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96th

Annual Conference

of the

New York State ArchaeologicalAssociation

Program and AbstractsApril 27-29, 2012

Hosted by the Incorporated Orange County ChapterNYSAA


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Officers of the New York State Archaeological Association

President Dr. Sherene B. Baugher ([email protected])Vice President Marie-Lorraine Pipes

([email protected])Corresponding Secretary Abigail Herlihy [email protected] Secretary Lori Blair ([email protected])Treasurer Fred Assmus ([email protected])

Officers of the Incorporated Orange County Chapter

President David JohnsonVice President Charles TudorTreasurer Jon LeonardCorresponding Secretary Sharon AssmusRecording Secretary Priscilla JohnsonTrustees Kevin Storms Clifton Patrick Gary Keeton Barry Kass

2012 Conference Chair:

David Johnson

2012 Program Co-chairs:

Barry Kass, Proffessor Emeritus of Anthropology, SUNY Orange

Cory Harris, Chair, Behavioral Sciences, SUNY Orange

Cover Art: Frozen Charlotte Porcelain Doll by Kevin Storms www.kevinstorms.com
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.kevinstorms.com/http://www.kevinstorms.com/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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96th

Annual Conference

of theNew York StateArchaeological Association

April 27-29, 2012


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Conference Schedule

Friday - April 27nd 10:00 2:00 New York Archaeological Council (NYAC) Board Meeting 1:00 5:00 Book Room 12:00 1:00 Registration Desk Conference Center Lobby 1:15 3:00 NYAC General Meeting Conference Center 3:00 5:00 NYAC Program Conference Center 5:00 6:30 NYSAA Fellows / Awards Committee Meeting 6:00 7:30 Dinner on your own 7:30 on NYSAA General Business Meeting followed by Hospitality Reception

96th Annual Conference of the New York State Archaeological Association page 1 of 25

ILLUSTRATED HISTORIC ARTIFACTS ARE FROM APRE-1853 REFUSE DEPOSIT FOUND NEAR THE ERIE CANAL

ILLUSTRATED PREHISTORIC ARTIFACTS ARE FROM THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL DISTRICT

NINETEENTH CENTURY SERVICE ALLEY FOR BUILDINGS NEAR THE CANAL

New York Archaeology Season 2011Erie Canal Harbor Archaeological District: Crossroads of Commerce

For regional events and information, visit: WWW.NYARCHAEOLOGY.ORG

Sponsors: New York Archaeological Council, New York State Archaeological Association, New York State Museum, New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, Panamerican Consultants, Inc.

EXCAVATIONS AT THE WEBSTER BLOCK IN DOWNTOWNBUFFALO SHOWN ON AN 1872 MAP

ARTIFACTS FROM THE SITE OF A 19th CENTURY SECOND HAND SCRAP YARD

BUFFALO


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Saturday April 28th 7:00 9:00 Breakfast 7:15 8:30 NYSAA Secretaries Breakfast 8:00 5:00 Book Room 8:00 5:00 Registration Desk Conference Center Lobby 8:45 9:00 Introduction and Welcome to the Conference 9:00 5:00 Flint Knapping Demonstrations 9:00 10:20 Dr. Albert A. Dekin symposium10:20 10:40 Break10:40 Noon Dr. Albert A. Dekin symposium (cont.) Noon 1:40 Lunch 1:40 3:00 Dr. Albert A. Dekin symposium (cont.) 2:00 3:00 Poster Session 3:00 3:20 Break 3:20 5:10 Presentations related to pre-contact Archeology 7:00 8:00 Banquet 8:00 9:15 Keynote Speaker 9:15 10:00 NYSAA Awards Ceremony

Sunday, April 29th 7:00 9:00 Breakfast 8:00 12:00 Book Room 8:15 8:20 Introduction to the paper sessions 8:20 10:00 Presentations related to post-contact Archaeology-session I10:00 10:20 Break10:20 Noon Presentations related to post-contact Archaeology-session II 1:30 4:00 Field Trip

96thAnnual Conference of the New York State Archaeological Association page 2 of 25


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Paper and Poster sessions 4/28 Conference Center

8:45 8:55 Welcome to the conference by Sherene B. BaugherPres.-NYSAA, DavidJohnson, Pres.-OC Chapter (Host Chapter), Barry Kass, Program Chair.

Saturday symposium in honor of the late Dr. Albert A. Dekin,

Professor of Anthropology, Binghamton University

8:55 9:00 Introduction to the symposium by session moderator Nina Versaggi [Note: the symposium includes the following *eleven papers]*9:00 9:20 Andrefsky, William (Department of Anthropology,Washington State

Univ.Pullman, WA): Landscape Structure, Human Agency, and LithicTechnology

*9:20 9:40 Lothrop, Jonathan & Graydon Ballard (New York State Museum): The Green-Pauler Site: Two Probable Paleoindian Caches in the UpperSusquehanna Valley

*9:40 10:00 Prezzano, Susan (Anthropology Department, Clarion University, Pennsylvania):Fishing Encampments: Landscape, Scale, and ContemporaryArchaeology in Northwest Pennsylvania

*10:00 10:20 Cassedy, Daniel (URS Corporation, Morrisville, NC): The Five Mile Dam

Site: A Proto-Laurentian South Hill Manifestation in Mohawk Valley

10:20-10:40 Break

*10:40 11:00 Curtin, Edward (Curtin Archaeological Consulting, Inc): Landscape andPlace in the Formation of Archaic Societies, or a Multi-ScalarPerspective of the Late Archaic in New York State

*11:00 11:20 Rinehart, Niels (Auringer-Seeyle Chapter of NYSAA): Connecting TheDots in the Winooski Valley of Vermont: Constructing A GIS toIncorporate Small Sites Within A Larger Landscape

*11:20 11:40 Versaggi, Nina & Samuel Kudrle (Public Archaeology Facility, BinghamtonUniversity):A GIS-Assisted Re-Analysis of I-88 Sites in the SchenevusCreek Valley, NY

*11:40 Noon Quiggle, Robert & Matthew Kirk(HDR Engineering, Inc., HydropowerServices, Syracuse, NY/Hartgen Archaeological Associates, Inc.): IndustrialProgress in the Adirondacks: The Archeological Evidence andImplications of the Transition from Extractive Enterprises toRenewable Energy



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Noon-1:40 PM Lunch

Saturday afternoon papers (Dekin symposium cont.)

*1:40 2:00 Robinson, Paul & Doug Harris (Department of Anthropology, Rhode IslandCollege/ Narragansett Tribal Historic Preservation Office): CeremonialLandscapes and Battlefields at Nipsachuck during King Philips War

*2:00 2:20 Victor T. Mastone, Craig J. Brown, Christopher V. Maio (Massachusetts Board of

Underwater Archaeological Resources/Historical Archeology Program, Universityof Massachusetts, Boston/ Department of Environmental, Earth, and OceanSciences, University of Massachusetts, Boston): The Revolutionary War Battleof Chelsea Grounding the Historical Narrative through CulturalLandscape Analysis

*2:20 2:40 Knoerl, John (National Park Service, WASO CRGIS Program, Washington,DC): How Battlefields Disappear

2:40 3:00 Q&Afrom audience {Note: End of Dr. Albert A. Dekin Symposium}

3:00-3:20 Break

Presentations related to pre-contact ArcheologySession Moderator: Cory Harris, Orange County Chapter

3:20 3:40 Scott Horecky and John Phillips (Lower Hudson Chapter-NYSAA): A Cluster ofGround Stone Tools on the Lower Hudson

3:40 4:00 Sandra Katz and Kathleen Allen (Dept. of Anthropology, U. of Pittsburgh):Exploring the Organization of Stone Tool Production at Two PrehistoricCayuga Village Sites

4:00 4:20 Steve Moragne (NYS Museum Cultural Resources Survey Program): A Non-SiteAnalysis of the Robert Simonds Site (NYSM#12357)

4:20 4:40 Are Tsirk (Fractography Consultant): Knapping Lessons fromFractography, Using Normanskill Chert



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4:40 5:00 Fred Assmus (Orange County Chapter, NYSAA): The Relationship of PotteryMotifs to the Everyday Life of the Prehistoric Peoples in the UpperDelaware Valley

5:00 5:10 Q&Afrom Audience

7:00 8:00Banquet

8:00 9:15 Keynote speaker: David Johnson, (President, Orange County Chapter,NYSAA):Analyzing Archaeology in New York State based on Peruvianand Southwestern United States Surveys

9:15 10:00 NYSAA Awards Ceremony

Sunday, April 29th

7:00 9:00 Breakfast

8:00 12:00 Book Room

Paper and Poster sessions Conference Center

8:15 8:20 Introductory remarks: Barry Kass, Program Chair

Presentations related to post-contact Archaeology-session I(Session Moderator: Charles Tudor, Orange County Chapter)

8:20 8:40 Joseph Diamond (SUNY New Paltz), John Stevens, James Decker (Hudson ValleyVernacular Architecture):Archaeological and ArchitecturalInvestigations: Recreating the Original Roof-Lines of Two Early 18th

Century Dutch Houses in Ulster County, NY

8:40 9:00 David Moyer (Upper Susquehanna and Chenango Chapters, NYSAA): Taking aBreak on the Catskill Turnpike: Archaeological Investigations at theAndrew Mann Inn

9:00 9:20 Den Rivera ( Metropolitan Chapter, NYSAA): Digging at the Crossroads:Location and Community Memory

9:20 9:40 Corey McQuinn (Hartgen Archeological Associates, Inc.): PreliminaryFindings from the N.A. White and Sons Pottery, Utica, New York: TheCraft of Stoneware Pottery and Changes in Consumer Culture.

9:40 10:00 Andy Krievs (Hartgen Archaeological Associates, Inc.): Dutch Sent Me: AClandestine Bootleg Distillery in Pine Plains, New York

10:00-10:20 Break



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Presentations related to post-contact Archaeology-session IISession moderator: Cory Harris, Orange County Chapter

10:20 10:40 Matthew Kirk (Hartgen Archaeological Associates, Inc.): Inexpensive andPoorly Made: The Behaviors Which Produce Trash

10:40 11:00 Abigail Herlihy (Adirondack Chapter, NYSAA): Paradise to Parking Lot:Exploring the Good Life at the Woodcliff Lodge Historic Site,,

Poughkeepsie, New York11:00 11:20 Louise Basa and Thomas Blaber (Schenectady County Community College-

Community Archaeology Program): Silver Braid

11:20 11:40 Donald Bayne (Orange County Chapter, NYSAA): Iona Island

11:40 Noon Q&Afrom audience

1:30 4:00 Sunday Afternoon Field Trip:Fishkill Cantonment & Van Wyck HistoricalHouse, Fishkill, NY

Important Information and Directions:

The field trip to the Van Wyck Historical House and Cantonment will held from 1:30 to 3:30 forthose who have registered for it. If it rains we can still visit the house. A tour of the house will beconducted by their staff and the walking tour of the revolutionary burial site will be lead by BillSandy. The walk will be less than a mile along a trail. Appropriate footwear is suggested.Participants who cannot walk to the burial site can still enjoy the house tour.

Directions: *Please note youcannot turn left onto route 9 soplease follow these directions:

Turn right onto Route 9 northand immediately get into the leftlane. At the first traffic lightmake a U turn onto Route 9South. Follow Route 9 south for9 miles until you see theintersection for Route 9 andInterstate 84. Go under Route84 and stay in the left lane.Immediately after you passunder the bridge at the first stop

light take a left onto SnookRoad. The Van Wyck House ison that corner and the firstbuilding on the left. Turn leftinto the parking lot.


Van Wyck Historical House(Pictorial Field Book of the Revolution. Volume I. By Benson J. Lossing, 1850)


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Program Abstracts

Dr. Albert A. Dekin, Jr.January 24, 1944January 28, 2010

Saturday morning (4/28) Al Dekin Memorial Symposium

8:55 9:00 Nina Versaggi (Public Archaeology Facility, Bingamton University): Introduction

Session Overview

Albert A. Dekin, Jr. served as President of the New York Archaeological Council for several terms in the

1980s. He also taught at SUNY-Binghamton from 1976 until his retirement (and passing) in 2010. From

1976-1987, he was director of the Public Archaeology Facility and transformed the facility into a

successful Cultural Resource Management research and consulting center. During this time, he mentored

many graduate students at Binghamton as well as other archaeologists throughout the State and

Northeast. Although he spent many of his later years in archaeology working in Alaska and British

Columbia, this symposium focuses on his diverse contributions to Northeastern archaeology.



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The following topics are addressed in the eleven papers in this symposium:

The concept of archaeological scale linked to units of analysis was always one of Al's interests.This was mostly an intra-site focus, but later emerged as a regional synthesis. How does thetransition from one scale to the next influence interpretation of prehistoric practice, organization,mobility, and land use?

This leads directly to Al's more recent interest in landscape analysis. Landscape can play a majorrole in the analysis of battlefield terrain, traditional cultural properties, memory, and symbolic

representations just to name a few.

Finally, Al's other passion was technology as reflected in material culture, whether in terms ofprehistoric technologies or modern digital technologies. Advances in lithic, pottery, botanical andother material culture analyses fit into this category. Also, ethical concerns with how we curateand preserve data featured prominently in many of Als lectures. Recent initiatives in digitalarchival programs and electronic sharing of data are just some examples of this topic.

9:00 9:20 Landscape Structure, Human Agency, and Lithic TechnologyWilliam Andrefsky, Jr. (Department of Anthropology Washington State University)

Hafted bifaces or projectile points have long been used by North Americanarchaeologists as phylogenic markers for culture historical and temporal periods.Researchers also know that technological characteristics on such tools areexcellent indicators of artifact functions. For instance, we know that impactdamaged bifaces reveal to us that the tool was actually used as a projectile tip. Wealso know from wear analysis that these tools were sometimes used as cutting andas sawing utensils. In this study I show how hafted bifaces can reveal informationabout human land-use practices. Technological characteristics such as damage,resharpening, and reconfiguration of hafted bifaces are used in conjunction withx-ray florescence analysis of obsidian to reveal human circulation patterns. It isshown that hafted biface production and maintenance strategies are linked to

individual decisions based upon contextual factors such as the distances toolmakers are from their residence camps and their familiarity with elements of theirlandscape. Lithic technological practices are intimately linked to landscapeelements, availability of resources, economic situations, and the place ofindividuals and their decisions within this diverse web.

9:20 9:40 The Green-Pauler Site: Two Probable Paleoindian Caches in theUpper Susquehanna Valley

Jonathan C. Lothrop (New York State Museum), Graydon BallardFrom excavations at the Debert Paleoindian site as a young college student, AlDekin formed an abiding interest in late glacial adaptations in North America.

Stemming from his archaeological fieldwork further north in the arctic andsubarctic, he saw that ethnographic hunter-gatherers of these regions provideduseful counterpoints for interpreting archaeological evidence of Paleoindiantechnology and land use in the late glacial Northeast. For mobile foragers innorthern latitudes, caching of tools and supplies is a common strategic practice.Early Paleoindian stone tool caches have been widely documented in westernNorth America, and their recent study has led to new insights on Clovistechnology and colonization. East of the Mississippi, however, only a handful of



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early Paleoindian (fluted point affiliated) caches have been recorded, and all arelocated in the Northeast. This paper reports on two probable Paleoindian lithiccaches, discovered on a late Pleistocene terrace above the Susquehanna River ineastern New York. The Green-Pauler caches include tool blanks and bifaces, withtoolstone dominated by jasper, perhaps from eastern Pennsylvania. We concludethat these two caches were utilitarian in nature, and that Paleoindians may haveimported these artifacts during travels north from Pennsylvania into eastern NewYork, perhaps via the Delaware Valley. This analysis of the Green-Pauler caches

and comparisons to late Pleistocene lithic caches elsewhere in North Americayield potential insights on early Paleoindian technology and land use in easternNew York and the broader Northeast.

9:40 10:00 Fishing Encampments: Landscape, Scale, and ContemporaryArchaeology in Northwest Pennsylvania

Susan C. Prezzano (Professor of Anthropology, Clarion University)Al Dekin combined wide-ranging academic interests with substantial experientialknowledge of contemporary and archaeological cultures of the North America toarrive at a unique perspective on the past that merged interests in landscape,scale, and technology. Recent investigations in northwestern Pennsylvania have

used these three themes to inform on past archaeological practices, and to providea framework for pursuing new archaeological agendas in the region. Specifically,the Allegheny drainage has received little professional archaeologicalinvestigations due to few early ethnohistorical documents on Native Americans ofthe area, and to a perception that the narrow, unglaciated floodplains of theAllegheny could not sustain substantial pre-contact Native American populations.In addition, perceptions of habitable landscapes, based on contemporary landuse, have influenced archaeological pursuits. However, recent excavations alongthe Clarion River, a tributary of the Allegheny River, reveal a series of deeplyburied occupations (ca. 7200-8400 BP) within the Middle Archaic period. Theseoccupations, due to their lack of substantial lithic debris, could be easily missedfollowing standard archaeological investigations. The discovery of some of theearliest fishing implements in the Northeast in a unique archaeological contextallow for novel interpretations of land use during the initial establishment ofmodern hardwood forests and stream patterns in the region.

10:00 10:20 The Five Mile Dam Site: A Proto-Laurentian South HillManifestation in Mohawk Valley

Daniel Cassedy (Principal Archaeologist, URS Corporation)The Five Mile Dam site is situated on the Mohawk River in Herkimer County,New York and was excavated by Garrow & Associates in 1991. Though other LateArchaic sites have been reported in the Mohawk Valley, few have been asextensively investigated. The assemblage of artifacts and associated radiocarbondates from an Otter Creek/Brewerton component at this site contributessignificantly to the chronology of Proto-Laurentian manifestations in New York.The feature forms, artifact assemblage, and the chronological position of thiscomponent are summarized, and a more detailed comparison with other Proto-Laurentian sites is provided. Seven hearths were filled with burned earth,butternut fragments, and calcined bone. Eight Otter Creek and Brewerton Side



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Notched points were recovered, and two of them came from one of the hearths,which was dated to 5,580 60 B.P. Two other hearths were dated to 5,380 110B.P. and 5,230 90 B.P. The Otter Creek/Brewerton assemblage from this site islikely related to Funks Proto-Laurentian South Hill phase, which ischaracterized by assemblages composed of broad side notched points withground bases and notches generally resembling Otter Creek and Brewerton SideNotched points but lacking the groundstone tools found in true Laurentianassemblages (Funk 1988). Both the feature form and artifact assemblage of this

component have similarities with three other sites described by Funk as havingProto-Laurentian assemblages: McCulley No. 1, in the upper Susquehanna Valley;the Sylvan Lake Rockshelter in the Hudson Valley; and Shafer in the upperSchoharie Valley.

10:40 11:00 Landscape and Place in the Formation of Archaic Societies, orMulti-Scalar Perspective of the Late Archaic in New York State

Edward V. Curtin (Curtin Archaeological Consulting, Inc.)Considerations of scale were an important element of Al Dekins instruction tostudents and PAF project directors. This paper focuses on six spatial scalesreferred to as Site, Landscape, Community, Phase, Landscapes of Memory, and

the Subcontinental. To consider Site and Landscape, the paper draws fromexamples of recent fieldwork in the Hudson valley at Coxsackie and in theVosburg Site Archaeological District, investigating activity performed withinresidential or field camps in comparison to activity performed more extensivelyoutside of camps. Evidence of anthropogenic environmental change is alsodiscussed. Community is viewed in terms of differential landscape use, whilePhase is considered as the result of interaction between proximal communities.Data pertaining to the Vosburg site, the Bent Site, and the River phase of easternNew York illustrate the discussion of these scales. Landscapes of Memory arediscussed as phenomenological landscapes derived from social memories, historiesand meanings relating particular sites to larger regions and social diversity. Datafrom Brewerton, Frontenac Island, and Lamoka Lake are discussed in this context.The Subcontinental scale extends the discussion of these sites as considerationexpands to how these sites may have been involved with broader eastern NorthAmerican historical processes during the Late Archaic.

11:00 11:20 Connecting the Dots in the Winooski Valley of Vermont:Constructing a GIS to Incorporate Small Sites within a Larger Landscape

Niels R. RinehartParticularly in CRM contexts, we tend to define sites within a limited set oftypologies. Although we may assign these typologies a general role within anidealized hunter-gatherer seasonal round, sites often appear as isolated dots on anempty landscape, creating bounded locations defined by the presence of artifactsand surrounded by a negative or sterile landscape. In this study, I generate a GISillustrating a wide continuum of variation between nearly 200 sites from theWinooski Valley in Vermont, defining each site according to site size, artifactdensity, artifact richness, as well as types of artifacts and cultural features. Thissample includes several clusters of very small sites, some producing as few as twoor three lithic artifacts. Utilizing the GIS, I identify the smaller landscapes these



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little sites are found clustered within. The impetus for this study is finding ways tospatially contextualize these clusters of small sites. In so doing, we see that thesesites not as isolated dots, but rather as part of a larger destination within a muchbroader landscape filled with a rich range of sites and destinations. This GIS alsopermits an opportunity to test the applicability of standard site typologies, giventhe continuum of site data presented.

11:20 11:40 A GIS-Assisted Re-Analysis of the Interstate-88 Sites in theSchenevus Creek Valley, New York

Nina M. Versaggi and Samuel Kudrle (Public Archaeology Facility, BinghamtonUniversity)

When Al Dekin arrived at Binghamton University (then SUNY-Binghamton) in1976, he immediately faced the challenge of organizing the final phase of sitedata recoveries on the Interstate-88 Project. Al used the concept of archaeologicalscale to meet the challenge, and data recoveries involved detailed intra-siteanalyses as the building blocks of site specific interpretations and regionalpredictive modeling. The senior authors doctoral dissertation use a more holisticregional interpretation of the hunter-gatherer sites found during the I-88 project.This regional approach recognized that predictive models tended to treat all sites

as equal dots on the landscape rather than the diverse expressions of hunter-gatherer social decisions and perspectives of their landscape. Instead, she used anAnthropological perspective of hunter-gatherers social organization, mobility andland-use. The site types that resulted have been useful for PAF and otherresearchers. However, this study was not meant to be static. Today, GIS provides apowerful tool to help us view micro- and macro-scale features that could haveinfluenced hunter-gatherer land use and perception of landscape. This paper willfocus on one aspect of complex hunter-gather systems the overlap of sites withcertain landscapes variables. This study will use a GIS-assisted reinterpretation ofa selection of sites found within Schenevus Creek during the I-88 project.

11:40 Noon Industrial Progress in the Adirondacks: The ArcheologicalEvidence and Implications of the Transition from Extractive Enterprises toRenewable Energy

Robert Quiggle and Matthew Kirk (HDR Engineering, Inc., Hydropower Services,Syracuse, NY/Hartgen Archaeological Associates, Inc.)

Archaeological investigations along several major river valleys in the Adirondackregion of New York State have revealed a progression of industries that mirror thelarger social trends of the region. This paper explores the progression of water-powered industries from simple sawmills to hydroelectric plants along segments ofthe Oswegatchie, Black, Raquette, and Salmon Rivers through the archaeologicaland historical record. Recent investigations at hydroelectric facilities demonstratehow the changes in technology and material culture are visible in both intra-sitefeatures and larger regional patterns. An interpretation of these features withinthe context of regional technological transitions also reflects the changing attitudestowards and uses of the Adirondack landscape during the historic period. Aregional synthesis of these changes provides a unique entry point into theeconomic, political, and social changes in the Adirondack Mountains of upstateNew York from the late 1800s through the 1960s. The industrial history and



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archaeology of the region also challenges popular histories of the Adirondacks asan idyllic and natural landscape. Finally, the archaeological integrity of thesevarious industrial complexes is addressed. Many of the historic hydroelectricprojects have been altered, but the combination of the regional decline in theextractive economy, the forever wild designation of the Adirondack State Park,and the federal licensing process for hydroelectric projects have left many featuresof these projects remarkably intact. As a whole, the existing hydroelectric projectsin the Adirondack Region of New York State retain a uniquely comprehensive

record of nearly a century of industrial development.

Saturday Afternoon Dekin Symposium Cont.

1:40 2:00 Ceremonial Landscapes and Battlefields at Nipsachuck duringKing Philips War

Doug Harris (Narragansett Indian Tribal Historic Preservation Office)Paul Robinson (Department of Anthropology, Rhode Island College)

Two major conflicts in King Philips War (1675-1676) took place at Nipsachuck,an area in northern Rhode Island that includes about 14,000 thousand acres of

hills, swamps, fields and streams. Although this area is historically identified as theplace where these battles were fought, the actual battlefield locations areunmarked and unknown. In recognition of the historical importance ofNipsachuck, the Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission,the Narragansett Indian Tribal Historic Preservation Office and the BlackstoneValley Historical Society formed a research partnership, and with funding fromthe National Park Services American Battlefield Protection Program, areconducting a multi-year, phased project to identify and protect the NipsachuckBattlefields and their associated sites. The first phase of the project is complete: wehave gathered and synthesized the historical eye-witness accounts of the battlesand the colonial land records; we have completed military terrain analysis, and

have researched tribal oral history to define the likely battlefield locations withinthe larger Nipsachuck area. In 2012 these will be tested archaeologically toprovide material evidence of the battles. A key insight comes from Tribal oralhistory which establishes the essential importance of the area to indigenous peopleand also suggests why Nipsachuck recurred as a choice military target during thewar. The oral history recounts that Nipsachuck was a regional place of significantceremony and that during times of great crisis, Nipsachucks spiritual usage wouldhave been heightened, creating a predictable place for colonial militaryinterception.


The Great Narragansett SwampKing Philip's War: Based on the Archives and

Records of Massachusetts ...By George William Ellis, John Emery Morris.

1906.


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2:00 2:20 The Revolutionary War Battle of Chelsea Grounding theHistorical Narrative through Cultural Landscape Analysis

Victor T. Mastone, (Massachusetts Board of Underwater Archaeological Resources)Craig J. Brown (Historical Archeology Program, University of Massachusetts, Boston)Christopher V. Maio (Department of Environmental, Earth, and Ocean Sciences,University of Massachusetts, Boston)

Overshadowed by the iconic battles at Concord/Lexington and Bunker Hill, theBattle of Chelsea Creek is often overlooked as part of the siege of Boston. On

May 27-28, 1775, American militia forces raided British forage and supplies onthe northern shore of Boston Harbor. A running engagement with British marinesand armed vessels ensued. The British forces were unsuccessful; a major result ofthe battle was the capture and destruction of the schooner HMS Diana. Today,the area is a heavily modified urban-industrial landscape and the associateddevelopment activities obscured, damaged, or destroyed the major landscapefeatures of the battlefield, archeological resources associated with the battle, andany attempts to recovery the historic landscape and restore the viewshed of thebattlefield. The historical narrative (primary and secondary sources), by itself,lacked precision or detail and was unreliable to delineate the battlefield andidentify its component features. With funding from the National Park Services

American Battlefield Protection Program, a geospatial and temporal assessment ofthe location, extent, and preservation potential of the Chelsea Creek battlefieldand its associated cultural resources. By re-examining the documentary recordand using GIS analysis, a digital elevation model, and a military terrain model(KOCOA), this investigation created a high resolution spatial and temporal datasetof Bostons historical landscape during the time of the American Revolution. Thevisualization and geospatial analysis of landscapes and significant historical eventsgreatly enhances the understanding of temporal and spatial interactions betweenthese events and the physical landscape upon which they occurred.

2:20 2:40 How Battlefields DisappearJohn] Knoerl ( Program Manager, National Park Service, WASO CRGIS Program,Washington, DC)

Conflicts among competing priorities such as preservation and urban developmenthave been in play ever since the National Historic Preservation Act was signedinto law in 1966. Resolving these conflicts is often hampered by our inability tovisualize the nature of the conflict. In the case of Civil War battlefields, urbandevelopment tends to fragment these landscapes. One of the significantcontributions Al Dekin made to graduate education in archaeology wasintroducing an inter-disciplinary focus to our research. For instance, he often usedmethods from the fields of historical geography, cultural ecology, and climatologyin his Northeastern teaching and advising. This paper borrows from the field oflandscape ecology, extracting a set of landscape metrics, including fragmentationanalysis, and applies these on two battlefields in Virginia using GeographicInformation Systems. The results suggest that it may be possible to use thisinformation along with other considerations to map out a strategy for protectingkey areas that optimally function to halt continued fragmentation of thelandscape.



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Saturday Afternoon Presentations related to pre-contact Archeology

3:20 3:40 A Cluster of Ground Stone Tools on the Lower HudsonScott Horecky and John Phillips (Lower Hudson Chapter-NYSAA)

Several stone tools have been located on the tidally inundated Hudson Rivershoreline at Croton Point in northern Westchester County. These tools include afull groove stone axe, pestles, adzes, and a celt. Traces of a contact periodAlgonquin (Wappinger Kitchawank) palisade as well as 5,000 BP or older oystermiddens are present nearby. Local site excavations at Croton Point (Fiedel1983-85); Piping Rock (Brennan/Wingerson 1973-1977) and Dogan Point(Brennan 1968-1972; Claussen 1987-1993) produced evidence of extensive

Archaic, Transitional and Woodland occupations along this stretch of the HudsonRiver's eastern shore. However, the sites surroundings are extensively disturbed.As a result, specific cultural associations may remain unclear. Over the last threehundred and fifty years, Croton Points landscape has been altered by agriculture,clay mining, brick manufacture, railroad construction, public recreation and wastedisposal. Hypotheses are advanced to explain the source, age and relevance of theabove-mentioned prehistoric artifacts with an understanding and accounting forhistoric disruptions, as well as the mixing of eroded tidal shoreline deposits.



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3:40 4:00 Exploring the Organization of Stone Tool Production at TwoPrehistoric Cayuga Village Sites)

Sandra Katz and Kathleen M.S. Allen (Department of Anthropology, University ofPittsburgh)

Using a multi-scalar approach, we explored the organization of stone toolproduction at two prehistoric Cayuga village sites, Parker Farm and Carman,located on the west side of Cayuga Lake, upstate New York. We applied Cowans

(1994) approach to lithic analysis in order to compare stone tool and debitageassemblages from selected features within one house at each site. Our goal was todetermine if these sites played different roles within the settlement system, duringtheir respective time periods approximately 1525-1550 A.D. for Parker Farm,the late 1500s for Carman. We then did a finer-grained analysis of the domesticorganization of stone tool production at the Parker Farm house. Specifically, weexamined the extent to which two tool production strategies flake tools fromcores, and biface production were distributed between a nuclear familycompartment and a public vestibule area.

Our analyses paint a complex portrait of stone tool production at these sites. The

inter-site comparison revealed more evidence of bifacial tool production in theCarman lithic assemblage, more evidence of core flaking in the Parker Farmassemblage. However, the intra-house analysis at Parker Farm showed that bothforms of tool production took place, at different functional areas. Specifically,intensive bifacial tool production took place at one bench area within the nuclearfamily compartment, while intensive core flaking took place at the east side of thevestibule area. Ongoing analyses will sharpen our understanding of thedistribution of tool production strategies within the Parker Farm house, andwithin two Carman houses.

4:00 4:20 A Non-site Analysis of the Robert Simonds Site (NYSM #12357)Steve Moragne (New York State Museum Cultural Resources Survey Program)

A 2011 Phase IB survey performed by staff of the New York State MuseumsCultural Resource Survey Program near Syracuse, NY identified a large, multi-component site on the north bank of the Seneca River. In the course of preparingthe project report there was a need to better differentiate intra-site space to refinethe future work recommendations and help maximize unit placement in the eventthat a Phase II Site Exam was requested. To that end, a research strategyborrowing the concepts of distributional or non-site archaeology, typically appliedto larger areas or landscapes, was applied to the distributions of artifacts, and tosome characteristics of those artifacts, within the project area. This analysisrevealed patterns and details that can aide in developing research questions and

help any future work at this site locate units in order to most efficientlydemonstrate its research potential.

4:20 4:40 Knapping Lessons from Fractography, Using Normanskill ChertAre Tsirk (Fractography Consultant, Upper Montclair, NJ)

The objective is to show that greater use of fractography can improveinterpretations in lithic technology. Assessment of the workability of lithicmaterials can be improved by combining the subjective lithic grade scale of



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Callahan (1979) with objective measures for fracture toughness by Domanski andothers. Specific fractographic information is incorporated in examples of lithicanalysis with Normanskill chert. The meaning of some artifacts is clarified andsome surprising conclusions on biface breakage are drawn. Reference is made tonew but useful fracture markings for Normanskill chert. It is shown that identicalor very similar results may occasionally be due to very different causes.

This paper is a companion to Fractography Lessons from Knapping presented

at the 2011 conference on Fractography of Glasses and Ceramics.

4:40 5:00 The relationship of Pottery Motifs to the Everyday Life ofPrehistoric Peoples in the Upper Delaware Valley

Fred Assmus (Orange County Chapter-NYSAA, treasurer, NYSAA)A look at pottery vessels from the earliest stone vessels to clay vessels of the earlyContact Period. The results of 50 years of study on more than 28 sites in theUpper Delaware Valley of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. How tempering was usedto make the earliest clay pottery. How motifs imitated what was seen in everydaylife at different times in the study area. A look at how the changing landscapeaffected styles and motifs. How this analysis should work in other areas of the

Northeast and North America in general.


Mohawk Iroquois Longhouse(NYS Museum)


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Saturday Evening Keynote LectureKeynote speaker: David Johnson, (President, Orange County Chapter, NYSAA)

Analyzing Archaeology in New York State based on Peruvian and

Southwestern United States Surveys

Although Johnson has been associated with New York State archaeology for the last 45 years, hedidnt realize something was missing until 1996 when he recognized a correlation existed betweenPerus Nasca Lines and groundwater. During the last fifteen years his research team has providedconsiderable evidence indicating many of the ancient Nasca Lines map the course ofgroundwater from the Andes, across Peru and Chiles coastal desert, to the Pacific coast.Eventually he expanded his study to include the southwestern United States and found a similarcorrelation existed with Chacoan Roads, archaeological sites and groundwater in Arizona andNew Mexico. This lead him to wonder if Native Americans used surface features to mapgroundwater within those regions could they have used a similar technique in New York State for

the same purpose. Interestingly, preliminary data suggests this theory may also apply to thenortheastern states.

David Johnson has been a member of the New York State Archaeology Association since he wassixteen years old. He is a National Geographic recipient in Research and Exploration for hisresearch on the Nasca Lines and has written several articles and a book on his research.Currently he is collaborating with archaeologists in Peru, Arizona, New Mexico and New York todevelop a better understanding of how ancient Native Americans were able to locate and mapgroundwater resources.


Photo provided.


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Sunday morning (4/29)Presentations related to post-contact Archaeology-session 1

8:20 8:40 Archaeological and Architectural and Investigations: Recreatingthe Original Roof-Lines of two Early 18th century Dutch Houses in Ulster County,NY.

Joseph E. Diamond (Mid-Hudson Chapter NYSAA,SUNY New Paltz)

John Stevens, James Decker (Hudson Valley Vernacular Architecture)Archaeological investigations in 2004 at the Matthewis Persen House in Kingston,NY located red earthenware pan tile fragments near the southeast corner of theFirst Phase of the building, indicating an early form of roofing material on thehouse. Recently, historical restoration on the Elmendorph House in Hurley NYlocated pan tile fragments along an original second story knee wall in the FirstPhase of the building. Subsequent archaeological examination of a yard areabehind the Elmendorph house in 2011 yielded large amounts of red earthenwarepan tiles. An architectural examination of the two houses, and their constructionhistories, has determined that the two are very similar. Each began as a steepgable-fronted stone structure with parapets and probably vlechtingen (or

tumbling). These structures were removed when the buildings were later turnedparallel to the street, and expanded by additional construction episodes.

8:40 9:00 Taking a Break on the Catskill Turnpike: ArchaeologicalInvestigations at the Andrew Mann Inn

David Moyer (Upper Susquehanna Chapter NYSAA,Chenango Chapter, NYSAA)In 2011, the Upper Susquehanna Chapter of the NYSAA conductedarchaeological investigations at the Andrew Mann Inn, which is located in theTown of Unadilla, Otsego County, New York. The inn was constructed in the1790s to serve travelers along the Catskill Turnpike and is believed to have beenone of the first buildings constructed in the area following the American

Revolution. Archaeological testing was conducted at the request of the owner inanticipation of planned construction along the foundation and in the yard.Excavation consisted of digging a grid of small, one foot square test pits within theyard area to look for artifact concentrations and to gain an understanding of howlandscape usage changed over time. These excavations also gave us theopportunity to examine the popular local tradition that Andrew Mann forbadealcohol consumption on the premises. As a result of our testing we sampled amere one percent of the site, leaving the remaining 99% untouched. While small,this one percent sample provided much of the same information that a large scaleexcavation would have given us while leaving the site relatively intact. The resultsdemonstrate how avocational archaeology can produce important information

about the past through the limited systematic excavation of sites actively in dangerdue to construction and development.

9:00 9:20 Digging at the Crossroads: Location and Community MemoryDen Rivera (Metropolitan Chapter, NYSAA)

Archaeological excavation has been undertaken to investigate the Croft House inPutnam Valley, New York. The property location at the intersection of two majorroadways indicates that it was highly visible in a trafficked area, and oral history



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regarding the house indicates that the site was a Revolutionary War Tavern. NorthAmerican historical archaeology tends to give credence to oral accounts, but in theabsence of tangible evidence, some stories are met with a degree of healthyskepticism.

An important component of this project is the community, who played a key rolein the decision to excavate the property. Evidence regarding the relevance of theproperty in the past that contradicts existing beliefs may (or may not) alter its

meaning to the current community. However, the significance of the property tothe community both then and now must be incorporated to gain a fullunderstanding of this relationship.

9:20 9:40 Preliminary Findings from the N.A. White and Sons Pottery, Utica,New York: The Craft of Stoneware Pottery and Changes in Consumer Culture.

Corey D. McQuinn (Hartgen Archaeological Associates, Inc.)In October 2011, the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT)sponsored a Phase II site evaluation of the N.A. White and Sons Pottery site forthe reconstruction of an urban highway arterial. Hartgen ArcheologicalAssociates, Inc. uncovered several features pertaining to stoneware production

during two major phases of the potterys operation. The Whites producedstoneware that became both a national bestseller during the last half of thenineteenth century as well as a sought-after collectible in the 21 st century.Excavation of the White Pottery site uncovered two large dump features from the1850-1860s and from the very end of the potterys production in the 1900s. Inaddition, archaeologists found domestic contexts associated with the home ofCharles White, bookkeeper and son of founder Noah White. Artifacts from thesite included hundreds of crude, expediently made kiln furniture juxtaposed withthe artistically made molded vessels the firm became known for in the 1890s.Archaeological contexts demonstrate both changing production technology andthe personal effects of one of the owners, which appears to be an unprecedented

combination of material culture.

9:40 10:00 Dutch Sent Me: A Clandestine Bootleg Distillery in Pine Plains,New York

Andy Krievs (Hartgen Archaeological Associates, Inc.)Recent archeological investigations conducted in the Town of Pine Plains,Dutchess County, revealed evidence of a clandestine bootleg distillery consisting ofan underground bunker and several outbuildings connected by a series of tunnels.The facility was in operation for less than six months before it was raided onOctober 6, 1931, by Department of Justice officers working out of the New YorkCity Office of Prohibition. The archeological investigations conducted at the

Dutch Spirits Site provided a unique opportunity to investigate and document theremains of a bootleg-era distillery operation. To date, there is very little in thearcheological record regarding prohibition sites and documentary research onsuch sites has proven difficult other than the occasional newspaper article or localfolklore. According to legend, the facility supplied alcohol for Dutch Schultzsbootleg organization. The uniqueness of the site should provide added incentivefor others in the field to recognize and investigate other possible bootleg-era sitesin the Lower Hudson Valley.



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Presentations related to post-contact Archaeology-session 2

10:20 10:40 Inexpensive and Poorly Made: The Behaviors that Produce TrashMatthew Kirk (Hartgen Archaeological Associates, Inc.)

The disposal of trash into privies and sheet middens are closely related; as theyare highly influenced by City ordinances, neighborhood responses to trashmanagement, and idiosyncratic behaviors of families and individuals. I will discuss

various formation processes and how they shape these urban features and relateddeposits in West Utica during the late nineteenth century. The city with the firstWoolworths discount store was also one of the first to struggle with the mountingtrash generated from an emerging disposable, consumer culture. I will alsoexplore how these formation processes might be extrapolated to a variety of othersites from late precontact times to the present, as people of the past perceivedtrash in a different manner than modern Americans.

10:40 11:00 Paradise to Parking Lot: Exploring the Good Life at the WoodcliffLodge Historic Site, Poughkeepsie, New York

Abigail L. Herlihy (Adirondack Chapter, NYSAA)

Established in the late 19th

century by John Flack Winslow, founder of TroyIronworks and financier of the Union Navys first ironclad warship, the USSMonitor, the Woodcliff estate, located in Poughkeepsie, New York, was well-knownfor its park-like design and sylvan beauty associated with the landscapearchitectural ideals of Andrew Downing. Upon the death of Winslows widow, theproperty was converted into the Woodcliff Pleasure Park, touted for its beautifulsetting and world records-holding roller coaster, The Blue Streak. Following theeconomic decline of the 1930s and increasing racial tensions, the park closed in1941. The land lay abandoned until the mid-1950s when it was purchased forheavy equipment storage by Costanzi Construction, a local firm. The subsequent1992 purchase of the property by Marist College resulted in an archeological

survey of the campus which lead to the ultimate identification of the WoodcliffLodge Historic Site the north gatehouse of the estate and residence of theWinslows head gardeners and their families. Consisting of the razed remains ofthe north lodge foundation (the gardeners home) and its associated features suchas a 19th-century internal self-filtering cistern and a midden/privy complex, aswell as several early 20th-century features including a capped well and septicsystem, the site provided a wealth of information, not only on the daily lives of theworking class, but also on the changing values of society from the mid-1800sthrough the early 1940s.

11:00 11:20 Silver BraidLouise Basa and Thomas Blaber (Schenectady County Community College, CommunityArchaeology Program)

32 Front Street is located in the Stockade, a historical center of Schenectady, NewYork, and a neighborhood known for containing the largest collection of authenticcolonial houses of any neighborhood in the United States. Excavation of thisproperty began when the owner, Robert Woods, decided to renovate his home.The original intent of the excavation was to locate a part of the seventeenthcentury wall surrounding the stockade that was burnt down during the 1690s



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attack. Although this wall was not discovered, several separate findings allow forconsiderable insight into seventeenth through twentieth century life inSchenectady. These include military artifacts, silver and British coins, ornateceramics and numerous food supplies. Of particular interest was a woven silk andsilver military braid. In the following paper, I will discuss the process leading to thediscovery of a possible mid-1700s architectural feature where the silver braid wasfound, as well as the implications of this discovery in the context of the site forlocal New York history.

11:20-11:40 Iona IslandDonald Bayne (Orange County Chapter-NYSAA)

Iona Island has been used from the dawn of man in the Hudson Valley. NativeAmericans have used the area in their migratory life since the glacial periodended. Hunting and fishing provided sustenance for them in their way of life. In1683, the Dutch purchased the island for the Native Americans and settled thereuntil the island was again sold in the 1840S. It eventually became one of thebirthplaces of American Viticulture by Dr. C.W. Grant. The island was resoldaround 1869 and became a summer resort with amusements and a hotel. In 1899,the U.S. Navy purchased the island and built a munitions depot used to supply

munitions for WW1 and WW2. In 1965, the island was purchased by thePalisades Interstate Park System. Today it a Bald Eagle Sanctuary and closed tothe public.

It is amazing the transformation this island has experienced and the part it hasplayed in the shaping of our countrys history.


Doc Bayne leading a tour of Iona Island.Photo by Clifton Patrick. 2009.


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1:30 4:00 Field Trip: Fishkill Cantonment & Van Wyck Historical House, Fishkill, NYIn 1683 Francis Rombout purchased 85,000 Acres of land from the Wappinger Indians which includes most of todays Southern Dutchess County. Francis Rombout was aformer Mayor of New Amsterdam before the British settlers took over lower Manhattanand renamed it New York. The Dutch settlers migrated north up the North River andestablished new communities along the Hudson River Peekskill, Fishkill, Spackenkill,Cobleskill, Catskill, etc. Many consider the history of Fishkill as beginning in 1709 withthe establishment of a Homestead and Grist Mill by Francis Rombouts daughter

Catharyna Rombout Brett and her husband Roger Brett in Fishkill Landing (nowBeacon).

In 1732, Cornelius Van Wyck purchased 959 Acres of land from Madam Brett and builta small two-room house - the present east wing and kitchen area of the Van WyckHomestead. About 25 years later, ca. 1757, the west wing was added with four largerooms downstairs, and bedrooms upstairs. The Homestead had 4 fireplaces for warmth.

After the start of the American Revolution in April 1775, General George Washingtonplaced General Israel Putnam in command of about 2,000 Continental Soldiers stationedin Fishkill, New York. Also at this time, Benjamin Franklin, as Postmaster General,established six Regional Post Offices: Boston, MA; Hartford, Conn; Fishkill, NY;

Philadelphia, PA; Williamsburg, VA; (now "Colonial Williamsburg") and Charleston, SC,so mail correspondence between the New England Colonies and Philadelphia and theSouthern Colonies passed through Fishkill, New York. Travelers going from New YorkCity to Albany, or Fort Ticonderoga, rode or walked along the "Albany Post Road" - nowRoute 9 - so Fishkill, New York was strategically located and was essentially the"Crossroads of the Colonies" during the Revolutionary War.

Unfortunately for the Van Wyck family, in 1776 General Israel Putnam - under GeneralWashington's orders - requisitioned the Van Wyck Homestead as Officers' Headquartersfor the Continental Army stationed here in Fishkill. Over 2,000 Continental Soldiers were


Photo provided.


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put in charge of the Fishkill Supply Depot, (1776-1783) which was the most importantsupply area for the New England Colonies including New York and Pennsylvania.Cannons, cannon balls, muskets, uniforms, blankets, etc., manufactured in these colonieswere shipped to the Fishkill Supply Depot for distribution to the Continental Army asneeded. Equipment and supplies used during the Battle of Trenton, NJ (Dec. 1776), theBattle of Saratoga, NY (Oct. 1777), and at Valley Forge, PA (winter encampment 1777-1778), most-likely came from the Fishkill Supply Depot.Hundreds of Continental Soldiers and Militia who died either in a battle, or fromwounds sustained in a battle, or from disease are buried in an unmarked graveyard onthe grounds of the Fishkill Supply Depot a short distance from the Van Wyck Homestead.This graveyard was discovered during archeological digs in the Spring of 2007. It is thelargest Revolutionary War Continental Army burial site, and it has been referred to asNew Yorks Valley Forge. Hopefully the ten acres surrounding their graves will bepreserved as a Historic Site.


Map provided.


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New York State Archaeological Association

nysaa-web.org

Incorporated Orange County Chapter NYSAA

sites.google.com/site/ioccnysaa

New York State Historic Preservation Office

http://nysparks.com/historic-sites/
http://nysparks.com/historic-sites/http://nysparks.com/historic-sites/http://sites.google.com/site/ioccnysaahttp://sites.google.com/site/ioccnysaahttp://nysaa-web.org/http://nysaa-web.org/

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