NEW DISCOVERIES AT OLD PLACE The Story of the Old Place Neck Site, Staten Island, New York TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction to the Old Place Neck Site 4 » Sidebar: Cultural Resource Management Chapter 1: Why Were Archaeologists Digging at Old Place Neck and What Did They Find? 6 » Sidebar: Artifacts from the Old Place Neck Site Chapter 2: Fragments of New York City’s Native American Archaeology 11 Chapter 3: Considering Cultural Resources: Our National Preservation Program 13 » Sidebar: What Are Cultural Resources and Why Are They Important? » Sidebar: The National Historic Preservation Act » Sidebar: Archaeological Fieldwork and Documentation Chapter 4: Old Place Neck: Field and Laboratory 17 » Sidebar: Understanding Soils » Sidebar: Artifacts and Features Chapter 5: Old Place Neck: an Environmental History 21 » Sidebar: Paleoenvironmental Study of the Old Place Neck Site Chapter 6: Pre-Contact Native Americans in the Lower Hudson Valley and New York Bay 25 » Sidebar: What’s The Point? Arrowhead vs. Spearhead Chapter 7: Contact: a Time of Transformation and Upheaval 31 » Sidebar: Ethnohistory » Sidebar: The “Indies” and European Discovery of The Americas Chapter 8: Post-Contact History of The Old Place Neck Site 36 » Sidebar: Historical Maps Chapter 9: Native American Artifacts and Features: What Archaeologists Found 39 » Sidebar: Making Chipped Stone Tools Chapter 10: Native American Artifacts and Features: How Old? 42 » Sidebar: Archaeological Dating Techniques Chapter 11: Native American Occupations at Old Place Neck Through Time 45 » Sidebar: Residue Analysis » Sidebar: Metallographic Analysis Chapter 12: Native American Life at Old Place Neck 56 Chapter 13: Euroamerican Settlement at Old Place Neck 57 Chapter 14: Preservation for Future Generations 58 Glossary of Terms 59 OLD PLACE NECK SITE, STATEN ISLAND, NEW YORK 3 INTRODUCTION TO THE OLD PLACE NECK SITE the artifacts and features they left behind. The site CULTURAL RESOURCE provides a glimpse into the lives of Native Americans MANAGEMENT The Old Place Neck Site is Old Place Neck Site: how sites. The Old Place Neck Site and later Euro-American settlers. Studies of the site in New York City on Staten archaeologists found it and contained thousands of artifacts have made an especially important contribution to Although many people associate archaeology Island in an area historically what they’ve learned about the and other evidence that help us our understanding of Native American history in with work done in museums or at universities, known as Old Place. Old Place understand the people who visited New York City. Few places within the city’s limits most professional archaeologists in the United history of Staten Island’s early is in the northwestern part of and lived on Staten Island in the remain untouched by development. The discovery States work in the field of Cultural Resource Staten Island, near Goethals inhabitants by studying the distant past. The site existed in a of the Old Place Neck Site is a reminder of both Management (CRM)––the research, conservation, Bridge. New York City today artifacts and features they left landscape of woodlands, streams, the enduring legacy of the area’s first peoples and and management of cultural resources within a seems an unlikely place to find behind. creeks, and vast stretches of tidal the unexpected places where evidence of their lives regulatory framework that includes The National a Native American site used marsh very different from today’s remain hidden beneath our feet. Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). Archaeologists, thousands of years ago. The city world of streets, neighborhoods People learning about archaeology often have architectural and industrial historians, and other has transformed itself many times over the last few and factories. Its highways were well-worn foot-trails, questions about what archaeologists do, why they professionals work together with government, centuries and the history of its earliest residents the Hudson River, tidal creeks and bays. This rich work in certain areas, and how they learn about industry, Native American tribes, and other has seemingly disappeared beneath the streets and environment supported many generations of Native people who lived in the past. This booklet provides interested parties to preserve pre-contact and post- buildings of a growing city. Yet, fragments of ancient Americans for thousands of years before the first some answers to these questions as part of story contact cultural resources threatened by ground- landscapes still survive in some unexpected places. European explorers arrived in North America. of the Old Place Neck Site. Chapter 1 presents an disturbing activities. Archaeologists working with many partners to This is the story of the Old Place Neck Site: how overview of the archaeology and a summary of what identify important cultural resources along a planned archaeologists found it and what they’ve learned about archaeologists have learned about the people who CRM professionals assist government agencies and natural gas pipeline recently discovered one these the history of Staten Island’s first peoples by studying lived at Old Place Neck. Chapters 2 through 12 other organizations to identify, assess, and preserve present more detailed information about the process important cultural resources that may be affected Native American artifacts of archaeological research and technical information by projects funded or permitted at the federal or from the Old Place Neck Site. about the different parts of the investigations. Terms state level. They act as intermediaries between in italics are included in the glossary on Page 59. those planning a development and the government agency in charge of making sure all cultural resource regulations and laws are followed. When disturbance of significant sites cannot be avoided, CRM archaeologists work with other groups to recover important information about these sites before they are damaged or lost. PAL staff meet with Amanda Sutphin, Director of Archaeology at the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, to discuss the Old Place Neck Site. 4 OLD PLACE NECK SITE, STATEN ISLAND, NEW YORK 5 CHAPTER 1 different parts of the site were located within the Place Neck, it can be like trying to put many puzzles WHY WERE ARCHAEOLOGISTS DIGGING AT planned pipeline construction area. The second back together when all of the remaining pieces are survey showed that the site contained many stone jumbled together. Specialists can provide important OLD PLACE NECK AND WHAT DID THEY FIND? tools, small chips of stone (flakes) created when clues (data) that help archaeologists sort the jumble stone tools were made, remnants of small structures out and answer the basic questions of who was at the Archaeologists work all over the Staten Island was a crossroads places that matched patterns such as wigwams or drying racks for meat, fish or site, when they were there, and what they were doing world studying people and the where the Native American where other archaeological sites animal hides, and food remains. PAL also discovered while they stayed. places they once lived. Some of cultures of New England, the have been found and where artifacts spanning the 1600’s to the 1900’s. Spectra Several big questions about Native American life these studies are done through the evidence of sites might still Energy, working with archaeologists at PAL, the on Staten Island remain. The island can be viewed as colleges and universities and focus Hudson River Valley, Long Island, survive below the ground. New York State Historic Preservation Office, New a crossroads where the Native American cultures of on places where archaeologists coastal New Jersey, and the The second part of the York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, and New England, the Hudson River Valley, Long Island, know important sites are located. Delaware River Valley intersected. archaeological studies involved the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission agreed coastal New Jersey, and the Delaware River Valley Other studies are done to find a series of field surveys of the that the discoveries at the Old Place Neck Site were And Old Place Neck Site was and preserve sites where new places most likely to contain important. Engineers at Spectra Energy redesigned a place many different people construction or development that important sites. In the spring of parts of the pipeline project to avoid as much of the ARTIFACTS FROM THE might disturb important sites visited for brief periods. 2011, archaeologists dug a small archaeological site as possible. For the parts of the is planned. The archaeology at number of test pits, roughly 1.5 site that could not be avoided, the archaeologists OLD PLACE NECK SITE Old Place Neck is an example feet by 1.5 feet across and 3 to 4 from the State and City of New York, the Federal to the second type of study, called “cultural resource feet deep, using shovels and trowels. All the soil from Energy Regulatory Commission, and Spectra Energy management”. Cultural resource management studies the test pits was screened through fine mesh to catch agreed that archaeological excavation could recover are often required by federal, state, and city laws and collect any artifacts. Archaeologists examined much of the important information contained within created to preserve places that are significant to our the soils in each test pit for any signs of features, the site before the pipeline was built. national or local history. such as firepits or buried stone