that the
First Call for Papers

96^th Annual Meeting

New York State Archaeological Association

April 27-29^th, 2012

Has been sent out.

Get your copy at
http://tinyurl.com/7n3y5m3

And he urged any member willing to submit a paper or an exhibit for the Poster Session.

THE ARCHAEOLOGIST - Vol. 11, November 12, 2011

2011-11-04T10:01:00.000-04:00

THE ARCHAEOLOGIST

THE INCORPORATED ORANGE COUNTY CHAPTER

OF THE NEW YORK STATE ARCHAEOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION

Vol. 11, November 12, 2011

Chapter Web Site - http://ioccnysaa.blogspot.com/

Chapter email - ioccnysaa@gmail.com

Chapter meetings are held on the third Friday of each month except July, August and November.

**** Please Note – No monthly meeting this month since we are having the annual dinner on November 12^th. The next monthly meeting will be held at the Middletown Senior Center on Friday, December 16^th. Don’t forget the December meeting will feature the grab-bag.

______________________________________________________________________

President’s Message

I am finally back from Peru and Arizona and look forward to attending the annual dinner on November 12^th. I want to thank Chuck and Jon for conducting the meetings for me while I was away.

Several members have asked me how my recent trips went so here is a brief summary. Both of the trips to Peru and Arizona were very interesting and successful. In Peru I completed two remote sections of the Rio Grande de Nasca drainage and can finally say the investigation of this region is completed. I was accompanied by three colleagues from Germany who are also studying the Nasca Lines. I was able to locate several geoglyphs that had not been documented since they are not visible in Google Earth. I did this by locating concentrated areas of permeability within the groundwater and followed them to the geoglyphs which mapped them.

During the last year I have been working on changing my study area from Peru and Chile to the southwestern United States. Preliminary surveys conducted in the southwest during the last few years have indicated I am able to find features at archaeological sites using the same techniques I have been using in Peru and Chile. In June and October I was asked to present the results of my preliminary surveys at two conferences in Arizona and New Mexico. During both visits I conducted blind surveys of archaeological sites with local archaeologists. A blind survey consists of a local archaeologist taking me to a site I could not have read about and don’t know the location of. Then I conduct my survey and compare it with their’s. The results were very interesting. I was able to locate features such as Chaco / Anasazi Roads and structures that they knew about which were no longer visible on the surface. Next year we intend to expand this investigation.

Interestingly, even though I have been associated with the New York State Archaeological Association for the last 50 years I had to remove myself from the forest to see the forest clearly. Now let me explain. As I expanded my research along the coast of Peru and Chile I wondered if other cultures in the Western Hemisphere also mapped areas of high permeability within groundwater with surface features. This led me to the southwest where a similar pattern existed. Now I am re-entering New York’s forest and applying the same techniques I used along the coast of Peru and Chile as well as the southwestern United States to develop a better understanding of the northeastern Native Americans who occupied this region before Columbus. Once again the preliminary results are very similar to the other two regions. The correlation between these regions will be the topic of my presentation at the state meeting in April.

Dave

_____________________________________________________________________

Florist Site

Stephanie is working at the Florist Site nearly every Sunday morning starting at 9 AM, weather permitting. If you intend to go please contact Stephanie to make sure they will be working the site that day.

This site provides all our members a wonderful opportunity to experience archaeology first hand. We hope all of our members can take advantage of this opportunity to develop their skills as archeologists. If you are new to the chapter here is your opportunity to participate in an archaeological investigation and learn the techniques needed to properly document a site.

____________________________________________________________________

Results Of The State Survey Taken In 2010

A few observations from the NYSAA’s survey’s results which was conducted last year. If you want to review it, upon request, I will have it available on my computer at the upcoming monthly meetings. Here are some comments regarding the results.

Half of the respondents were professional archaeologists.
Even though we are one of the largest chapters in New York State only 8 members responded to the survey.

First Call for Papers for 96th Annual Meeting NYSAA April 27-29th, 2012

2011-11-02T15:29:00.000-04:00

The Incorporated Orange County Chapter

New York State Archaeological Association

First Call for Papers

96th Annual Meeting New York State Archaeological Association

April 27-29th, 2012

The Incorporated Orange County Chapter, NYSAA, announces the First Call for papers for the 96th Annual Meeting of the New York State Archaeological Association. The deadline for submissions is March 1, 2012.

Keynote Speaker: David Johnson, President—Orange County Chapter NYSAA

“Analyzing Archaeology in New York State based on Peruvian and Southwestern United States Surveys”

The meeting will be held in the beautiful lower Hudson Valley, at the The Clarion Hotel & Conference Center in Poughkeepsie, NY

For further information about the conference location click:

http://www.clarionhotel.com/hotel-poughkeepsie-new_york-NY533

The program will be co-chaired by Barry D. Kass, Prof. Emeritus of Anthropology, SUNY Orange, and Dr. Cory Harris, Chair, Behavioral Sciences Dept, SUNY Orange

Paper proposal abstracts of approx. 250 words should be e-mailed as Microsoft Word attachments. Indicate any audiovisual requirements. Poster presentations are acceptable and encouraged, especially by students. Any topic related directly or indirectly to NYS prehistory/history will be considered.

Submit proposals to Barry Kass at: barry.kass@sunyorange.edu call with questions: 845 733-1830.

For information, registration forms, and accommodation details contact David Johnson, President, OCC- NYSAA (globaldj@optonline.net, Phone: 845 454-1860)

Florist site news…

2011-10-22T20:46:00.001-04:00

Hello everyone, just a quick note to let you know that we will not be digging this weekend (10/23) and next weekend (10/30). Assuming that mother nature agrees with us, we will be back out Sunday 11/7. Thanks!

-Stephanie

Archaeology Day 2011 at Gander Mountain

2011-09-26T14:33:00.001-04:00

Archaeology Day was great Saturday, September 26th, at Gander Mountain met some great people and saw some fantastic artifacts,including a rare paleo point from Orange County which we were able to document. Thank you everyone who participated and visited. See you next year, but if anyone has a regional collection please let me know, we would be glad to take a look at....

By: Kevin Storms

Gander Mountain Archaeological Community Outreach Day

2011-09-21T16:12:00.001-04:00

Gander Mountain Archaeological Community Outreach Day flyer.

Florist site survived storms Irene and Lee - kind of!

2011-09-21T15:52:00.001-04:00

Hi folks! While the weather had kept us away for a few weeks, Gary and I returned on 9/11 to find that Hurricane Irene had not been kind to our site. We spent the day, and this last weekend cleaning up some of the areas so that we could safely continue our investigations. Hopefully the remainder of the fall will be better to us and hope that everyone can make it out to the site before we close up for the winter (I will notify everyone when that will be later this fall). Don't forget we are there every Sunday morning from 9am to approximately 1pm, weather pending and unless otherwise specified. Contact me if there is any questions at .

We will NOT be digging this Sunday 9/25 as it is our annual Gander Mountain Archaeological Community Outreach Day from 10am-2pm, so please join us there!

See you in the field the following week! -Steph

September, 2011 Chapter meeting at new location

2011-09-21T15:32:00.003-04:00

On September 16, the chapter hosted Edward V. Curtin, president of Curtin Archaeological Consulting, Inc. Ed Curtin is an archaeologist with a Ph.D. in anthropology and is best known for his interest in the Archaic period (1,000-8,000 B.C.) of the northeastern United States, as well as all things related to the archaeology of the Hudson Valley.

Curtin referred to archaeologist Bob Funk's description of the period between the end of the Paleoindian era and the bifurcated base point horizon as the "missing 2,000 years" -- a period that archaeologists know little about.

During his talk and slide presentation, which was based on his surveys of Early Archaic sties in Saratoga and Albany and his thoughts on the subject, Curtin expressed the opinion that some points designated as Middle Archaic may, in fact, be Early Archaic. Examples examined were unfluted lanceolate points, various Dalton points and Kirk-Palmer corner-notched points.

The chapter members enjoyed the presentation and question and answer period that followed.

Photos and report by Ginny Privitar.

Vice President, Chuck, conducted our first meeting at the Mulberry House Senior Center, 62-70 West Main Street in Middletown. He declared, "The place was great. Large, comfortable setting." October's meeting to be held here also, with Middletown resident, Nick Pallasino describing his discovery of seven scuttled French and Indian War period bateaux on the bottom of Lake George in 1960!

25TH ANNUAL HIGHLANDS ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL CONFERENCE: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2011

2011-09-11T18:02:00.001-04:00

THE INC. ORANGE COUNTY CHAPTER, NYSAA

THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF NEW JERSEY

THE NORTH JERSEY HIGHLANDS HISTORICAL SOCIETY

25TH ANNUAL

HIGHLANDS ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL CONFERENCE

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2011

LAUTENBERG VISITORS CENTER, STERLING FOREST STATE PARK

114 OLD FORGE ROAD, TUXEDO, NY 10987

MORNING PROGRAM: 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM

Meet at main parking lot of Ringwood State Park, 1304 Sloatsburg Road, Ringwood, NJ.

Guided tour of Ringwood Manor, NJ State Historic Site: “From Colonial Ironworks to the American Revolution to Victorian Estate” led by Sue Shutte, Resource Interpretor Specialist.

AFTERNOON PROGRAM: 1:00 TO 4:30 PM

At Lautenberg Center, Lower Level. Marie Mahler, NJHHS, presiding

1:00-1:25 “The Karl Quarry Site, Town of Wawayanda, Orange Co., NY.” Kevin Storms, IOCCNYSAA

1:25-1:50 “Chief Towaco.” Kate S. Ahmadi, Ph. D., IOCCNYSAA.

1:50-2:15 “Brotherton, NJ., The Ghettoization of New Jersey's Indian Reservation.”

Richard Walling, Independent Scholar.

2:15-2:40 “Lost Landscapes and Hidden Legacies: A Survey of Lithic Sites in the Hudson Valley, Shawangunk and Catskill Mountains.” Glenn Kreisberg, NEARA.

2:40-2:55 COFFEE BREAK

2:55-3:20 “Who Was Here First? A History of Rock Climbing in the North Jersey Highlands.” John Anderson, Partner w/CWE, Inc.

3:20-3:45 “David Johnson's Nature Studies in Ramapo, NY.” Geoff Welch, Curator, Harmony Hall.

3:45-4:10 “The Net Men and the Anglers. A Case Study in the Conflicts over Recreational and Commercial Fishing.” Kevin Olsen, Montclair State University.

4:10-4:30 BOOK ROOM

Program Chair: Edward J. Lenik, R.P.A., INC. O.C.C., NYSAA, ASNJ & NJHHS

Meeting Facilities courtesy of Sterling Forest State Park, Jeff Hutchinson, Park Manager.

THE ARCHAEOLOGIST - Vol. 9, September 16, 2011

2011-08-30T16:15:00.007-04:00

THE ARCHAEOLOGIST

THE INCORPORATED ORANGE COUNTY CHAPTER

OF THE NEW YORK STATE ARCHAEOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION

Vol. 9, September 16, 2011

Chapter Web Site - http://ioccnysaa.blogspot.com/

Chapter email - ioccnysaa@gmail.com

Chapter meetings are held on the third Friday of each month except July and August.

***** NEW LOCATION FOR MONTHLY MEETING *****

The September meeting will be held on Friday, the 16^th, at 7:30 P.M at

Mulberry House (Middletown) Senior Center.

Map: http://tinyurl.com/4ygxwyt

Change In Meeting Schedule

The presentation will be first followed by the business meeting.

This Month’s Speaker

Edward V. Curtin

Short Biographical Sketch

Edward V. Curtin is the President of Curtin Archaeological Consulting, Inc., located in Ballston Spa, Saratoga County, New York. He is an archaeologist with a Ph.D. in anthropology from the State University of New York at Binghamton. He is best known for his interest in the Archaic period (1,000-8,000 B.C.) of the Northeastern United States, but he also is intensely interested in all things related to the archaeology of the Hudson valley. His writing on these subjects includes “The Ancient Mohicans in Time, Space and Prehistory” (New York State Museum Bulletin 501, pp. 5-18), “Recent Investigation of Archaic Sites at Hemstreet Park on the Upper Hudson River” (New York State Archaeological Association Newsletter, Fall 2009, pp. 1-3) and the forthcoming “A Small Site in Coxsackie, Circa A. D. 1200: Some Ecological Issues Concerning Its Age and Location” (submitted to New York State Museum Record). He also contributes to Fieldnotes, Curtin Archaeological Consulting’s blog at www.curtinarchaeology.com/blog.

The Missing 2000 Years:

The Continuing Mystery of the Earliest Archaic in the Hudson Valley

by Ed Curtin

Curtin Archaeological Consulting Inc. and the Van Epps-Hartley Chapter, NYSAA

The great New York State Archaeologist Bob Funk referred to the period between the end of the Paleoindian era and the bifurcated base point horizon as “the missing 2000 years”-- a period 8,000-10,000 radiocarbon years before present that archaeologists know too little about. This presentation provides a survey of information and thoughts on this earliest part of the Early Archaic, including Bob Funk’s intriguing original position based upon his 1960’s excavation at Sylvan Lake Rockshelter. His hypothesis that Early Archaic assemblages would look at least somewhat Laurentian is re-examined in light of more contemporary views concerning Late Paleoindian-Early Archaic horizons typified by unfluted lanceolate points, various kinds of Dalton points, and Kirk-Palmer corner-notched points. Due consideration is given to a possible early side-notched point horizon. Slides of Early Archaic artifacts from sites in Saratoga, Albany, and Greene Counties illustrate the talk.

______________________________

President’s Message

I hope everyone had a wonderful summer. I want to thank Tom Brannan for hosting the picnic last July. At least 30 members attended including several kids who had a great time throwing darts with the atlatl.

As you can see from the comments above we will be meeting at the Middletown senior center. This will make our meetings more accessible to some of our members If you have any comments, positive or negative, regarding the site please let me know. Call me or email ioccnysaa@gmail.com.

In July Ray Decker resigned as treasure and Jon Leonard was appointed by the executive committee to take over until Ray’s term ends in the fall of 2012.

I will not be able to attend the September and October meetings since I will be away. I will be in Peru from September 10th to October 11^thworking with scientists from Dresden University, Germany. Then the following week I fly to Phoenix, Arizona for a week. I have been asked to be the keynote speaker at the Heard Museum conference. I will also be surveying some sites with local archaeologists during this trip. Chuck Tudor will be running the meetings.

I will be at the annual dinner in November and look forward to seeing everyone at that time.

Dave

______________________________

September and October Meetings

We will need someone to help set up the digital projector and computer for the speaker in September and October. If you can help with this please let me know as soon as possible.

______________________________

Elections

This year two trustee positions are up for election. Currently Richard Havlicek and Gary Keeton hold these positions. Richard will not be continuing as trustee. Gary is willing to continue. If anyone is interested in running for either position nominations will be taken at this meeting. The election will be held in October and the results announced at the annual dinner. Please prepare nominations for this meeting.

______________________________

2011 Archaeological Community Outreach Day at Gander Mountain

September 25th, 10 am to 2 pm!

What is needed? Volunteers to bring show and tell, artifacts, historic material, etc. Members to identify points for the public. Membership information, spring meeting info, flintknappers, displays. Kevin will bring books and displays. The biggest thing we need is to get the word out. Exposure makes this event. Also, if all members invite guests that will help. Please let Kevin Storms know directly or email ioccnysaa@gmail.com if you can help and or display your stuff.

______________________________

Annual Banquet in November

Annual dinner - Saturday, November 12, 2011.

Held at Catlin Gardens, 2865 Rt. 6, Slate Hill, NY 10973

Cocktail Hour, cash bar, will be from 5 PM to 6:PM

Speaker will be David Starbuck from 6PM to 7:PM before dinner. His topic will be recent excavations at Fort William Henry, site of "The Last of the Mohicans".

Awards will follow the speaker.

Dinner will be sit down at 7:00PM with Entree choices of

Roast Sirloin of Beef, Chicken with Sun Dried Tomato & Artichokes, or Tilapia Oreganata.

Dessert will be chocolate mousse

Any special meals must be requested in advance by calling Catlin Gardens at 845-355-3555.

Price per person is set at $36.00.

Jon Leonard will be taking reservations and payment. Make you check out to IOCCNYSAA.

IOCCNYSAA ANNUAL DINNER RESERVATION FORM

** Please make your reservation by November 1^st. If you decide to go after the 1^st call Jon Leonard as soon as possible.

Name..........................................................................................................................

Name............................................................................................................................

Dinner Choices………………………………………………………………………………

Total Reservations at $36.00 each................................................................................

Total Amount Enclosed.......................................................

Please mail to:

IOCCNYSAA

Jon Leonard

34 Clark Road

Goshen, NY 10924

or see Jon at the meeting.

______________________________

Florist Site

Stephanie is working at the Florist Site nearly every Sunday morning starting at 9 AM, weather permitting. If you intend to go please contact Stephanie directly to make sure they will be working the site that day.

______________________________

Dues

If you haven’t paid your dues for 2011 please do so. Please contact our new treasurer, Jon, to send in your payment. Or you can pay your dues at the September meeting.

IOCCNYSAA

Jon Leonard

34 Clark Road

Goshen, NY 10924

2011-08-23 Albany expedition.

2011-08-25T18:57:00.006-04:00

Tunkamoose Mastodon Tusks' discover, Glenn (left), listens to Doctor Robert Feranec, Curator of Pleistocene Vertebrate Paleontology and our host for this visit to the New York State Museum (center) discussing details of the restoration along with chapter member, Cindy (right).

The large tusk, by Lisa Catalano

Museum staffer, Lisa Catalano, who is conserving and doing an awesome job piecing together the thousands of tusk bits.

Glenn with Gary, his proud father.

Here is the center portion of the large tusk, fragmented by the weight of the other tusk resting upon this section for over fourteen thousand years, in addition to the weight of six feet of overburden.

Bob Feranec, Cindy, Clif, Lori, by Lisa Catalano

Our band undergoing scrutiny of Museum security before heading upstairs to the stacks.

This entire cabinet, holds just a portion of the faunal remains recovered from the 1960s Dutchess Quarry Caves excavations.

This deer jaw is embedded in stone!

Remember, when on an archaeological expedition, one most always be alert to one's surroundings - even in a museum!

In Rob's office, Glenn examines this specimen collected in 1885 from Billings Co., Dakota Territory.

Comparing an adult sabretooth canine to "babytooth" canine (note the adult tooth budding through the gum line).

Rob concluded our official tour in the pubic exhibits that have just opened featuring many Orange County specimens. As we took a break for lunch on the fourth floor dining area, the building shook enough for the overhead lights and signs to sway back and forth!

Luckily, they waited until we finished eating before evacuating the structure for the earthquake of August 23rd! Since they were expecting aftershocks and not likely to quickly reopen the museum, we headed home early, but very pleased with such a wonderful exploration and thoroughly enjoyable experience hosted by such diligent and gracious hosts!

2011-08/21 at the Florist dig

2011-08-22T11:39:00.000-04:00

After the storms of this week, the soil was very moist and clumpy, as expected, but in the still moist air the mosquitos were just voracious!

Gary doing his part in laying in line "L."

Pat, Steph, Gary, & Pam

Two test pits of tough digging and hundreds of mosquitos bites drove us off the site early to today, with but two chert chips in the sample bags.

2011 Archaeological Community Outreach Day at Gander Mountain set for September 25th.

2011-08-12T14:22:00.006-04:00

2011 Archaeological Community Outreach Day at Gander Mountain

September 25th, 10 am to 2 pm!

What is needed? Volunteers to bring show and tell, artifacts, historic material, etc. Members to identify points for the public. Membership information, spring meeting info, flintknappers, displays. I will bring books and displays. The biggest thing we need is to get the word out. Exposure makes this event. Also if all members invite guests that will help.

Please let Kevin know directly or email ioccnysaa@gmail.com if you can help and or display our stuff.

Job posting for archaeologist in New Jersey

2011-08-12T11:34:00.001-04:00

The New Jersey Historic Preservation Office has one job opening for an archaeologist (Historic Preservation Specialist) position. Applications must be submitted by August 19th.

For more information, please visit: http://www.nj.gov/dep/jobs/

Posting is thanks to new member, Veronica.

THE ARCHAEOLOGIST, AUGUST 2011

2011-08-04T14:26:00.005-04:00

THE ARCHAEOLOGIST

THE INCORPORATED ORANGE COUNTY CHAPTER

OF THE NEW YORK STATE ARCHAEOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION

AUGUST 2011

New York State Museum Field Trip

Some of our members missed the trip to the New York State Museum last June and they were wondering if there would be another. I talked with Bob Feranec, Curator of Pleistocene Vertebrate Paleontology, this week and he said he would be glad to accommodate us on Tuesday, August 23. The visit includes the following:

Bob told me “the new exhibit is called "From the Collections". It’s based on major collections and contributors of the NY State Museum's collections. My section will have the Arborio mastodon exhibited as well as having a brief description of the IOCCNYSAA, as contributors to the vertebrate paleontology collections.”

It also appears a behind the scenes visit is possible.

A visit to the research center where the Tunkamoose Mastodon Tusks are being preserved.

Since this is only a few weeks from now I need to know how many people are interested in going on this field trip as soon as possible. Bob is willing to keep this date open if there is enough interest from our chapter.

The details still have to be worked out and I will contact those who are going with the schedule since we will visit two locations, the museum and the research lab.

If you are interested in going please contact me as soon as possible by phone or email. We need to know by Friday, August 12^th. Contact Dave directly or email ioccnysaa@gmail.com

Dave Johnson

- - - - - - - - - - -

New Meeting Location – Mulbury House (Middletown) Senior Center

We are going to hold our September monthly meeting at the Mulbury House (Middletown) Senior Center located at 62-70 West Main Street in Middletown. The location is handicapped accessible. If it works for us we will continue to hold our meetings there and then move to the new location with them. Further information will be included in the September newsletter.

- - - - - - - - - - -

Florist Site

Stephanie is working on Florist Site most every Sunday morning starting at 9 AM, weather permitting. If you intend to go please contact Stephanie directly or email ioccnysaa@gmail.com.

Note: No dig Sunday August 6th due to scheduling conflict!

- - - - - - - - - - -

Dues

If you haven’t paid your dues for 2011 please do. Please contact our new treasurer, Jon Leonard to send in your payment. Or you can pay your dues at the September meeting.

New mailing address:

IOCCNYSAA

34 Clark Road

Goshen, NY 10924

What Are We Missing On Archaeological Sites?

2011-08-01T06:50:00.001-04:00

Dave Johnson will give this talk at Museum Village at Old Smith's Clove in Monroe Tuesday, August 2nd at 7pm.

Throughout our region a major component is missing from the prehistoric record. Basically all the organic objects have decade. What remains is predominantly stone tools and pottery. This program will discuss what we are missing from the historical record by examining tools from cultures throughout the world where they still use them in the same way local Native American would have. A collection of tools will be on display during the discussion.

Iona Island hike on Sep 3rd rain date Sep 4th at 10am.

2011-07-31T20:31:00.000-04:00

Doc Bayne is all set to do the Iona Island hike on Sep 3^rd rain date Sep 4^th at 10am.

The entrance is off Route 9W, 1.5 miles South of the Bear Mountain Bridge. Park in lot next to the West Shore railroad tracks, leaving, of course, sufficient clearance for trains.

Doc Bayne, renowned local historian, photographer and educator, will again lead a hike around Iona Island in the Hudson River below Bear Mountain.

2011-07-31 at the Florist dig

2011-07-31T19:57:00.008-04:00

In cleaning a spot for the screen today, Gary spotted a suspected Bear Island point on the surface!

Loosen the soil as he might…

Digging with hope of another in sight…

Alas, but the one he found, be it…

So proud of his find - indeed - documented with all his might.

With all of this excitement over Gary's find, a reminder that life goes on flew into view. This hornet, stopped on a nearby piece of bark with her dragonfly prey today. Could a similar scene those thousands of years ago grabbed the attention of the one who dropped that point?

Due to scheduling conflicts: No dig next Sunday, August 7th.

Plan to be there to continue the study in the following weeks.

Florist Site 2011-07-24

2011-07-24T16:24:00.002-04:00

We started line "K" today, which didn't produce a lot of stuff. This was expected, since we were so close to the old roadways and swale.

Although not much came out of today's test pits, these three beautiful jasper flakes all came out of the same pit.

Just after noon, as the sky darken, Steph got a call warning us that it was pouring in Ottisville and the thunderstorm was probably headed our way. So we took heed and packed up. Sure enough, the rained reached us on the way home.

See ya next week.

No dig August 6th, due to scheduling conflicts!

Florist Site 2011-07-17

2011-07-19T16:50:00.005-04:00

After a spring of moist, clingy soil, July weather finally dried the soil! Of course, now we complained about the heat and humidity!

Dave sifts another load, under Gary's eagle eyes.

Just like the old army days: dig a hole and then fill it back in!

Perhaps the most interesting find of the day was this piece of shale. This otherwise ordinary rock has a notch on the right side that was suspiciously smooth, almost polished.

Laying in line "K"

Ray retires!

2011-07-16T11:08:00.001-04:00

Ray retired from the post of Chapter Treasurer at the club picnic!

The Executive Committee met and:

His resignation was accepted and Ray was thanked for the many years of work and dedication he has given to the chapter. A motion was made and seconded to appoint Jon Leonard to the position of treasurer until the next regularly scheduled election of officers and at that time can run for this position.

The meeting was adjourned at 5:10 PM

Respectfully Submitted,

Priscilla Johnson, Secretary

Congratulations Jon for accepting this responsibility! The Chapter's assets are in good hands.

Florist dig 7/10/2011

2011-07-10T21:41:00.002-04:00

At the florist site today we had 2 of the members attend from the Mid-Hudson Chapter who I met at the last meeting, Polly and Pat. While my camera was not functioning today and was unable to take pictures, the best find today came from the screen (I believe by Polly) and was a large beautiful jasper flake. There were several other small flakes and the weather was beautiful.

Steph

CALL FOR PAPERS: 25th ANNUAL HIGHLANDS CONFERENCE

2011-07-08T15:01:00.000-04:00

CALL FOR PAPERS

25^th ANNUAL HIGHLANDS CONFERENCE

Hosted by

THE INC. ORANGE COUNTY CHAPTER, NYSAA

THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF NEW JERSEY

THE NORTH JERSEY HIGHLANDS HISTORICAL SOCIETY

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2011

(A LIAM Design/Build photo)

LAUTENBURG VISITOR CENTER, STERLING FOREST STATE PARK

115 OLD FORGE ROAD, TUXEDO, NY

Archaeologists and historians, professional and avocational, are invited to speak at Saturday’s conference. Presentations should be no more than 25 minutes long and may be illustrated with slides or other graphic materials. A PowerPoint projector is available. Kindly submit a title and abstract to Edward J. Lenik, Program Chair, via email at edlenik@hotmail.com or snail mail at Edward J. Lenik at 100 Deerfield Road, Wayne, NJ 97470-6414 by September 1, 2011 to be considered for the program. Kindly include your affiliation and a brief biography.

Traditionally, this conference features a morning hike or field trip in the Highlands and an afternoon of papers on topics in Northeastern history or archaeology.

Questions? Call Ed Lenik at 973-835-0770 between 9AM and 4PM Monday through Friday.

REGISTRATION: The conference is free and open to the public. No registration is necessary.

BOOKROOM: Books on historical and archaeological topics will be available for sale. Please let Ed know if you would like to set up a display in the book room.

Joe Devine passes!

2011-07-06T15:44:00.000-04:00

Renowned local authority on Orange County mastodons, Joe Devine, died July 3, 2011. Joe lived in Montgomery and was a tireless advocate for our region's mastodon heritage!

Pictured here as he spoke before the Chapter at the "Centuries of Orange County Archaeology" symposium in 2009.

His obituary was been published by the Times Herald-Record on July 5th:

www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110706/NEWS0301/307069991/0/NEWS03

http://tinyurl.com/3opat8e

Critical NYS Museum staff face layoffs!

2011-07-02T09:02:00.000-04:00

Critical NYS Museum staff face layoffs as Gov. Coumo seeks to slash museum funding. Unless agreement is reached and the Governor relents, layoffs will take effect July 22nd. Among those jobs to be eliminated are the positions held by Dr. Jon Lothrop and by Dr. Christina Riech. Both have been extremely supportive of the Orange County Chapter for several years. Recently Christina arranged the funding for the excavation of the Tunkamoose Mastodon tusks, dated at 14,000 BP and the second longest tusks on record, and Jon directed the Cultural aspect of the excavation. This was the first in situ scientific excavation of a Mastodon in NYS. All others were disturbed by construction or farming equipment prior to recovery.

At this time, Jon is engaged in a project to survey and record Paleo artifacts found within NYS. This past Wednesday he came to Washingtonville and recorded the Russell Hallock Collection as well as two Clovis points owned by Bruce Decker. His work Wednesday has confirmed that a local site where Russ found seven fluted points is among the most significant Paleo sites in NYS.

Just last Tuesday Jon and Andrea Lain spent two hours with members of the Orange County Chapter guiding us through the thousands of artifacts stored at the Museum in the "back rooms."

The Orange County Chapter has spent years building relationships with NYS Museum staff. Our primary function as a Chapter is to be the ears and eyes of the Museum. The level of trust which fosters that relationship is the result of our conducting our Chapter activities as responsible members of the archaeological community and not simply as as artifact collectors. The loss of these professionals will be a major loss to our Chapter and to the Archaeological community.

Harold Ray Decker, Past Pres. IOCCNYSAA

Fieldtrip UPDATE: NYS Museum at Albany PLUS "The Great Algonkin Flint Mine" at Coxsackie

2011-06-26T17:35:00.001-04:00

I got a call from Ray Decker this morning and the meeting point for the Tuesday, June 28th Albany trip has changed!

It will NOT be the Goshen Diner!

Apparently the assembly point is under discussion - call Ray directly for the updated location.

Enjoy the expedition!

Florist Site dig cancelled for 6/26/2011

2011-06-25T13:09:00.000-04:00

Hello all, we must regretfully cancel the dig for this Sunday, 6/26 due to the weather. While the forecast calls for 80 degrees and sun on Sunday, the weather we have had all week and forecast of storms for Saturday, have amounted to over 5 inches of rain. Due to the ground saturation, it does not make for easy visibility at all, making it especially difficult for new diggers. Screening will be near impossible with the amount of mud and trowel "smearing" through screens can damage artifacts as well as the screens. I hope that this week coming Mother Nature will be on our side with clear skies and the site will dry some so that we may all return next Sunday without issue. I'm sorry for any inconvenience for anyone who had planned to attend and please join us next week! Thanks!

Stephanie

Florist Site dig cancelled for 6/19/2011

2011-06-17T07:22:00.001-04:00

Hello everyone, just a quick note to let you know that we will not be digging this weekend. To anyone that may have stopped by last weekend, I apologize for any inconvenience on cancelling. While the rain held off, it was simply too wet. This weekend neither Gary or I will be available so we will not be digging but will return next weekend (6/26) and Sundays thereafter as well. I hope everyone has a wonderful Father's Day for those that are celebrating, and we will see you back out in the field next week! Thanks,

Stephanie

Museum Village Hosting Tuesday Speaker Series

2011-06-12T10:57:00.002-04:00

TUESDAY NIGHT SPEAKER SERIES

June 7, 7:00PM – 8:00PM: Bloomeries, Mines, and Furnaces; 17th & 18th Century Iron Production in the Hudson Region

Local educator Doc Barnes talks about iron mining in the Hudson Valley.

June 14, 6:30PM – 7:30PM: "The World in Your Backyard"; an Historical Archaeology Project with Educator Andy Angstrom.

The speaker is Andy Angstrom an educator from the Ashoken Preserve. He will do a presentation on his recent archaeological dig near the reservoir where he uncovered a circa 1905-1909 workmen's bar. The talk and slide show is entitled "Finding the World in Your Backyard." It includes a sharing of the many artifacts he uncovered as well as his research with archival materials about the particulars of the construction of the reservoir which is the largest supplying New York City and is located in Ulster County.

It's a good presentation! - Bob Schmick

Educator Andy Angstrom shares his discovery of an early 20th Century site associated with the Ashokan Reservoir and the methodology he used to uncover, research, and share his findings. This is a great presentation of interest to both children and parents alike.

June 21, 7:00PM – 8:00PM: Native American History Presentation

In conjunction with the display of birch bark and dug-out canoes, Museum Village Interpreter Ray Olsen will present an overview of Native American cultures and more specific local populations of the past through objects.

June 28, 7:00PM – 8:30PM: Bladesmith Adriaan Gerber Demonstrates Forge Welding and Edge Tool Making at the Museum Village Smithy

This will be a live demonstration of forge welding and knife making at Museum Village’s smithy by a professional blacksmith. The first meeting of the Hudson Valley Blacksmith Association will follow the demonstration. All who are interested are welcome to join in.

And:

MUSEUM VILLAGE TUESDAY NIGHT CRUISES
Every Tuesday through October 4

In addition to enjoying the cars and the friendly automobile camaraderie, there will be a special VIP building tour each week and exciting guest lecturers. Come on in and visit.

- - -

Museum Village

1010 Route 17M

Monroe, NY 10950

845-782-8248

845-782-6432 (fax)

http://www.museumvillage.org/events.htm

2011-06-11 Dutchess Quarry Cave Chapter Tour

2011-06-11T21:04:00.003-04:00

Under threat of rain, Gary, walking backwards, leads the first group up the road to the trail.

Pausing to discuss an archaic beach front.

View over the present quarry, looking south.

Discussing Cave #1.

Doc explores a solution cavity, the process that made these caves, with his good hand.

Examining the features on the cave wall by flashlight.

Gary, Cindy, Lori & Jon checking out the nineteenth century graffiti.

Climbing out.

The rain held off, and it turned out to be prefect weather for this expedition. Nicely cool and overcast.

UPDATE: IOCCNYSAA Dutchess Quarry Caves Tour

2011-06-09T14:59:00.008-04:00

Note: Due to imposed conditions, this year's tour is restricted to IOCCNYSAA members and their guests.

Sorry, this year's tour is not open to the general public.

Gary cleared a trail today and reports that a lot of fallen trees litter the site and trail! This will
make the hike up to the caves plus traversing the talus slope more difficult than it has been in the past!

Plus, the wet spring has made for a bumper crop of poison ivy; so be prepared for a much more challenging hike than in previous years.

Hands-on flint-napping and atlatl demonstrations are planned at the assembly point. 10 am is the planned start. Groups of about dozen or so members at a time will be dispatched from the assembly point with guides to archaic beaches, the caves and, possibly, the quarry overlook.

Come appropriately dressed for the hike up the mountain. It will be a moderate to difficult hike this year. Expect to encounter rocky, muddy terrain in addition to fallen trees, thorns, underbrush and steep climb.

As disease carrying ticks are endemic in Orange County, please take appropriate precautions.
See Centers for Disease Control and Prevention web page "Stop Ticks:"
www.cdc.gov/Features/StopTicks/

Some photos from prior expeditions:
http://tinyurl.com/re3re3

http://tinyurl.com/3m4gw6b

Please bring hard hats or other head protection for entering the caves. A few hard hards will be available for communal use.

Email was sent to members with additional details.

Questions? Contact Gary directly or email ioccnysaa@gmail.com.

THE ARCHAEOLOGIST - Vol. 6, June 17, 2011

2011-06-07T12:10:00.001-04:00

THE ARCHAEOLOGIST

THE INCORPORATED ORANGE COUNTY CHAPTER

OF THE NEW YORK STATE ARCHAEOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION

60 Decker Drive, Middletown, N.Y. 10940

Vol. 6, June 17, 2011

Chapter Web Site - http://ioccnysaa.blogspot.com/

Chapter email - ioccnysaa@gmail.com

Chapter meetings are held on the third Friday of each month except July and August at the Methodist Church in Goshen, which is located on the corner of Main Street and Court Lane. All are welcome.

** Meeting Notice: The June meeting will be held on Friday the 17^th, at 7:30 P.M at our regular meeting location, the Methodist Church in Goshen.

Finally! Flint knapping is the feature for this month. So bring your knapping kits if you have one and join Gary, Joe and Brian in reconstructing ancient history.

__________________________________

President’s Message

As I mentioned last month we will continue to meet at the Methodist Church in Goshen until we find a suitable alternative site with handicap access. Hopefully the senior center in Middletown will be completed by September. The annual picnic will be held in July this year. I hope you can attend the Dutchess Cave event, our monthly meeting and the picnic. I will be in Albuquerque, NM presenting at the CAASW Conference so Vice-President Chuck Tudor will conduct the meeting.

Dave

__________________________________

Dutchess Rock Shelter Day

The Dutchess Rock Shelter tour is on for June 11. We are meeting at 10 am and finishing whenever we finish. Members are encouraged to bring people who are interested in seeing the site. Volunteers are needed to help with the planning as well as people to guide and direct people at the site. If you are willing to help, please contact Garry Keeton at his cell phone 845-649-5887 or at 845-386-4892 or garykeeton@yahoo.com.

__________________________________

IOCC Picnic

Saturday, July 9, 2011, 12 - 4 P.M.

Shannon Park Rt. 284 in Slate Hill, N.Y., (just west of route 6.)

Bring your curios for “show and tell.”

Menu: IOCC will provide hamburgers, hot dogs, lemonade, punch and strawberries. We will need: Round and long rolls, salads-potato, macaroni, beans, lettuce & tomato, yellow cakes, uniced, for strawberry shortcake.

Members, family and guests are all welcome.

Donations of all kinds will help! Dollar bills, food, help setting up, grilling, cleaning up.

Please call Tom / Marilyn Brannan - 845-343-4254 (up to 10 P.M.) to schedule foods and participation.

This event is Rain or Shine!

Bring a friend, a smile, and an artifact!

Tom

__________________________________

From: Robert S. Feranec, Ph.D.

Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology

New York State Museum

3140 Cultural Education Center

Albany, NY 12230

The museum will be having an exhibit over the summer (likely late July/early August) called "From the Collections". It’s based on major collections and contributors of the NY State Museum's collections. My section will have the Arborio mastodon exhibited as well as having a brief description of the IOCCNYSAA, as contributors to the vertebrate paleontology collections. If you come up to see it, let me know, and I can give you all a nice tour of the collections.

Sincerely,

Bob

**** I will contact Bob to arrange a date for us to visit the exhibit and take the tour with him.

Dave

__________________________________

Site Protocol Statement

The Executive Committee has updated our chapter’s site protocol statement so that it is in line with local, state and national procedures. I have included the statement below. If any member wishes to review the documents which support this statement please see me at the next meeting. Please thank Stephanie Tice and Gary Keeton for putting this together.

IOCCNYSAA Site Protocol Statement

• All sites shall be reported to the New York State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) using an Archaeological Site Inventory Form if not previously reported.

• Proper liability insurance will be held by the IOCCNYSAA for purpose of protecting both Field workers and land owner effective for chapter functions only.

• The Chairperson of the Field Committee will coordinate with landowner time and dates of fieldwork and what persons are permitted on property.

• No chapter member may be on site without knowledge of the Field Committee Chairperson

• No less than two chapter members shall be on site to ensure witness and verification of important finds.

• A camera should always be available for photo documentation.

• Proper research, excavation, laboratory and curation techniques and protocols shall be followed in compliance with New York Archaeological Council Standards, The New York State Historic Preservation Act of 1980 and The Cultural Resource Standards Handbook (October, 2000) as prepared by The New York State Archaeological Council Standards Committee.

• All excavated resources are property of landowner. Should the IOCCNYSAA be granted permission to retain such resources, they will be done so as a dedicated and reported collection in a manner dictated by the NYS SHPO.

• Looting and treasure hunting on any property in the State of New York without consent of landowner is TRESPASSING and THEFT of PRIVATE PROPERTY.

• Any IOCCNYSAA member found in violation of state and federal law regarding trespassing or theft from an archaeological site being excavated by the chapter, may face legal prosecution by landowner as well as revocation of chapter membership.

__________________________________

Dues

It is time to collect dues for 2011. Please send your payment to Clif for the time being.

Florist site: 2011-06-05

2011-06-05T16:53:00.001-04:00

Gary finds the big flake of the day:

Today's crew displaying intense concentration.

Laying in line "J."

"Rocks, Riddles and Mysteries," a new book by chapter member, Ed Lenik

2011-06-03T09:44:00.001-04:00

Archaeologist, long time chapter member and author Ed Lenik is widely known for his expertise in northeastern Native American rock art. In the course of his travels and research, he has encountered many strange and curious historical rock and stone carvings and structures, some of which may be regarded as Indian, but the majority of which by his reckoning are “white guy” art. This book describes those sites and objects and the fascinating stories behind their creation.

Puzzling, captivating, and at time bewildering, these historical curiosities include faces, animals, designs, patterns and scenes carved on rocks through New England, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The author has personally probed and researched each site in some detail, learning when it was first noticed and what the local people had to say about why it was there and who carved or painted it.

Tourist attractions? Boy Scout art? Idle play among quarry workers? Archaeological fraud? Hebrew inscriptions? Outsider art? Norse runes? You can decide, since a handy “See For Yourself” section invites you to visit the sites that are publicly accessible so that you may draw your own conclusions.

Designed to be used in the field, or as an enjoyable read in the armchair, this guide will transport the reader on an adventure of discovery, visiting curious places, looking at mysterious rocks and hearing the stories they have to tell.

Ed's book is available from American History Press.

Tunkamoose: It's a boy!

2011-06-02T16:51:00.003-04:00

Hi guys,

Some new info for you. A brand new paper used principal components analysis to determine whether mastodon tusks are from males or females. Usually females are smaller. Based on the size of the Tunkamoose tusk, I assumed it was male but didn't know for sure. Well, the test confirmed it was from a male. At least the big complete tusk is from a male.

We also have another person that is conserving the tusk. Gay retired a couple years ago. The new conservator is Lisa. She's doing an amazing job, although with her "real" duties at the museum, she only gets to the tusk a few times a month. The big tusk is coming along.

Also, the museum will be having an exhibit over the summer (likely late July/early August) called "From the Collections". Its based on major collections and contributors of the NY State Museum's collections. My section will have the Arborio mastodon exhibited as well as having a brief description of the IOCCNYSAA, as contributors to the vertebrate paleontology collections.

Sincerely,

Bob

----------
Robert S. Feranec, Ph.D.
Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology
New York State Museum
Albany, NY 12230

Florist Site reopened for the 2011 season!

2011-05-30T07:54:00.000-04:00

New member, Veronica, leads the site veterans, Gary & Steph through the new spring growth for the first time this season!

Veronica was a quick study under the guidance of Step & Gary, spotting the majority of today's flakes, from a tiny finishing flake up to the largest found today!

Steph measures the sub-soil horizon in one of Fred's test pits.

Today's "I" line test pits yielded surprising few cultural objects!

May 20th Meeting

2011-05-20T23:07:00.004-04:00

President Dave proudly presents Ray Decker a certificate commemorating his 51 years of contributions to, membership in and leadership of the Chapter!

Program Chair, Fred, introducing tonights's speaker:

Joseph R. Blondino, who, working in conjunction with the National Park Service, have been excavating in the backyard of General George Washington's headquarters at Valley Forge. He gave an very interesting talk about his work and findings entitled "A More Tolerable Quarter: Finding Washington’s Dining Hut at Valley Forge" to roughly 25 attending.

Gary's equisitely crafted special raffle point was won by our newest member, Cindy! Shown here with friends Laura and Leslie admiring her good fortune!

Florist site work to resume Sunday, May 29th!

2011-05-20T10:22:00.000-04:00

Hello All! It is finally that time again! We are all set to return to the Florist site. I had hoped to begin this weekend (5/21) but have decided that due to the horrible weather we have experienced this week, digging conditions this weekend will not be so ideal for the 1st day back. We will however begin next Sunday 5/29 from 9am-1pm. I understand that it is Memorial Day weekend and if anyone who is interested cannot make it, don't worry and simply join us the following Sunday! Note that if any Sunday it is raining, we will not be digging.

For anyone who has not yet been informed about the site, it is a 2.9 acre multi-component and along the original bank of the Wallkill River. We were given the wonderful opportunity beginning in Novemeber 2009 to investigate this site where we have found evidence from archaic to late woodland occupation, as well as the historic debris from the extant former colonial era inn. We have been conducting shovel test pits to narrow our focus and concentration but will be doing more in-depth excavation this season. It is a wonderful opportunity for any chapter members looking to get their hands dirty, learn techniques, local history, and most importantly have fun and enjoy the participation in real archaeology. For more info I am always obliged to further discuss!

Please note that if you would like to participate, you should bring (but not required): a simple dig kit including shovel, trowel, sharpie, pen/pencil, metric tape measure etc. The site is located in a wooded area and therefore bringing along bugspray is recommeded. If anyone has a sifter or other materials such as buckets, feel free to bring them. The Chapter does have long tapes and a great, large sifter and I supply several buckets as well as artifact bags and necessary paperwork. Also please refer to the Chapter's updated Site Protocol Statement where we have stated our rules related to our excavations.

If anyone has any questions you can contact me directly.

If possible please shoot me an email to let me know if you plan to come on Sunday so I have an idea of attendance, this will not be required every week. I look very forward to getting back out in the field and hope that you are able to join us!

Stephanie

There’s Still Time to Register for the APHNYS Historical Marker Workshop!

2011-05-10T12:52:00.000-04:00

APHNYS Historical Marker Workshop!This Saturday, May 14, 2011 in Newburgh at the Newburgh Heritage Center

If you have already RSVP’ed—thank you! We look forward to seeing you.

APHNYS Historical Marker Workshop in Newburgh

Saturday, May 14, 2011
10:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Newburgh Heritage Center
Note: This is a change of venue from original event announcement.

123 Grand Street, Newburgh, NY 12550
(845) 569-8090

For details, please go to: http://www.aphnys.org/cde.cfm?event=351664

Program

Welcoming & APHNYS Updates by President Gerry Smith

Multi-media Presentation: APHNYS Historical Marker Project

How Public Historians Can Utilize Historical Markers in their Work

Important NYS History Updates from the State Historian’s Office

Refreshments will be served.

Help celebrate Heritage Weekend 2011 by joining us in the Hudson Valley!

Let us know you’re coming!Please RSVP to APHNYS at 518-694-5002 or aphnys@caphill.com!

These programs made possible through a grant from the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area.

We are currently setting the workshop date for New York City…please stay tuned!

Association of Public Historians of New York State (APHNYS)

1450 Western Avenue, Suite 101

Albany, NY 12203-3539

Phone: (518) 694-5002

Fax: (518) 463-8656

aphnys@caphill.com

http://www.aphnys.org