Ward's Point
Ward's Point Archeological Site | |
New York City Parks Department "South Pole" marker at Ward's Point | |
Location | Tottenville, Staten Island, New York |
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NRHP reference No. | 93000609 [1] |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | April 19, 1993[1] |
Designated NHL | April 19, 1993[2] |
Ward's Point Conservation Area | |
Area | 33.5 acres (13.6 ha) |
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NRHP reference No. | 82003402[3] |
Added to NRHP | September 29, 1982 |
Ward's Point is the southernmost point in the U.S. state of
Ward's Point Conservation Area
Ward's Point Conservation Area is a historic
Ward's Point Archeological Site
Near Ward's Point is the Ward's Point Archeological Site, an archaeological site within Conference House Park. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1993. The site has been known since 1858, when human remains were first unearthed in the area. It is one of the largest and best preserved sites for studying Native American people in the New York area.[2]
It overlaps with the Aakawaxung Munahanung (Island Protected from the Wind) Archaeological Site in Conference House Park, which was designated by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 2021.[6][7]
Burial Ridge
Burial Ridge is a Native American archaeological site and burial ground located at Ward's Point.
History
The first documented evidence of
Evidence of prior Native American habitation is still visible along the beach at the bluff's lowest elevations, where erosion exposes the remains of large shell middens dominated by shells of the Eastern oyster.[9]
Bodies were reported unearthed at Burial Ridge during various periods in the 19th century beginning in 1858. After conducting independent research, which included unearthing bodies interred at the site, ethnologist and archaeologist George H. Pepper was contracted in 1895 to conduct paid archaeological research at Burial Ridge by the American Museum of Natural History.
Many of the skeletons unearthed were buried in flexed positions, with the knees drawn up to the chest; fewer were found in a laid-out position. Most of the graves were fairly shallow, ranging from 1–3 feet (0.30–0.91 m) in depth below grade. Many of the graves contained assorted grave goods, among them arrowheads and various stone implements such as ax heads and hammerstones.
One of the burials contained the skeletons of three males, with the bones pierced by 23 arrowheads made of bone, antler, argillite and flint.[10]
Close to the three males, the body of a child was unearthed with a variety of grave goods, including pendants made of yellow jasper and various utensils. The body also showed evidence of copper salts about the lower portion of the skull, mandible and sternum, which indicated that copper ornaments were buried with the body. An additional skeleton unearthed in a prone position was completely charred above the knees, suggesting he may have been burned alive while tied to a stake.[11]
See also
- Raritan (Native Americans)
References
- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
- ^ a b "Ward's Point Archeological Site". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. 2007-09-23.
- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- ^ "Discover Conference House Park" (PDF). Retrieved 2023-11-13.
- ^ Charles A. Florence (June 1982). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Ward's Point Conservation Area". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Retrieved 2010-12-06. See also: "Accompanying 13 photos".
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
- ^ "Aakawaxung Munahanung (Island Protected from the Wind) Archaeological Site" (PDF). New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. June 22, 2021. Retrieved 2021-01-01.
- ISBN 0300084153
- ^ Burial Ridge, Tottenville, Staten Island, N.Y: Archaeology at New York City's largest prehistoric cemetery by Jerome Jacobson
- ^ The Hudson-Fulton Celebration: New York's River Festival of 1909 and the Making of a Metropolis by Kathleen Eagen Johnson, Kenneth T. Jackson, and Mark F. Rockefeller p. 11
- ^ Anthropological papers of the American Museum of Natural History, Volumes 3-4 By American Museum of Natural History 1909