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NEW YORK STATE PREHISTORIC ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE INVENTORY FORM
For Office Use Only--Site Identifier
Project Iden~i~r Southc!d/$PLIA
Your Name
Address Town Hall, Main Rd.
Southold LI NY 11971
Zip
Date
Phone ( 519 76~
Organization (if any)
1. Site Identifier(s)
2. County Suffolk
Southold Town Community Development Office
Fishers Island (multiple)
One of following: City
Township
Incorporated village
Unincorporated Village or
Hamlet
3. Present Owner multiple
Address.
zip
4. Site Description (check all appropriate categories):
Site
X Stray find
Pictograph
Burial
k Surface evidence
× Material below plow zone
× Single component
Location
XUnder cultivation
Xpastureland
Upland
Cave/Rockshelter Workshop
Quarry Mound
X Shell midden Village
~ Camp X Material in plow zone
x__Buried evidence Intact occupation floc
Evidence of features X__Stratified
__Multicomponent
X Never cultivated
X Woodland
X Previously cultivated
Floodplain
__Sustaining erosion
Soil Drainage: excellent X good X fair__ poor
Slope: Jiat X gentle X mo---derat~--X steep
Distance to nearest water from site-~approx.)Tsite is terraced above a
Elevation: varies fresh water pond.
5. Site Investigation (append additional sheets, if necessary):
Surface date ~)
Site Map (Submit with form*)
Collection
Subsurface--date(s)
Testing: shovel__coring__ other
no. of units
unit size
(Submit plan of units with,form*)
Excavation: unit size no. of units
(Submit plan of units with form*)
* Submission should be 8%"x11", if feasible
Investigator
Page
2
Manuscript or published report(s) (reference fully):
Funk, Dr. Robert. "Archeological Investigations on Fishers Island, New York
1985-1986"
Present repository of materials
Component(s) (cultural affiliation/dates):
7
List of material remains (be as specific as possible in identifying
object and material):
If historic materials
site form.
are evident, check here and fill out
historic
Map References:
Map or maps showing exact location and extent of
site must accompany this form and must be identified
by source and date. Keep this submission to 8½"xll",
if possible.
USGS 7½ Minute Series Quad· Name
For Office Use Only__UTM Coordinates
Photography (optional for environmental impact survey):
Please submit a 5"x7" black and white print(s) showing the current
state of the site. Provide a label for the print(s) on a separate
sheet.
i
7O
ARCHEOLOOICAL EXPLOP. ATION
OF
FISHERS ISLAND, NEW YORK
INTRODUCTION
HISTORICAL NOTE
Reprinted from btuseum of the herican Indian: Heye Foundation,
INDIAN NOTES A/,/D MONOGRPAHS, Vol. 11, No. 1, 1935.
ARCHEOLOI
FISHERS
RTIFACT~-
,NOTE
food.
One band was rounded up at Fairfield and bt~tc:3ered.
and from that time the settlers were safe to tahe up
land and begin colonizing t~e State.
Three year~ after the Fequot Massacre,
~.~nthrop, Ir., applied to the General Court of
Mas~chu~etts for · grant to Fisher~ Island. and the
following year he applied to Connecticut for · slmi[ar
one. In 1644 he purchased the title to the Island
from the Indlans, and twenty years later received ·
ARCHEOLOGICAL EXPLORATION OF
FISHERS ISLAND, NEW YORK
connection with stray burials; and finds in
connection with shell'heapl. While these sp~elraen!
are more fully de.-T{ bed later in this paper, and classi-
72
The ab-Il heap~ on the I~and are not large in area.
and, except in two instances, lle unctcr about 7 in. of
top s~) and have an $ in. a,'erage depth of shells.
deports, the shell layers vary from a few inches to
t~ree feet in tl~cknee~ In the shell heaps so far
a~d pins. and ~
among the shell la
h~d dJsintegrate~
{p~. x,, g.),
73
74
notched net sinker (pl. V[l, c) and another o[ similar
type have been found.
F~:b-Aoo~ Barb. Only one bone barb {pl.
of the type attached to a piece of wood or bone, bas
been found. A lmall groove for lazhing purpoa~
may be seen on the lower end.
discovered at Hedge Shell Heap.
75
i
76
d;~n, Heye Foundation (c~t~loliue number 18/7403),
This is · fine specimen, and is shown fully restored.
rome India
ployers,
I t is dou[
~te~zn~ (Americzn).. M (es"~n~'~n~ & me~ic~ nu~
77
¢
.i
?g
b
d e
J k rn n
ORNITIIOLOGY ARCHEOLOGY
An Old Squaw, and a pair of Belted Kingfishers wer~ amoung the bi.,ds ,~ In May of 1986, tbe first professional archeological "dig" tuok place. The
added. $incethedeathofDavidParsonsofthePeabodyMuseum, yale n' 1986 Museum NEWSLETI ER covered the "f'mds" that were made ftom
Urfiversity, Mst year, the bird t~cxidermy is being done by Ralph Morrill ~ th _{~r'r~'si~ wldch were excavated. The two professionals. Dr:~obert
andassistanta. Ralph lives in Hamden, Connecticut and has retired from, [ F._F..iLt~;SEfiief Archeologist ffom the N~w York State Museum, Albany. and
the Peabody after many years $.s its Chief Preperator.
HERBARIUM
The collection of Fishers Island ferns and wildflowers is continuing with
the deal/cared help of Penni Sharp, Museum Curator, Ed Homing, and
friends. If you are interested in helping, please contact the Curator.
SANCTUARIES
There are now seven wildlife sancto~ries which are managed by thc H.L.F.
Museum. (Ple~: see the map.) One of the easiest ones to visit is the
HENRY LEE FERGUSON, JR. SANCTUARY which is situated on four
acres of Iow land directly behind the museum. A pond with a lovely
"Egret" sculpture by Jane Canfield in memory of Lee Ferguson, and cut
trails, make this an attractive area for loth birds and people. Anotl~r
easily accessible one is the BEq-I ¥ MATFHIESSEN WILDLIFE
SANCTUARY which is on the peninsula in Island Pond (wbere_oysters_
are grown). Well cleared trails, vistas aa'mss the lake toward Block Island,
and a small pond in the middle of the 8 acres, provides further interest in
this beautiful sanctuary. (Note: appro?,imately 6% of Fishers Island is
now under Museum Land Trust management.)
ISLAND ECOLOGY
Island Ecology is an ever pre*em concern for the Museum. in the Fall of
1986 an Island GROWTH COMMYETEE w~s formed from members of
TIlE FISHERS ISLAND CIVIC ASSOCIATION. The President of the
H.L.F. Museum was appointed to the ENVIRONMENTAL COMMIT-
TEE, The conclusion reached by th~ Cornmitle~ was: "The Fishers Island
Civic Association will seek solutions and municipal representation which
all together will enable Island people to mom fully oonu'ol th~ Island's
natural resource& including harbors, wetlands, and land." The H.L.F.
Museum is also working closely with the Fishexs ~l~.l.~.,C,033,~:y,~cy '
whose ecological goals a.m similar.
"SPECIAL 1987 SUMMER EXHIBITION"
Thanks to the research of Robert White, a Museum Board member the,
"St, eclat" exJfibitinn will be stout FORT H.G. WRIGHT, a Coastal
- Defense unit which was estabhshed during the Spanish-American Wax of
1898. Photographs, historical documents, and personal anecdotes make up
this exhibition, a £ffty year era in the Island's past.
ISLAND HISTORY
The Museum's HISTORICAL COMMrI~EE now has a "winter"
committee to record events of significance, The photo$0'aphs taken by
Charlle Morgan last Spring during the "Oil Barge Incident" am examples '
of on-thc-apot coverage and which are so important to the Island's histo~3'.
In May of 1986 one of the archeologists picked up a copper coin near the
WINTIIROP HOUSE. An expe~ dared it at about 1790.
John Pfe~'l~-of the Amhcological Society of Southeaatem Connectlcht,
returned again in June and once more in August. 1986 confirmed their
sincere interest in furthex exploring the Island tu discover new sites of
Indian inhabitation, some of which may date. back to 8,000 B.C.
On April d, 1987 an azcheological symposium was held in Essex,
Connecticut under the sponsorship of the Cormeeticut Axcheological
Society. On that occasion Dr. Funk delivered a paper. "ARCHEOLOGI-
CAL INVESTIGATIONS ON FISHERS ISLAND. NEW YORK 1985-
1986." In the puper he stated that Fishers Island could "serve as a
microcosm for the prehistofy of the coastal region." They further hoped to
"obta~ data relevant to the currem controversy about t~ role of horticul-
ture and settled village life within coastal New York and New England."
A thffd goal was to "delineate changes in the Island's shape and size
resulting from rising sea level and the cortsequcoces for cultural ecology.
CANT
FISHERS ISLAND
'. FEATURE B
~.' MAY 1987
'. ~-i~:' jt:'p
"-'1~ {'~Ig~''; '- ~,~,.;, . .
Excavat~ Indian fire p~ c. 1075
revea/ed oldest ~tto~, chamod n~s, fire crack~ mcks
Efforts are hing made by the ttISTORICAL COMMITFEE to photograph
and receive information on all of the houses on the Island. Please get a
"fill-out sheet" at the Museum in order to record what you know about
your house and thoa remm it to the Museum.
·
t
John E. Pfeiffer, Professional,
at a newly dis~overed Archaic site, c. 8000B. C. - 700 B.C.
(Photos - Mrs. George Cook)
May 11-15, 1987
The t987 archeological week with three: pmfessionais and eleven volun-
teers continued the work which was commenced in 1985 and 1986. Split
into three groups, the teared worked st three major sites. One of these was
a new d/scovety st mid-Island_ There evidence was unearthed of a Middle
~t-~n (300 B.C. - 1600 A.D.) and below that a
"'~/Nlevel of an earlier habitation called the Archaic (8000 B .C. - 700 B.C.).
The flat terrace overlooking one of the largest fresh water ponds will quite
probably be the ~'~st and oldest authen6cated Indian living area found on
Fishers Island.
The other two sites which were worked were a shell "midden" at West
ttarbor ~,nd a iv~'ea~_~ the~E_~_L.,~ of tike Island. The "rni_~dden,"
according to Dr. Funk. was bssictlly a garbage dumping ground for the
shells of clams, oysters, and scallops. It was used fi`om about 10/30 B.C.
probably until 1600 A.D. Projectile point, polished bone needles, and
pottery were recovered and both charcoal and po'ten samples, which will
be used to date the straiified layers, were uncovered.
The East End site Foduced some of the e~iqiest pottery found in the
t~o-~?lt-is ff~y Woodla~ ~d date, fi`o~ aboui 10V5 B.C. The
\
chai'cod samples which were taken (and which will be radiocarbon dated) ~
were musty of charred nuts which indicates habitation there into the Fal!._j
Litde by little Fishei'~ Island is giving up her secret past. The profession-
als ~'e planmng future exploration to timber the knowledge of man's
previous life alon8 coastel New England.
'}EI t) ',o,
at least six stghfings of PEREGRiNI:. VA: CONS. a BALD EAGLE.
FORSTER'S TERN (Sept. 1 I). [V¢)RY: ULL tort. 10), BAIRDS
S~dxrDp[PFR. ROYALTERN. YL HE..sDED BLACKBIRD loot. 21.
ROUGH LEGGED HAWK. SNOWy OWL, PINE SISKIN, PlLEA'I EU
WOODP£CKER. YL. TIIR VIREG. 1% ~ F.I. CHRISTMAS BIRD
May '87 possibly three pairs of RED-TAILED HAWKS and two parrs ol
BARRED OWLS have found nesting are:~.
OYSTER CATCtlERS, wluch were ov~c rare v~sltors to F.I.. m 'g6 and
'87 may have 8 to 10 nests. Could it be Carry Matth~cssen's oyster
hatcher5' that ts attracting these b~zzare, looking and noisy b~tds to Q~e
Island?
Thc September and October '86 migration of hawks v, as not as spec~u
lar as those of '85. The heaviest concentralion3 of hawks passtng over thc
Island tn thc Fall takes place ~mmediately after a Nor'easter storm v. hclt
ts followed by a cold front and brisk northwest wieds. {)ri da)s such .ts
these, one can count many hundreds of hawks of all kinds beadzd v. est
south. When tt ~s windy, the birds stay close m the ground; v. hcn thu
velocity drops,the hawks can be seen rising up out of s~ght on thc thcrr~,.,t
air currenks created over the Island. PIPING PLOVERs?ere ~!r~cc
conunon nesters here. The last sighting was about th?ce-y,Sars agi,'
have been kno,am to nest here for the past few years.
LEAST TERNS have had colonies both at Middle Farnzs and near Mono'
Pond at the East End. Both '85 and '86 have seen the nesting site
out by extreme high tide& Good luck little terrm fids year!
On July 10, 1986 the Curator collected a rare PIPE %qNE SWALLOW
TAIL butterfly.
In. April 'g7, 30 HARBOR SEALS were coun{ed at Pine lslmads ar4d
GREY SEAL was found dead on a beach. ,
HENRY L. FERGUSON
(1881 - 1959)
Henry L. Ferguson was bom in Pit[-sburg, PA and was orte of s~x childtc.
bom to Julia L~e White and Walton~crguson. He attended Pumfrct
School and graduated w~th an Engmeenng degree from Yale Unis'crs,x.
class of 1905. While there he rowed on the varsity "fours." Aflcr
graduation, he with four classmates, bought a working ranch in Cod5,
Wyoming. Before he was married in 1910, he took some very advenmr
ous hunting and exploration trips: MAINE, NEWFOUNDLAND. t~o
BRITISH COLOMBIA, NEW BRUNSWICK, PANAMA, AND CO
LUMBIA, SOUTH AMERICA (where he and the Antartic explorer.
Lincoln Ellsworth, walked over the Andes), and the ISLANDS OF THE
CARIBBEAN.