No Chapter meeting this April!

 THE ARCHAEOLOGIST – April, 2024

has been sent to the membership!

We will not have a monthly meeting in April since the state archaeological conference will be held this month in Oswego, NY.

February meeting at 7:30 pm at the Mulbury House Senior Center located at 62-70 West Main Street, Middletown, NY 10940.

 “Will the last person leaving Newburgh please turn out the lights?” Presented by Johanna Yaun, Orange County Historian

From 1957 to 1975, the City of Newburgh underwent a period of Urban Renewal. In an effort to modernize the old port city along the Hudson River, city leaders accepted Federal funds to

dispense in demolishing over 1,400 buildings. Johanna will discuss the losses suffered by the community, including the displacement of residents and the loss of important historical

structures. The discussion will be accompanied by never-before-seen photos from the collection of Gerard M. Mastropaolo who documented the demolitions from 1970-1975.

Johanna Yaun, the Orange County Historian will present at our February 16th meeting tonight at 7:30 pm at the Mulbury House Senior Center located at 62-70 West Main Street, Middletown, NY 10940.

February 16, 2024 meeting!

In Person & Online! Join Zoom Meeting:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87694562155...

Meeting ID: 876 9456 2155 Passcode: 892431

THE ARCHAEOLOGIST – Oct., 2023 - No OCTOBER MEETING

 THE ARCHAEOLOGIST – Oct., 2023

President’s Message

We are not going to have a meeting this October. Last year we decided to cut down on monthly meetings. So our next meeting will be on Friday, November 17th. The presentation for the November meeting will be in the November newsletter. In addition to a presentation, we will have some holiday desserts for the meeting. I look forward to seeing you in November.

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Bill Sandy presented at our September meeting:

Black Archaeological Sites – Famous and Obscure

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THE ARCHAEOLOGIST – Oct., 2023 has been sent to the membership, so please let us know if you are a member and you didn't receive your copy.

September Chapter Meeting & "Black Archaeology Sites in the Middle Atlantic, Famous and Obscure" by Bill sandy

 President’s Message

I hope everyone had a wonderful summer. We had a very enjoyable picnic in June with lots of good food and lengthly discussions in regard to the items people brought with them for show and tell.

We will be holding our first meeting of this season on Friday, September 15, 2023 starting at 7:30 pm at the Mulbury House Senior Center, 62-70 West Main Street, Middletown, NY 10940. Bill Sandy will be our presenter. We hope you can attend the in person meeting, however if you cannot, please sign in through Zoom at https://tinyurl.com/5xw2amuc. We hope that more of you can attend our meeting in person since it adds to the fellowship our chapter has been known for. We hope to offer a combination of regular meetings with some field trips this year. If you come across anyone who might be an interesting speaker for our chapter, please let me know, and I will contact them. Also, if you have any questions or suggestions please let me know.

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At our September 15^th meeting Bill Sandy will present:

Black Archaeology Sites in the Middle Atlantic, Famous and Obscure

The Middle Atlantic and Southern New England are filled with an infinite variety of archaeological sites relating to Black history. This paper looks at 10 Black archaeological sites that include five historic cemeteries. The New York City African Burial Ground is now a National Landmark, our Nation’s highest honor. The Catoctin Slave Cemetery near Camp David, Maryland was excavated more than 40 years ago, and is the subject of a recent article in Historical Archaeology. Locally, the Montgomery African American Cemetery, subject to an IOCC-NYSAA mapping project in the 1990s, is the subject of ongoing research and interpretation. A salvage dig at a churchyard in Newark, NJ proved to that Episcopalian cemetery was integrated at an early date. Documentary research relating to Black Revolutionary War soldiers who died in Fishkill, NY from CT and elsewhere will be presented. Other sites to be discussed include Beverwyck, a northern plantation in Morris County, NJ and the Mann House site in Sussex County, NJ. The Mann House famously had a “hiding”, a metal object hidden in the rafters to reflect the “evil eye”. The Gabriel Esselstyne Site in the Catskills of NY had a 19th Century log cabin with a hiding of its own. Dug 30 years ago, only a draft, unpublished report exists. Nearby are huge cement plants. Industrial Archaeology has a Black component; Black men were historically a lower paid part of this industry. Urban archaeology in Providence, RI may have provided evidence of a small Black house pulled down in a race riot. These sites range from world famous to nearly unknown. Together with a myriad of other sites, they are prime for interpretation and reinterpretation, with the ultimate goal of a more accurate and nuanced understanding of Black history as an integral part of American history.

Chapter Picnic replaced June Meeting

 Chapter Picnic replaced June Meeting.

Next meeting in September.

THE ARCHAEOLOGIST, May 2023

 THE ARCHAEOLOGIST – May 2023

President’s Message

As you know, we have been organizing and reorganizing the state conference for the last three years, and as of April 21 - 23, it finally happened. We ended up with 135 registering for the conference, and, according to what everyone told me, it was very successful. Everything went very well, and the hotel did everything they could to accommodate us. We didn’t have a major problem, and, when a minor one occurred, everyone pitched in and solved it within minutes. The reason why it was so successful was the result of the number of outstanding and dedicated volunteers we had collaborating together from our chapter and the Lower Hudson chapter. Members from both chapters who didn’t know one each other before the conference bonded together and functioned as a well oiled machine to get the various jobs done. During the conference it brought our chapters closer together than ever before. For those of you who helped with the conference, I cannot thank you enough. It was a pleasure, privilege and honor to work with all of you. I am sure this will be a conference that attendees, as well as ourselves, will talk about for years. 

This month’s meeting will be in person. Our speaker will be Richard Hull who is a member of our chapter. I hope you can attend.

Recently, we learned that Ray Decker <https://www.recordonline.com/obituaries/pnys0467791> and Larry Hansen <https://www.recordonline.com/obituaries/pnys0376112> have passed away. Both were members of our chapter for decades, as well as, officers, and participated in numerous activities. 

We need someone to help set up the chapter picnic which is scheduled for June. If anyone is interested please, contact me as soon as possible.

David Johnson

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I hope to see you at the meeting.Dr. Richard Hull will be the speaker at our May meeting.

‘Speculations on Sustainability Among the Early Lenape in the Hudson River Valley’

An exploration of the numerous ways in which pre-colonial Lenape people attempted to adapt to the critical environmental, cultural, religious and health challenges they had to face in the 17th and 18th centuries to sustain themselves. 

Speaker: Dr. Richard Hull

    Professor Emeritus of History

    New York University

Former board member: the Nature Conservancy, Orange County Land Trust, Warwick Historical Society, author of a dozen works including ‘People of the Valley: History of Warwick 1700-2005’.

Reminder: State Conference replaces regular April meeting!

 Reminder: State Conference replaces the regular April meeting!

THE ARCHAEOLOGIST, April 2023 has been sent to the membership.