VERMONTARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY

NEWSLETTERNumber 71 March 1993

Zukunft BundNew Vision for the

21st Century and Beyondby Robert Sloma, President, VAS.

I would like to thank the members and the Boardof the Vermont Archaeological Society for appointingme to the position ofpresident. As president, my agen-da will be to focus and redirect VAS activity in orderto form new organizational vision. Based on theSociety's original purpose and goals, current needs,and the present state ofarchaeology in Vermont, thisnew vision includes active participation of membersin establishing an infrastructure that will be able tosustain expanded membership, activities, and staffwith office and meeting space. Infrastructure mayrevolve around developing the Society to act as aclearing house forarchaeological information. In ad-dition, activities such as research and curation couldalso be conducted. Workshops, conferences, lectures,exhibits, publications and other activities would bedeveloped, funded and conducted. As president, I willmove as rapidly as possible to work with the boardto examine and develop such an infrastructure bas-ed on new vision. Innovative planning and hard workwill over time increase the opportunities available tomembers and the public. Design and implementationof these plans call for input and cooperation from allVAS members. Therefore, comments, suggestionsand/or concerns should be sent directly to me, or otherboard members.

This year, 1993,presents many opportunities for the.Vermont Archaeological Society. 1993 marks 25 yearssince the Society was established with the intent of

VERMONTARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETYPresident: Robert SlomaNewsletter Editor:

David StarbuckP.O. Box 147Fort Edward, NY 12828(518) 747-2926

VAS Spring Meetingon May 15

The 1993 Spring Meeting of the VAS will beheld on Saturday, May 15, at the Basin HarborClub in Basin Harbor, Vermont. Louise Ransomis working on the program, and more informationwill be forthcoming very soon.

preserving the archaeological heritage of Vermont.The Society was founded at a time when destructionof archaeological sites was rampant. Sites were be-ing devastated at an alarming rate through urbanand regional development, natural phenomena, anduntrained collectors. Both professional and avoca-tional archaeologists saw the great need for preserv-ing sites through organized archaeological advocacy.This in part led to the establishment of the VAS.Overthe past 25 years new laws and educative efforts spon-sored by the State, VASand others have curbed somedestruction. Some sites that could not be preservedunderwent archaeological sampling. A smallerpercentage of sites underwent some form of datarecovery, while other sites were simply lost. At thistime, no one can accurately estimate the number ofarchaeological sites that have been destroyed in Ver-mont, but there have been many. Destruction of sitescontinues through the same previously mentionedforces. Population growth and increased availabilityof remote sensing technology to the public seems tohave accelerated some destruction. New technologyseems to have impacted underwater sites greatest .Many believed preservation of these sites was not anissue because of their inaccessibility, but this is nolonger true. The VASmust meet the challenges ofthisdecade and the coming century by more vigorouslypursuing its stated purposes and goals:(A) To foster archaeological study and research andto educate the public in understanding, supporting,and appreciating such study and research. When ap-propriate, to collect, to receive by gift or otherwise,to hold, to preserve, and to interpret archaeologicalinformation, data, artifacts, specimens and examples,particularly relating to Vermont and sites withinVermont.

(B) To promote judicious, careful and scientific ar-chaeological field methods that will tend to preservedata, sites, examples, artifacts and specimens whileat the same time extracting the optimum amount ofinformation, and as a correlative to prevent injuriousexploitation of archaeological sites, artifacts,specimens and examples by amateur, commercial, orother interests (VAS Bylaws Article I, Section 2, Aand B).

Recent archaeological meetings sponsored by theVAS(Fall 1992)and the Consulting Archaeology Pro-gram (Jan. 1993)have proven that there is a need fordependable, readily-available archaeological informa-tion and services in the area of preservation, educa-tion and research. The Vermont ArchaeologicalSociety can and should take up this role as it isalready part of its mission. Based on the Society'soriginal purpose and goals, current needs, and thepresent state of archaeology in Vermont, wedesperately need to focusand redirect our activity anddevelop a new vision plan for the future; lest ourorganization go the way of the dinosaurs. My majortask as president of the VAS will be revitalizing theSociety through redirection of our mission.

I have chosen the phrase Zukunft Bund to describemy personal view of a means of attaining this newvision. Zukunft Bund is German for future coopera-tion. I see Zukunft Bund as a philosophy which willpropel the VAS into-tile 21st century an~ beyond.Zukunft Bund involves interactive cooperation for anenriched future. The VAS will need active coopera-tion from all its members to address comingchallenges. As we surmount these challeng~s t?r0~ghinnovative planning, and hard work, we will In timeincrease opportunities available to ourselves and thegeneral public. As president I will work with. theboard to move in this direction as rapidly as possible,

The VAS will seek to actively engage moremembers in operational and planning issues byexpanding opportunities to serve on committees.Experience on committees should provide memberswith a familiarity of the organization, its vision,operation, and membership. Constructed to operateas self-sustaining units with minimal counsel fromthe board, committees will be charged with design-ing and implementing active and engaging programsto serve members and the general community. Com-mittees will deal with topics such as research, educa-tion, legislative advocacy, membership, fund-rai~i~g,publications, meetings, workshops, lectures, exhibits,and the newsletter. Committees will also be formedto address those areas in which we as an organiza-tion are deficient. The VAShas many supportive andtalented members, nearly 150 strong. Since the Socie-ty currently exists as a volunteer organization itrelies solely on members. We will need continued andgrowing involvement of members. I believe that we

can greatly enhance our situation through thedevelopment of a sustainable infrastructure and staff.The past has shown that we cannot adequately sus-tain development, planning and implementation ofour goals solely through membership. If we are to con-tinue as an organization we owe our members,ourselves, much more for our membership than weare currently providing. I will therefore seek todevelop a self-sustaining position or positions, as wellas possibly a permanent office and meeting space toaid in our endeavors. The organizational frameworknecessary to support such a society will be complex,but so will the benefits. Until we begin to develop ourown infrastructure, I do not believe we will be ableto attract many new members. However, once thisprocess begins, I foresee the VAS becoming a muchlarger and active organization. It is time that the Ver-mont Archaeological Society took up its role as anactive participant in the preservation of Vermont'simpressive and diverse archaeological heritage.

In conclusion, I again ask that members contact mewith any ideas and suggestions for what they wouldlike to see in this, our organization. Also, if anyoneis interested in becoming a committee member, pleasedo not hesitate in contacting me or other boardmembers personally; we are here in a common cause.I can be reached by mail at the VAS mailing addressor by phone at home (802) 862-5817, or work (802)656-1991.

Summary ofVermont Archaeologists' Meeting

January 14, 1993by Prudence Doherty

In the late 1970s, the Vermont Division for HistoricPreservation and the University of Vermont hiredtwo professional archaeologists to insure that Ver-mont's rich archaeological heritage would be pro-tected as required by a variety of state and federallaws and regulations. The community of ar-chaeologists actively working in the state has increas-ed dramatically since then, and many significantarchaeological projects have been undertaken. At thesame time, archaeologists working in Verm~nt areoften frustrated because many other worthwhile andnecessary projects are identified and discussed but notinitiated and completed.

On January 14, 1993, a group of twenty-four Ver-mont archaeologists met at UVM for a day-long ses-sion to plan some of the activities that they would liketo undertake during the next decade. Using a col-laborative process, the group identified a range of ob-jectives. Many ofthe proposals involve education andoutreach at all levels-between professionals, with thegeneral public, in schools, colleges and universities,

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and with Vermont's Abenakis. Products would in-clude pamphlets, an elementary level textbook,workshops for developers, engineers, and town of-ficials, research publications, and field schools. Thegroup tentatively scheduled a Vermont ArchaeologyWeek for spring, 1994.

The archaeologists also see many opportunities toimprove the quality of archaeological protection man-dated by state and federal laws. Federal and stateagencies need to be pressured into compliance withexisting regulations; many would be better equippedto meet their obligations if they hired staffarchaeologists. Another important need is an ade-quate facility for long-term curation of artifacts andproject records. The group ranked legislative advocacyas a high priority to insure funding and support.

The planning session was hosted by the ConsultingArchaeology Program, University of Vermont. Par-ticipants included archaeologists and staff affiliatedwith the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation,the Green Mountain National Forest, private con-sulting firms, the Lake Champlain Basin Program'sArchaeology on the Farms Project, the Vermont Ar-chaeological Society, the Vermont Agency ofTransportation, the Lake Champlain MaritimeMuseum, the Vermont Environmental Board and theUVM Consulting Archaeology Program. These in-dividuals have diverse responsibilities, including pro-tecting archaeological resources through environmen-tal review proceedings, education and outreach, andfield work at prehistoric and historic period sites onland and underwater.

The group began to meet one of their goals-increased communication among Vermontarchaeologists-at a meeting in March. Part of thatmeeting was used to develop specific action plans tomeet some of the many goals. An afternoon sessionwas devoted to methodological innovations that canbe used in Vermont archaeological projects.The after-noon included presentations on a less expensive andfaster alternative to radiocarbon dating of charcoal,development of a model to predict prehistoric buriallocations, and a water flotation process which can beused to recover small faunal, floral and artifactualmaterial from bulk soil samples.

VAS Board Member Victor R. RolandoAppointed to

Center for Research on Vermont

Victor R. Rolando was recently appointed anAssociate Member of the Center for Research on Ver-mont by Howard Ball,Dean ofthe CollegeofArts andSciences, UVM.

The Center for Research on Vermont promotes and

facilitates research, teaching, and related scholarlyactivities dealing with the state of Vermont or mat-ters of interest to the state, particularly in, but notconfined to, the disciplines of the social sciences andhumanities. Members of UVM faculty with ademonstrated interest in research on Vermont maybe appointed Fellows ofthe Center by the Dean oftheCollege ofArts and Sciences upon nomination by theExecutive Committee. Members of other faculties,other Vermont educational institutions, or any otherpersons with demonstrated research interests on Ver-mont may be appointed as Associates of the Center.

Rolando was recommended to the Executive Boardfor nomination by Tordis Ilg Isselhardt of the Benn-ington Historical Commission upon publication ofhisnew book, 200 Years of Soot and Sweat: The Historyand Archeology of Vermont's Iron, Charcoal, andLime Industries. Vie was VAS vice-president from1986 to 1989, president from 1989 to 1992, and hasbeen a VAS member since 1978.

Notes From the State Archeologistby Giovanna Peebles

Vermont Division for Historic Preservation

David Skinas, the Division's Survey Archeologist,has taken on four internships of 50 hours eachthrough Johnson State College's archaeology class.Two students are working in the office on the Ver-mont Archeological Inventory. The other two internsare conducting a research project in the Town ofJohnson. Using the 1869 Beers Altas for Johnson andcomparing these 19th century town maps withmodern orthophoto maps, the interns are determin-ing which historic structures remain standing andwhich have become historic archaeological sites. Themap research is followedby on-site confirmation. Thisproject will add new site information for Johnson tothe ArcheologicalInventory. This internship programwith the Division has been on-goingfor several years,and we are indebted to Dr. Fred Wiseman for en-couraging his students to work with us.

Using our new GIS system, we recently compiledpreliminary archaeological sensitivity overviews forthe Town ofBerlin (Washington County) and for theGreen River Watershed (which includes varioustowns in Windham County). The GIS allows us torelatively quickly delineate prehistoric archae-ologically sensitive areas in a town. This informationcan then be used by the planning commission anddevelopers as an early warning system to furtherconsult with us early in project planning stages. TheGIS is a powerful planning tool that, over time, willhopefully help towns better protect historic and ar-chaeological resources and reduce the "surprise" ele-ment during Act 250 project reviews.

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In January, I planned and hosted a planningmeeting for the Lake Champlain diving communityon the future of Vermont's Underwater HistoricPreserves. Begun in 1985 and at that time unique inAmerica, Vermont's Preserve program consists of 4historic shipwrecks-each with special moorings,underwater signage, and individual interpretivebrochures-designated of special recreational interestto divers. The Preserve program is now at a criticalcrossroad: there are more and more demands placedon it with fewer and fewer dollars. Thus, our fragileand irreplaceable historic shipwrecks are threaten-ed by our current inability to meet the demands ofthis maturing program with existing staff and money.The most important outcome of this meeting wasdeveloping short and long term goals for the Preserveprogram and forming a citizen's advisory committeeto help the Division plan and manage the program.The Underwater Preserve Advisory Committee hassince had its first meeting at which the needs of the1993 Preserve season began to be discussed. Thisgroup will make a major difference in helping theDivisionmeet the challenges ofthe Preserve program.

A "guilty" verdict was handed down to diverCharles Schroyer, from Hartford, Indiana, charged in1991 with collecting Revolutionary War period ar-tifacts from underwater historic sites off Mount In-dependence without a permit. The judge found thatMr. Schroyer's acts were an intentional effort toviolate the law. Sentencing and the size of the fineremain unresolved to date. We were heartened thatthis first enforcement action taken under the Ver-mont Historic Preservation Act (22 V.S.A. Section782)resulted in a conviction.The guilty verdict sendsa strong message to those few divers who feel thatLake Champlain's historic artifacts are for their per-sonal gain or enjoyment.

The National Park Service, Northeast RegionalOffice, has earmarked a special $50,000 appropria-tion for a joint Vermont/N ew York cultural resourceproject(s) in the Lake Champlain Basin and incooperation with the Lake Champlain Basin Pro-gram. Discussions are on-going with key New YorkState staff to identify one or more cultural resourceprojects ofmutual and long-term benefit. At this time,we are looking at various needed tasks that can serveas building blocks for a comprehensive culturalresource plan for the Basin, a major goal for bothstates and interested organizations. Of the variousnon-state funding sources that I have been lookingat for special projects, the Park Service money looksto be the only federal money available for culturalresource projects in 1993since we have recently learn-ed that the Lake Champlain Management Conferencedecided not to fund any cultural resources projects in1993.

The recent Winter 1993issue of "Casin' The Basin,"the publication of the Lake Champlain Basin Pro-

gram (LCBP), features the cultural and historicalresources of the Lake Champlain Basin. To get thisexcellent, free Newsletter, contact the LCBP at (802)372-3213 or, in Vermont, 1-800-468-5227.

As a necessary follow-up to the 1992 Mount In-dependence/Fort Ticonderoga Submerged CulturalResources Project, the Division is asking theLegislature for $75,000 from the Capital Budget torecover, conserve, and interpret a unique cluster ofRevolutionary War artifacts discovered in 1992. In-cluding armament, personal gear, tools, and a large,iron 18# or 24# cannon, this artifact concentration isof national significance. In relatively shallow water,it is threatened by treasure divers and curiosityseekers. The project, if funded, will include carefulrecovery ofthese materials as a single collection,theirstabilization and conservation, and a temporary in-terpretive program until they can be permanentlydisplayed at the Mount Independence historic sitelater in the decade.

On the Connecticut River side ofthe state, we con-tinue to lose important prehistoric Native Americanarchaeological sites to riverbank erosion. An old prob-lem with, thus far, little resolution in sight, uniquecultural sites, including Vermont's first farmingsite-dating to A.D. 1210-in Springfield, are beingdevastated. Dave Skinas's article on the Long Housesite on the upper Connecticut, elsewhere in thisNewsletter, describes another site of major impor-tance that is being destroyed by erosion. At the sametime as we are losing our prehistoric patrimony, weare also losing prime agricultural lands. A recent in-dependent investigation of the riverbank erosion atthe Springfield site clearly concluded that a primaryfactor responsible for erosion is the existence of NewEngland Power Company's dam, reservoir and hydro-project operation. This study finally confirmed ourand others' observations that New England Power'sdaily water fluctuations were a direct cause of bankerosion and site destruction. Unfortunately, thisstudy has not prompted any action to protect theeroding sites (and farm lands) on the part of eitherNew England Power Company or the Federal EnergyRegulatory Commission, the federal agency thatlicenses the hydro projects creating this huge prob-lem. Many letters, phone calls, and even meetingsover several years with these and other parties hasnot resulted in any resolution. At best, this has beenan extremely frustrating process. All we can do is tocontinue to make a lot of noise about the on-going,rapid-paced destruction of our unrenewable, ancient,Native American heritage.

Don't forget to let your legislators know that youcare about these fragile, important resources!

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•

Book Review

Near-Surface High ResolutionGeophysical Methods for

Cultural Resource Managementand Archaeological Investigations

by Don H. Heimmerreviewed by Dennis Howe

While excavation has continued to be the most com-prehensive method for archaeological site assessment,the noninvasive identification of subsurface ar-chaeological features has become increasinglypopular with archaeologists concerned with culturalresource management. Recently, an increasingnumber ofremote sensing and "non-digging" researchtechniques have been applied by archaeologists.These range from aerial photography exploitingvarious visible and nonvisible energy bands, togeochemical testing, to an aggregation of geophysicalengineering methods.

By far the most popular have been the methodsdevelopedby the geologicalsciencesbecause they tendto be less costly and more generally available. Defin-ed as geophysical methods, these techniques borrow-ed for archaeology include passive surveys whichmeasure naturally occurring magnetic fields, gravita-tional fields and electrical fields, as well as activesurveys that involve the subsurface transmission ofelectrical current, electromagnetic fields, or acousticenergy fields. While all of the various geophysicalmethods have demonstrated an ability to locate sub-surface archaeological features, each has its ownunique environment for the most satisfactory results.Choosing the "right" method can be a problem.

A new publication, Near-Surface, High ResolutionGeophysical Methods for Cultural Resource Manage-ment and Archaeological Investigation, by Don H.Heimmer, is an important addition to the literatureconcerning the subject. While not for everyone, it willbe useful to serious advanced avocationals, profes-sional archaeologists, and engineers involved in con-struction planning. The publication, which is betterdefined as a manual, was developed to support ageophysical training course sponsoredby the NationalPark Service as part of its Cultural Resource Train-ing Initiative. It is written and organized in thetypical Federal training manual style with sectionscovering all ofthe geophysical methods currently inuse, thoroughly discussing such concerns as limita-tions, applications, equipment, data acquisition, datainterpretation, costs, and survey project management.It even has a section which covers the use of metaldetectors.

In addition, the publication contains appendiceswhich provide a glossary, bibliography, equipmentand potential contractor sources, and data examples.

The manual is available to the public at no cost.

Near-Surface, High Resolution Geophysical Methodsfor Cultural Resource Management and Ar-chaeologicalInvestigations. DON H. HEIMMER. Geo-Recovery Systems, Inc., Golden Colorado. Submittedto Interagency Archeological Services, National ParkService, Denver, Colorado, Purchase Order No.PX-1242-1-1373, 1992. ix + 143 pp., figures, appen-dices, bibliography. Copies available from Interagen-cy Archeological Services, Rocky Mountain RegionalOffice, PO Box 25287, Denver, Colorado 80335-0287.

Minutes of the January 21, 1993Board Meeting

Sheldon Museum, Middlebury

Present: Bruce Hedin, Gerry Kochan, Bill Murphy,Audrey Porsche, Louise Ransom, Marjorie Robbins,Vie Roland, Bob Sloma, David StarbuckAbsent: Ann Clay, Stephen Moore, Joe Popecki,David Skinas, Louise LuchiniThe meeting was called to order at 7:30 p.m.Minutes of last meeting accepted.No treasurer's report.

Old Business1. 25th Anniversary Volume: Starbuck reported onprogress to date. Three articles have already beensubmitted, together with 10 abstracts (papers tofollow) and 4 verbal commitments.

Starbuck and Rolando will write a proposal for fund-ing from the Free Press Foundation, Inc. The foun-dation will meet to review grants in March. BobSloma will check with other grant sources.

It was suggested that we print enough extra copiesfor resale, but that members get their volume free.

There was a general discussion about the generaltheme of the volume. Most felt it should be devotedto broad overview topics, rather than specific sitereports.

2. Reward Program: Bob Sloma presented a pressrelease regarding the program and would like feed-back on it at a later date. More research is neededinto how this program might work, particularly withregard to the logistics and how this program mightfit into existing programs and laws.

$100 is being proposed as the reward amount, butmore money may be available ($500 perhaps).

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Audrey Porsche will contact the Middlebury Bar-racks to set up a meeting to discuss our plans withthe State Police.

3. Annual Dues: The discussion on changing dueswas tabled until the treasurer could be present.

The issue of membership cards was raised. LouiseRansom also suggested we create a membershipcategory for the educational community (publicschools, teachers, etc.)

4. Newsletter Mailing: Long discussion on whoshould receive copies of the newletter gratis; in par-ticular, legislators. Vie Rola~do suggested that therewere too many, and most dtm't read them-perhapswe should target specific ones. Audrey Porsche willcheck with Giovanna Peebles first to see whom shesends them to and whom she recommends we sendthem to.

The motion passed to send newsletters gratis tosome of the organizations Bob Sloma listed.

The motion passed that Louise Ransom write a let-ter to delinquent members asking them to renew andbecome active. After two free newsletters withoutrenewal, we should take them off the list.

General discussion on how to inspire membershipand attract new ones. Gerry Kochan will look into thepossibility of organizing field trips to excavation sitesthis summer (perhaps in Canada?).

5. VASMaterials at UVM Lab: Vie Rolando agreedto go through the boxes of VAS materials and con-dense them; keep archival materials, try to sell T-shirts and booklets.

An official repository for materials must be found.

6. Spring Meeting: Louise Ransom will look intopossibility ofholding the Spring Meeting at the BasinHarbor Club in Vergennes. The date of May 1 wasmentioned but must be finalized based on spaceavailability.

It was agreed to move the 25-year anniversarytheme to the annual meeting in the fall. At the nextBoard Meeting, the theme will be decided for theSpring Meeting.

7. Position Paper: Bob Sloma would like feedbackon his position paper by March 4.

New BusinessAgenda items were tabled for the next meeting as

time was running out.

AnnouncementsBill Murphy mentioned the Heritage Corridor pro-

posed by Senator Jeffords may be in trouble because

of uproar by Adirondack Solidarity Alliance. Bill alsosuggested the MIC become part of the VASorganization.

Louise Ransom expressed a desire to submit herresignation as Vice-President.

Vie Rolando brought to the Board's attention thathe wishes to use the VASname for purposes of adver-tising his book. This was approved by the Board.

The meeting adjourned at 9:00 p.m. The nextmeeting is scheduled for March 18 at 7:00 p.m. at theSheldon Museum.

Respectfully Submitted,

Audrey Porsche

Long Houses on theUpper Connecticut River?

by David SkinasVermont Division for Historic Preservation

Last fall I reviewed a Soil Conservation Service(SCS)streambank stabilization project located on theConnecticut River above Fairlee, Vermont. (Due tothe farmer's wishes I must be vague in describing thesite's location.) The landowner has a 1700foot stretchof eroding farmland on the river that requires im-mediate stabilization. In April of 1992 ice break-upand spring floods scoured 50 foot deep gouges into thesite. This stretch ofthe river lies within New EnglandPower Company's Wilder reservoir which is subjectedto daily flood-pool fluctuations.

I examined the eroded bank and identified fourteencultural features found between 12 to 60 inches belowsurface. These features are dark, organic-rich layersthat measured between 1/1to 5/1thick. These darklayers are similar in color and texture to small housefloor features identified at other prehistoric NativeAmerican sites located on the Connecticut River inFairlee (VT-OR-34), Windsor (VT-WN-186) andSpringfield eVT-WN-41),Vermont.

One major difference is that the features at the SCSsite measure on average 38 feet long as compared tothe 9-13foot long house floor features previously iden-tified in Vermont. The SCS site house floors rangein size from 16 feet to 80 feet in length. Eight of themost southerly cultural features consist of a singlehouse floor deposit (Feature 1-8).Feature 8 contain-ed a hearth, and a post mold was also identified atthe southern end of the house floor. Features 9, 10and 13 each have three house floors stratigraphical-ly separated by thin lenses of flood-depositedmaterials. Feature 12 has seven living floors, andFeature 11 has eight stratigraphically separatedhouse floors in the middle of the cultural deposit.Feature 14 has five overlying house floors. Thus,

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thirty-seven individual features or living floors wereobserved along the eroding riverbank.

The size configuration ofthese house floor featuressuggests that they may represent the remains oflonghouses that were used by prehistoric peoples duringthe later stages of the Late Woodland Period and in-to the Contact Period (AD 1500 - AD 1700). Thepresence of long houses suggests that social organiza-tion had evolved from small, highly mobilehunter/gatherer groups typical of the MiddleWoodland Period in Vermont (AD 100 -AD 1000)intosomewhat larger bands that still followed seasonalpatterns of settlement but became more sedentary astheir food base became more reliable.

Agriculture was probably practiced to sustain therelatively larger population that occupieda site ofthissize for a period long enough to produce such ar-chaeological deposits. The fact that 43% (n=6) of thefeatures show evidence of repeated occupation in thesame location suggests that some form of the housestructure survived from year to year or season toseason which facilitated the occupation and refur-bishing of existing shelters, perhaps by the sameextended family members.

Six soil samples were extracted from the ar-chaeological deposits for radiocarbon dating andbotanical examination. Preliminary analysis of thesoil samples produced a substantial amount of well-preserved wood charcoal. Birch and red elm orhackberry were identified. This suggests that detail-ed studies of paleoenvironment and wood usepreferences could be undertaken at the SCS site.

Archaeological sites that contain this type of infor-mation are extremely rare in Vermont because oftheshallow nature of most sites, where plows and frostheaving tend to destroy structural site features andtheir botanical remains. Although subsistence re-mains such as corn were not found in the preliminarystudy, the potential for the presence offood remainsare excellent because charred food remains are sub-ject to the same preservation effects as woodcharcoal(Jack Rossen, pers. comm.), At a similar but older sitein Springfield (VT-WN-41)corn, beans and squashwere recovered from a refuse pit located at one endof a small house floor deposit. Organic materialrecovered from the refuse pit produced a radiocarbondate of AD 1140, which is the oldest date for the useof cultigens in Vermont.

This site is clearly eligible for inclusion on the Na-tional Register ofHistoric Places. It is imperative thatthis site be protected from the effects of river erosion.A stream bank stabilization design that does notadversely affect this archaeological site is necessaryto provide long-term protection of what is probablyone ofVermont's premier prehistoric Abenaki villagesites.

History In Our Backyardby Douglas Frink and Richard Allen

What happens when you let 65 grade school kidsloose on a significant archaeological site? The resultmight surprise you.

In June, 1992, the Archaeology Consulting Team,Inc. (ACT)of Essex Junction, Vermont, conducted aPhase I archaeological site identification study of theproposed Williston Community Park project inWilliston, Vermont. Two Native American sites, VT-CH-583and 584, were identified during a plowed-fieldwalkover inspection on the terrace above Allen Brook.The two Native American sites were identified bywidely dispersed lithic scatters. No temporallydiagnostic tools were recovered. Since this was aTown sponsored project on Town land adjacent to theWilliston Central School(WCS),the ACT recommend-ed that the Phase II site evaluation study be con-ducted under a designed educational program usingthese sites as outdoor laboratories for the students ofthe WCS. Such a program would address the needsof the community and would be an appropriate useof these potentially significant archaeologicalresources. The Town of Williston and the VermontDivision for Historic Preservation overwhelminglysupported this innovative program which would max-imize the public benefit while minimizing the cost ofthe archaeological research.

Funding for this program was solicited and receiv-ed from the Williston PTA and the Chittenden SouthSupervisory (school)District in the form of a ChapterII Innovative Program Educational Grant. The pro-gram was offered to the school community throughthe Enrichment Program, coordinated by Mr. RichardAllen.

Under the direction of Douglas Frink, PrincipalInvestigating Archaeologist of ACT, part of one ofthese sites was used in a multi-disciplinary programof math, science and social studies during the fall of1992. Sixty-five WSC students between the ages ofseven and thirteen were divided into four independentteams of scientists. Students were grouped by relativeages, 7-9,10-11,12-13 to account for varying degreesofexperience and abilities. Although the program wastailored for the age level of each team of scientists,all participants were exposed to the same materialand experiences.

The program was divided into 16 weekly meetingsfor each team.

Class 1 created the team of scientists as opposed tostudents, and introduced the topic of inquiry. Thegoals of the project, the evaluation of the ar-chaeological site, and the expectations placed on eachteam member were discussed. An overview of Ver-

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mont archaeology and a. pre-study briefing of theproject was presented to the team of scientists.

Class 2, "Mathematics, Measurements, and Maps,"addressed the problem of "How do you draw a squarethat is really square?" and "How do you prove it?"This problem was presented as a world wide probl.em.Examples of solutions, derived from a study ofancientChinese and Greek cultures, were presented, and us-ed to construct a measured Cartesian grid on a mapof the study area.

Class 3 involved the field application of"Mathematics, Measurements and Maps." Using thetechniques learned the previous week, each team ofscientists laid out a Cartesian grid over the site us-ing only measuring tapes, a preestablished north-south base line and a datum point. Each team's gridwas subjected to evaluation by a transit, and cor-rected. Perfection was the required and obtainedresult.

Fifth grader Chris Vancehelps Julian Berg, 1st grader,classify artifacts from asimulated dig.

Tyler Yandow, 6th grader,starts to dig, as Jarod Waite,also 6th grade, holds thesifter.

Class 4 involved the construction of scientifichypotheses. Before the actual excavation of the siteeach team developed a contingency table of the ex-pected data recovered and the range ofpossible mean-ings that might be inferred from that data.

a large number ofCONDITIONS artifacts found

a small number ofartifacts found

many different many differenttypes of artifacts activities

many differentoccupationsmany people

manufacturingactivities

long duration

different activities

different occupationsby few people

processing activities

short duration

limited number of limited activitiestypes of artifacts different occupations

for same activitiesshort durationmanufacturing

activitiesmany people doing

the same thing

one activity

one occupation

short durationprocessing activities

few people doingthe same thing

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Class 5 and Class 7 involved the actual excavationof the archaeological site within the context of the"perfect" Cartesian grid established during Class 3.Excavation was conducted using shovels, trowels,screens, and measuring tapes, and detailed recordswere kept of stratigraphic levels, soils and recoveredcultural material. The conceptofprovenience for eachindividual artifact recoveredwas focal throughout theexcavations-grid location, soil stratification, soilgenesis and cultural affiliation. Native American andEuropean American cultural materials wererecovered.

Class 6 dealt with the environmental contextofthesite. Using forest reconstruction models, the teamsdiscussed what resources would have been availableto Native Americans at different times in history.Additional hypotheses were developed about whatactivities might be represented by the artifactsrecovered.

Class 8 and Class 9 involved the laboratory pro-cedures of washing, measuring and cataloging therecovered artifacts. The teams of scientists process-ed both the European American and Native Americanartifacts that they had recoveredduring Classes 5 and7, and entered their data into school computers.Analysis of the data was conducted through furtherhypothesis building.

Class 10 involved the post-study briefing, review-ing all that we had accomplishedand learned. Follow-ing the briefing, a discussion ofthe scientist's respon-sibility to the public introduced the next and finalpart of the program, the report. From the first classonward, the participants in this program were inform-ed that some form ofpublic presentation would be re-quired. A variety of formats were chosen by thesescientists, and a wide range of audiences weretargeted for presentation.

Archaeologist Doug Frinkinstructs some WillistonCentral students on properexcavation techniques.

HISTORY IN OUR BACKYARDSPUBLIC PRESENTATION PROJECTS

7 Dioramas2 Drawings3 Graphs/Charts6 Articles3 Videos

2 Slide Shows4 Booklets2 Bulletin Board Displays2 Simulated Digs2 Oral Presentations

Class 11-15consisted ofthe scientists, individuallyor in groups of two to four members, working on theirprojects for presentation. The work was organized anddirected by the individual scientists, with Mr. Allenfacilitating the projects and Mr. Frink functioning asan informational resource.

Class 16 was entitled "Where the rubber meets theroad-taking it to the public and fulfilling our scien-tific and civic responsibilities." An open house washeld on March 23,7:00 pm at the WCS which includ-ed the general public (See announcement elsewherein this publication). Other public forums are beingconsidered.

The "History In Our Backyard" program utilizeda public resource as a vehicle for public education onthe topics of mathematics, science, history, an-thropology and civicresponsibility. The program wasdesigned as a hands-on exercise where the studentsoperated as teams of scientists responsible for eachother and the accomplishment ofnew tasks. Toooftenwhat is learned in school is far removed from real lifesituations. Learning confined to the four walls of theclassroom can seem irrelevent to students. The useof an actual, not simulated, archaeological site, andthe requirement of a final product to be shared withthe public have made this program special. Failureof the individual or the study was not considered asa possibility.

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At the present time in Vermont there is no organiz-ed archaeology curriculum on the state level. If aschool considers archaeology at all it is usually donewith lectures, readings, and perhaps an excavationof a synthetic site. This program provided a tactileview of earlier cultures that lived historically in ourbackyard. History and anthropology are no longer juststories about other cultures. "History In OurBackyard" allowed the students of WCS the oppor-tunity to see and understand these cultures as a realpart of their lives. It is hoped that this project canserve as a model for similar studies in schoolsthroughout the State of Vermont.

•The "History In Our Backyard" program was con-

ducted as a special course offering through theEnrichment Program, which presents learning ex-periences on three levels in accordance with theEnrichment Triad model promoted by Joseph Renzulli(1985).Type I: introductory experiences "designed to expose

students to new and exciting topics, ideas andfields ofknowledge that are not ordinarily coveredin the regular curriculum."

Type II: developing skills in creative thinking andproblem solving, research and reference skills.

Type III: acting as a practicing professional anddeveloping a product to have an impact on aspecified audience. *

"History In Our Backyard" has successfully incor-porated all three levels of the Triad model.

And what of the quality of archaeological datarecovered by these four teams of scientists? First ofall, due to the number of people involved in the ex-cavation and analyses, roughly three times the areawas sampled when compared to the normally recom-mended amounts. As we were dealing with a low den-sity lithic scatter (approximately one artifact permeter), the increased amount sampled translateddirectly to the number of artifacts, and informationrecovered. As the total number of Native Americanartifacts recovered during this study amounted to on-ly 15, the additional material recovered was very im-portant for evaluating this part of the site. Althoughno temporally diagnostic projectile points were found,the recovered artifact assemblage is comparable tosimilar assemblages from Late Paleo Indian Periodthrough Early Archaic Period (10,000 to 8,500 yearsago) sites in this area.

The quality of excavation and record keeping com-pared well with professional archaeological studies.Provenience data allowed interpretation of the siteformational processes, and thereby the relationshipsof each individual artifact to the assemblage as awhole. The data obtained from the program this yearwill greatly enhance future studies of this site.

"Footnote: Joseph Rensulli and Sally Reis, TheSchoolwide Enrichment Model, Creative LearningPress, Mansfield Center, Connecticut, 1985, pg. 40.

Signatures in Stoneby Jerome P. Dunn

The gorge at Bellows Falls in Vermont is a geologicmarvel. The Connecticut River has cut a gorge over130 feet (40m) deep. It has drilled holes and tunnelsthe size of people through stone. Only the hardeststones survive, such as quartz, quartzite or granite.

These lithic survisors include the granite into whichpetroglyphs were pecked. This granite is well polish-ed by the Connecticut River which rises about sixtyfeet (18m) up the sides of the gorge each spring andjust manages to give the petroglyphs a tremendousbashing.

The petroglyphs to which I refer are not those men-tioned by Benjamin H. Hall (Hall 1858:587-590).Hall's petroglyphs were located downstream andmuch deeper in the gorge. They can no longer be seen.They were either covered by construction debris, or,more probably, they were eliminated by erosion.

Most of the petro glyphs which can still be enjoyedwere recently painted yellow. They can be seen byturning left as soon as one crosses the bridge into Ver-mont, going about sixty feet (18m) and by lookingcautiously over the edge of the precipice. They are intwo groups. A tiny unpainted one is higher up thegorge and about forty feet (12m)downstream from thetwo groups. Some ofthem are in a photograph in JohnC. Huden's compilation of archaeological literature(Ruden 1971: ante p.40).

The petro glyphs resembled Figure 1. Similar faceshave been pecked into stone in Siberia along theYenisei River (Lypski 1970:163-173). A.N. Lypskiargues that the Siberian petroglyphs represent thesupernatural guardians of rivers, but the ones atBellows Falls obviously depict families of actual peo-ple. About one-fourth of those at Bellows Falls haverays pecked above the faces. These represent feathersand symbolize male authority. Feathers had becomea substitute for antlers.

Some of Hall's faces had more than two feathers.This motif is analogous to the so-called Sun-strike ofSiberia, but, ironically, many ofthe Sun-strikes havefeminine characteristics (Lypski 1970).

The people who pecked at Bellows Falls desired cir-cularity. Tree trunks or branches may have been us-ed as guides. Most of the faces have a diameter ofabout seven inches (18cm).The more interesting onesare unpainted and partially covered at their bases by

10II

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construction debris. This debris dates them becausethey could not have been pecked after the debris wasdumped.

Some ofthe pecking created cuts with acutely angl-ed slopes and narrow bottoms as deep as six-tenthsof one inch (1.5cm).This fact suggests that metal toolswere used to make some, if not all, of the petroglyphs.

•Some of the faces are connected by pecked lines.

Two of them are joined by a natural vein ofminerals.These connecting lines indicate close relationshipssuch as mother-daughter or husband and wife.

The petroglyphs at Bellows Falls are in much bet-ter shape than those at Dighton Rock in Berkeley,Massachusetts. The latter, like some in NarragansettBay, were done in sandstone, which does not resisterosion well.

Note: Metric measurements are approximate.

REFERENCES

Hall, Benjamin H.1858 History of Eastern Vermont. D. Appleton.

New York.Huden, John C. (compiler)1971 Archaeology in Vermont. Revised edition.

Charles E. Tuttle. Rutland.Lypski, A.N.1970 "Ke Voprosu 0 Cemantike Solntseobraznix

Lichin Yeniseya". Siber I Yeyo Sosedi efDrefnosti. ("The Meaning of the Sun-strikeFaces of Yenisei". Siberia and its Society inAntiquity). USSR Academy of Science:Department of Siberia. Novosibirsk

St. Albans Historical Societyto Host Two Part Series on

Native Americans of Western VermontAt their regular monthly meetings on March 8,

1993, and April 12, 1993, respectively, the St. AlbansHistorical Society heard and will hear presentationson the history and culture of the Native Americansof Western Vermont.

The first presentation, on March 8, on NativeAmerican history, was given by Mr. John Moody,ethnohistorian from Sharon, Vermont. Mr. Moody isa graduate of Dartmouth College where he earned adegree in Native American studies and anthropology.He has been studying Native Americans and theWestern Abenakis for over twenty years and has writ-ten on the subject. Mr. Moodyis also a member oftheAbenaki Research Project, a group established by theAbenaki/Nation Vermont to conduct research onAbenaki ancestry and tribal history.

The second presentation, on April 12, will be by Dr.Fred Wiseman, Associate Professor of Humanities,Johnson State College, Johnson, Vermont. Dr.Wiseman teaches a number of courses concerningNative Americans and will display examples ofAbenaki handicraft and art and discuss Abenakiculture. Dr. Wiseman is a member of the AbenakiResearch Project and also serves on the Governor'sCommission on Native American Affairs.

Research in archaeology, anthropology, genealogyand oral history over the past thirty-five years hasestablished that Vermont has been occupiedby nativepeoples for at least eleven thousand years. And in1609 when the first Europeans viewed LakeChamplain there were thriving villages of Abenakisin the Swanton-Highgate area, St. Albans, Milton andin the Winooski area, as well as in a number ofotherlocations in Vermont. The Abenaki story isfascinating.

The Historical Society is greatly pleased to hostthese two lectures which should be both timely andinteresting.

All those interested in the history and culture of theNative Americans of Western Vermont are cordiallyinvited to attend the April 12 presentation. Themeeting commences at 7:00 p.m. Refreshments andcoffeewill be served during the discussion period afterthe meeting.

Current Historic Research,Consulting Archaeology Program,

University of Vermontby Nora Sheehan and Robert Sloma

While prehistoric excavations have constituted amajority of Vermont's archaeological endeavors, onlyrecently have historic sites received similar attention.Construction of the Chittenden County Circumferen-tial Highway (CCCH) has offered a rare opportunity

. for Vermont historic archaeology. Archaeological re-mains from four domestic sites in the town of Essexare now being analyzed. As analysis proceeds somequestions are answered, while, as always, others con-tinue to arise. These questions reflect what we believeto be the diversity and uniqueness among the sitesencountered, especially sites VT-CH-491 andVT-CH-493.

VT-CH-491 is located near a falls on Indian Brook.The brook provided water power for a mill complexthat was in operation by 1798. Land records indicatethat VT-CH-491 may relate to the mill complex,which is located about 70 meters west of the site.Excavation of VT-CH-491 identified 31 historicfeatures. Of these features, 24 were excavated orpartially excavated, including an earthfast house and

11

outbuilding, both of post-in-ground construction. Thehouse contained a cellar lined with wooden planks.Other features included refuse pits and possibleanimal pens.

•

Initial analysis of ceramics recovered from acrossthe site area suggests they are consistent with thosetypically found within the first third ofthe nineteenthcentury on rural domestic sites of northern NewEngland and eastern New York. Excavation of thecellar and related builder's trench unearthed artifactswhich offer terminus ante quem and terminus postquem dates of 1802-1831 for site occupation. It isexpected that detailed analysis of both the ceramicsand other artifacts will reveal the variety ofactivitiesoccurring at the site, as well as define the socio-economicmeans ofthe inhabitants. Further documen-tary research may yield information as to whetheroccupants of the site owned the land and residence,were workers who serviced the mill, or simplytenants.

A general lack of documentary information placesa heavy reliance on archaeological remains found atVT-CH-491. The most perplexing "artifact" presentis the architecture. Both the domestic residence andnearby outbuilding were earthfast by means of post-in-ground. While post-in-ground buildings are notuncommon in the South they are practically noneexistent in New England, except in barn construction.The architecture unearthed represents a rare find inthis region.

Dimensions ofthe residential building are based onphysical evidence of wooden posts, stone and brickpost replacements and trash pits that lie along theoutside walls of the building. The extant postsappeared to be spaced evenly along the outside walls.Based on this evidence, a total of 12 posts may haveexisted. Measurements of the building are roughly25X 24.5 ft. The plank lined cellar is located in thesouth central portion of the building. The cellarmeasures approximately 9 ft. square, and probablyhad a depth ofabout 6 ft. Remains ofvertical woodenposts are present inside each corner. Evidence of awooden divider, perhaps a storage bin, runs north tosouth across the cellar, 2.25 ft. west of the east wall.Horizontal wood fragments suggest that part if notall of the bin and perhaps the cellar, had some sortof wooden floor. Although apparently most of thebuilding and cellar burned as a result of fire thatoriginated northwest ofthe cellar, no direct evidenceof a hearth was found. This burning may account formuch of the wood preservation.

An associated outbuilding was located 24 metersnorthwest of the residential building. Physicalevidence was limited largely to charred wood andorganic staining. The outbuilding measured approx-imately 12 ft. square. Evidence of either a walldividing the building into two sections, or a structural

element, was found lying horizontally and parallel tothe north and south sills. Directly in the center ofthebuilding was a stone which may have functioned asa wall/floor support. At least three posts and one trashpit were also identified. A total of six posts are believ-ed to have existed.

A number of researchers have been contacted as apart of the search for information on post-in-groundbuildings in New England, New York, southeasternCanada and Tidewater Maryland and Virginia. Sofar, little useful data has been uncovered on suchstructures in New England. A few site reports havebeen found amongst the forest of grey literature. Theinformation compiled so far points to the probabilitythat the buildings at VT-CH-491 are more than amere aberration. If this is substantiated through con-tinued research, an advance will be made in theunderstanding of northern New England's historicvernacular architecture. Anyone who may have rele-vant information on post-in-ground structures is'asked to please call Robert Sloma at the ConsultingArchaeology Program (802)656-1991,or at home (802)862-5817. Information on plank lined and otherunusual historic Vermont cellars is of particularinterest.

VT-CH-493 is located 1.2 miles east of the VT-CH-491, in a south-facing hayfield. Although thereis now no road in the vicinity, historic maps indicatethat a road passed here in the early nineteenth cen-tury. Another domestic site on this old road (VT-CH-247) was identified during the initial recon-naissance survey for the (CCCH) project. Historicresearch conducted thus far has not uncovered anyrecord of the site's former inhabitants.

VT-CH-493consists of the remains ofa small struc-ture and several related features. The structure hasa fieldstone half-cellar with a wooden floor. The re-mains of a large end-chimney had collapsed onto thechimney base. Location ofthe chimney base and cellarsuggests that the house was fairly small, 10-15 by20-25 ft. A wood-lined trash pit with a dense depositof refuse was found directly adjacent to the cellar.This may have originally been a bulkhead or storagepit that was later used for refuse disposal. A level areanorth of the structure appears to have been used topen animals, possibly pigs. The soils in this area con-tain relatively high phosphate levels, evidence oforganic enrichment. Several pig teeth were recovered,and two organic stains were visible in the subsoil aftermechanized removal of the topsoil. These stains con-tained bone fragments and burned wood, which sug-gests that this area was a compostpile or pig slop loca-tion. The absence of outbuildings indicates VT-CH-493was not a farm; instead it may have function-ed as a shop or tavern.

Given the lack ofdocumentary evidence for the site,the artifact assemblage holds potential for yielding

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important data about the site and its occupants.Preliminary analysis of the artifacts recovered from\iT-CH-493 indicates a late eighteenth to earlynineteenth-century occupation, during the first waveof settlement of the area. The date is based on thelarge amount of creamware recovered in relation tothe other ceramic types in the assemblage; thepresence ofblack dry-bodiedstoneware and Whieldon"clouded" ware, both manufactured in the secondhalfof the eighteenth century; and the recovery of coinswith legible dates of 1805 and 1798, a token dated1814, and a King George halfpenny with an illegibledate (1760-1820).Initial analysis of the artifacts hasraised several questions that will be addressed in thefuture. There are several 18th century waresrepresented in the assemblage (basalt, Whieldon"clouded"), as well as early 19th century wares suchas edged pearlware. The ceramic assemblagerepresents a wide range in manufacturing dates, in-dicating that the site may have been inhabited forsome time. Why is there no record of the site in thedocuments?Why dothe artifacts indicate a high socio-economicstatus occupant (basalt, porcelain, teawares,ivory-handled utensils) when the house appears to beso small and unpretentious? How were the occupantssupporting themselves? The artifact assemblagepossesses a number ofpossible occupation-related ar-tifacts, including a high number of buttons, severalpairs of scissors, several sharpening stones, and manyiron implements. The presence ofthese artifacts willassist in the interpretation of activities conducted atthe site.

VT-CH-491 and VT-CH-493 represent smallsegments of a large rural community. Such ar-chaeological sites are rather unique in Vermontbecause ofthe minimal number of systematically ex-cavated historic sites in the state. The informationcontained within these sites will be invaluable indeveloping an understanding of the historic past ofVermont andnorthern New England. The results ofthis study will be part of a growing database that willcontribute to the understanding ofthe nature ofruralcommunities in this region.

Vermont Archaeology in the Newsby Victor R. Rolando

The January 24 Sunday Rutland Herald andSunday Times Argus was a bonanza of Vermont ar-chaeologynews, and for those who didn't see the threearticles, a synopsis of them follows.

The major article was "Champlain's HiddenTreasure: Should we salvage it or leave it alone?" byYvonne Daley, in the Vermont Sunday Magazinesection. On the front coverwas a full-page colorphotoof Fort Ticonderoga in the background with LakeChamplain in the foreground, taken by Samuel M.

Trudel, probably from a high point at the western endof Mount Independence.

The article starts with the events surroundingChuck Schroyer and his diving, in 1991, for Revolu-tionary War artifacts in Lake Champlain off MountIndependence. Catching the attention of others,Schroyer became the first person charged and foundguilty under Vermont's 1975 Historic PreservationAct. But equally as important, although the Schroyercase initially caused an uproar from sport divers,dialogue between divers and historic preservation of-ficials developed into a better understanding of theproblem and led to a good working relationship inidentifying and cataloging the underwater artifacts.

Four pages of text and illustrations discuss thecontroversy surrounding the issue of whether ar-tifacts found on the lake bottom should be retrievedfor study, display, and interpretation, or left un-disturbed on the bottom of the lake. "The debateraises a host of questions that challenge our tradi-tional sentiments about treasure hunters, collectionsin art museums, the rights of sport-diving public andthe particularly significant finds and the informationthat they might contain" wrote Daley. Art Cohn,Director of the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum,"had always been an advocate ofleaving things wherethey were, especially when-as in the case of LakeChamplain-weather and other natural conditionshad protected artifacts and could be expected to pro-vide such protection in the future."

An underwater survey ofa section ofthe lake in thevicinity ofMount Independence and Fort Ticonderogaresulted in finding a quantity and quality of artifactsthat "surpassed anything they had imagined."Located and documented were remains of a railroadtrestle, British and French vessels dating to the1750s, canal boats, spades, bottles, cannon, shot, andvarious other Revolutionary War ordnance. With thisstartling discovery, Cohn found himself torn betweenhis long-standing philosophy of leaving artifacts un-touched and the realization that the discovered ar-tifacts might be looted or lost through a possiblechanging lake-bottom environment.

Last fall, the Lake Champlain Management Con-ference, which consists of representatives ofVermont,New York, Quebec, and Washington, D.C.,and whichoversees and makes decisions about the future of thelake, received Cohn's report and deliberated over thefindings. "We finally realized we need to get theseartifacts out ofthere and share them with the publicbecause that's their best use" said Cohn. The LakeChamplain Basin Program has requested $75,000from the Vermont Legislature to fund removal oftheartifacts. Reasons for removal included considerationof the shallowness of the lake in this area, artifactdamage from boat anchors, and use of artifacts forpublic display to keep them out ofprivate ownership.

13

_I

Cohn explained that the Lake Champlain Maritime• Museum h~s no desire to add the artifacts to its col-

lection. "We believe the long-term disposition shouldbe at Fort Ticonderogaor Mount Independence,wherethe history they are a part of occurred."

Reclamation of the artifacts could start as early asthis spring (1993) should the funding be received."What's happening to some of these treasures isanalogous to what we are doing with endangeredspecies.The first requirement ofany recovery shouldbe to preserve the information in the process, whicha formal archaeological project can do and treasureseekers rarely do. Once the information is lost, it'slost forever" Cohn concluded. (Papers by Art Cohnand DonWickman at the Mount Independence Coali-tion meeting last fall in Orwell dramaticallyillustrated the lakebottom finds.)

Another article, on the front page of section 1, istitled "Abenaki Burial Site Imperiled By Erosion" byMelissa Tarkington, Sunday Staff Writer. The arti-cle explains how shore erosion along the MissisquoiRiver at the Swanton-Highgate line is gouginghuman remains out of a 3-acre, Abenaki Nation2,000-year-old burial ground. "The site is threaten-ed mostly by erosion because of the ice jamming inspring. The ice rides along the bank and gouges theburial ground. I've been here several times after theice has jammed to find human bones strewn about"David Skinas said. Michael Delaney, an Abenakitribal judge, said that he fears this year's thaw maybe the one that destroys the burial ground.

Skinas said that the bank has eroded an averageof two feet per year since 1988, when state ar-chaeologists started studying the site. The Divisionfor Historic Preservation purchased the site from thestate in 1989with funds from the Nature Conservan-cy,with the state appropriating $15,000 for stab~l~za-tion, although Skinas estimates successful stabiliza-tion closer to $70,000. Plant cultivation, an inexpen-sive fix, requires time for successful rooting, but thesite has little time remaining. Quick but expensiverip-rap might also do damage of its own to the shore-line burials. Abenaki families, none-the-less, watchin despair as the site slowly disappears, andperiodically retrieve remains that become exposed.These are turned over to the state for documentationand reinterment at other burial sites in the vicinity.(Seethree related VAS Newsletter items: "Update onHighgate Burial Land" by Pru Doherty, April 1989;"Stabilization Efforts at VT-FR-8 Fall Short" byDavid Skinas, June 1991;and "VT-FR-8StabilizationUpdate" by David Skinas, September 1991.)

The third article, continuing at the end of the sec-ond on page 7, is titled "Fancy Radar Helped FindBurial Site," also by Tarkington, described howGround Penetrating Radar was used to confirm theburial site without the need to dig anything. (See"Use of Ground Penetrating Radar on NativeAmerican Site" by Douglas S. Frink in VAS News-letter, October 1992.)

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