Post by Okwes on Jun 6, 2007 17:42:28 GMT -5
Fencing in the past: Developer preserves 5,000-year-old archaeological site
By Mike LaBella , Staff Writer
Eagle-Tribune
HAVERHILL - They call it the "wooden box site" - for no other reason than archaeologists found a wooden box sitting on a piece of land where ancient American Indian artifacts were unearthed.
That was six years ago when archaeologists hired by the developers of the Fairway Oaks housing development off Newton Road said they believe American Indians camped on this roughly 100 foot-by-100 foot piece of land 5,000 years ago.
Now, the Massachusetts Historical Commission wants to know what happened to the site and what was done to ensure it will not be disturbed.
The answer is simple, said developer Steve Doherty: His firm has placed a fence around the area, and the land will remain protected.
Thomas Spitalere, chairman of the Haverhill Historical Commission, received a copy of a letter from state senior archaeologist Edward Bell asking the developer to explain what measures were taken to protect the site.
"I have major concerns about this due to the fact that this area of Haverhill has been flagged as a high-density area of Native American sites," Spitalere said. "There are probably artifacts such as spear points and human bones buried there. You never really know until you go digging."
It is the third ancient Indian site in Haverhill to gain the concern of state and local historians in the last six months. The others are the site of a bank being built downtown on Emerson Street and land near the Boy Scouts Yankee Clipper Council building near Kenoza Lake.
Doherty said he first learned about the significance of the Fairway Oaks site in 2001 when the state requested an archaeological review of the land being proposed for the new housing development. He said the archaeologists his company hired to inspect the site dug down to a depth of about a foot and after sifting through the soil found what appeared to be a broken end of a spear.
"About 10 feet from that they found another stone piece that may have been part of a stone knife," Doherty said. "Our archaeologists estimated the age at between 3,000 and 5,000 years old."
Those archaeologists isolated an odd-shaped piece of land about 100 feet wide at its widest point.
"They did a perimeter check and fenced in a no-disturb area," Doherty said. "The state gave us options of reclaiming or exhuming the area, or fencing it in. We fenced it in."
HAVERHILL - They call it the "wooden box site" - for no other reason than archaeologists found a wooden box sitting on a piece of land where ancient American Indian artifacts were unearthed.
That was six years ago when archaeologists hired by the developers of the Fairway Oaks housing development off Newton Road said they believe American Indians camped on this roughly 100 foot-by-100 foot piece of land 5,000 years ago.
Now, the Massachusetts Historical Commission wants to know what happened to the site and what was done to ensure it will not be disturbed.
The answer is simple, said developer Steve Doherty: His firm has placed a fence around the area, and the land will remain protected.
Thomas Spitalere, chairman of the Haverhill Historical Commission, received a copy of a letter from state senior archaeologist Edward Bell asking the developer to explain what measures were taken to protect the site.
"I have major concerns about this due to the fact that this area of Haverhill has been flagged as a high-density area of Native American sites," Spitalere said. "There are probably artifacts such as spear points and human bones buried there. You never really know until you go digging."
It is the third ancient Indian site in Haverhill to gain the concern of state and local historians in the last six months. The others are the site of a bank being built downtown on Emerson Street and land near the Boy Scouts Yankee Clipper Council building near Kenoza Lake.
Doherty said he first learned about the significance of the Fairway Oaks site in 2001 when the state requested an archaeological review of the land being proposed for the new housing development. He said the archaeologists his company hired to inspect the site dug down to a depth of about a foot and after sifting through the soil found what appeared to be a broken end of a spear.
"About 10 feet from that they found another stone piece that may have been part of a stone knife," Doherty said. "Our archaeologists estimated the age at between 3,000 and 5,000 years old."
Those archaeologists isolated an odd-shaped piece of land about 100 feet wide at its widest point.
"They did a perimeter check and fenced in a no-disturb area," Doherty said. "The state gave us options of reclaiming or exhuming the area, or fencing it in. We fenced it in."
Spitalere said he spoke to an official with the state historical commission yesterday but could not obtain any specific information about the site.
"In the world of archaeology, sites such as these are kept secret so that they aren't damaged by amateur archaeologists looking for artifacts," he said. "I've been told by people who have worked with archaeologists that they act like a secret society and don't reveal the exact locations of important historic sites."
Spitalere said Doherty did the right thing by cordoning off the area and keeping it protected for future archaeological exploration.
"I hope more developers follow in his footsteps by keeping Native American sites protected," Spitalere said.
PG1 BOX
American Indian sites recently reviewed in Haverhill
* Land where Yankee Clipper Boy Scouts office is, across from Kenoza Lake. The organization is considering erecting a cell phone tower there, but historical officials have cautioned to be careful with the site.
* Next to the Haverhill Boys Club on Emerson Street, where a bank is being built. Workers are being careful to look for artifacts when moving soil.
* Within the Fairway Oaks housing development off Newton Road where the developer has fenced off an area believed to be part of an ancient Indian camp.
By Mike LaBella , Staff Writer
Eagle-Tribune
HAVERHILL - They call it the "wooden box site" - for no other reason than archaeologists found a wooden box sitting on a piece of land where ancient American Indian artifacts were unearthed.
That was six years ago when archaeologists hired by the developers of the Fairway Oaks housing development off Newton Road said they believe American Indians camped on this roughly 100 foot-by-100 foot piece of land 5,000 years ago.
Now, the Massachusetts Historical Commission wants to know what happened to the site and what was done to ensure it will not be disturbed.
The answer is simple, said developer Steve Doherty: His firm has placed a fence around the area, and the land will remain protected.
Thomas Spitalere, chairman of the Haverhill Historical Commission, received a copy of a letter from state senior archaeologist Edward Bell asking the developer to explain what measures were taken to protect the site.
"I have major concerns about this due to the fact that this area of Haverhill has been flagged as a high-density area of Native American sites," Spitalere said. "There are probably artifacts such as spear points and human bones buried there. You never really know until you go digging."
It is the third ancient Indian site in Haverhill to gain the concern of state and local historians in the last six months. The others are the site of a bank being built downtown on Emerson Street and land near the Boy Scouts Yankee Clipper Council building near Kenoza Lake.
Doherty said he first learned about the significance of the Fairway Oaks site in 2001 when the state requested an archaeological review of the land being proposed for the new housing development. He said the archaeologists his company hired to inspect the site dug down to a depth of about a foot and after sifting through the soil found what appeared to be a broken end of a spear.
"About 10 feet from that they found another stone piece that may have been part of a stone knife," Doherty said. "Our archaeologists estimated the age at between 3,000 and 5,000 years old."
Those archaeologists isolated an odd-shaped piece of land about 100 feet wide at its widest point.
"They did a perimeter check and fenced in a no-disturb area," Doherty said. "The state gave us options of reclaiming or exhuming the area, or fencing it in. We fenced it in."
HAVERHILL - They call it the "wooden box site" - for no other reason than archaeologists found a wooden box sitting on a piece of land where ancient American Indian artifacts were unearthed.
That was six years ago when archaeologists hired by the developers of the Fairway Oaks housing development off Newton Road said they believe American Indians camped on this roughly 100 foot-by-100 foot piece of land 5,000 years ago.
Now, the Massachusetts Historical Commission wants to know what happened to the site and what was done to ensure it will not be disturbed.
The answer is simple, said developer Steve Doherty: His firm has placed a fence around the area, and the land will remain protected.
Thomas Spitalere, chairman of the Haverhill Historical Commission, received a copy of a letter from state senior archaeologist Edward Bell asking the developer to explain what measures were taken to protect the site.
"I have major concerns about this due to the fact that this area of Haverhill has been flagged as a high-density area of Native American sites," Spitalere said. "There are probably artifacts such as spear points and human bones buried there. You never really know until you go digging."
It is the third ancient Indian site in Haverhill to gain the concern of state and local historians in the last six months. The others are the site of a bank being built downtown on Emerson Street and land near the Boy Scouts Yankee Clipper Council building near Kenoza Lake.
Doherty said he first learned about the significance of the Fairway Oaks site in 2001 when the state requested an archaeological review of the land being proposed for the new housing development. He said the archaeologists his company hired to inspect the site dug down to a depth of about a foot and after sifting through the soil found what appeared to be a broken end of a spear.
"About 10 feet from that they found another stone piece that may have been part of a stone knife," Doherty said. "Our archaeologists estimated the age at between 3,000 and 5,000 years old."
Those archaeologists isolated an odd-shaped piece of land about 100 feet wide at its widest point.
"They did a perimeter check and fenced in a no-disturb area," Doherty said. "The state gave us options of reclaiming or exhuming the area, or fencing it in. We fenced it in."
Spitalere said he spoke to an official with the state historical commission yesterday but could not obtain any specific information about the site.
"In the world of archaeology, sites such as these are kept secret so that they aren't damaged by amateur archaeologists looking for artifacts," he said. "I've been told by people who have worked with archaeologists that they act like a secret society and don't reveal the exact locations of important historic sites."
Spitalere said Doherty did the right thing by cordoning off the area and keeping it protected for future archaeological exploration.
"I hope more developers follow in his footsteps by keeping Native American sites protected," Spitalere said.
PG1 BOX
American Indian sites recently reviewed in Haverhill
* Land where Yankee Clipper Boy Scouts office is, across from Kenoza Lake. The organization is considering erecting a cell phone tower there, but historical officials have cautioned to be careful with the site.
* Next to the Haverhill Boys Club on Emerson Street, where a bank is being built. Workers are being careful to look for artifacts when moving soil.
* Within the Fairway Oaks housing development off Newton Road where the developer has fenced off an area believed to be part of an ancient Indian camp.