Our March 16th meeting was very well attended by society members. Dr. Michael Stewart presented a fantastic synopsis of his lengthy, well-sourced and recently completed radiocarbon project for the Upper Delaware Valley for Pre-Contact period archaeological resources. The breadth of Dr. Stewart's project is significant and covers New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York. The study was completed for the New Jersey Historic Preservation Office. Dr. Stewart presented several highlights from the project.
Matthew Del Guercio, a student at Monmouth University, spoke to society members about the uses of Geographic Information System (GIS) applications for mapping and refining the potential location eighteenth-century occupation areas referenced historic maps within the Manor of Tinton, an enormous estate owned by the Morris family in Tinton Falls, Monmouth County, New Jersey. Matthew's work highlights the advantages of using GIS technology to refine areas of archaeological sensitivity for historic period archaeological sites.
Richard Adamczyk, a Monmouth University Graduate Student, provided the audience with a refreshing examination and analysis of Pre-Contact period artifacts collected by avocational archaeologists along the beach of Keyport in Monmouth County, New Jersey. Richard's study breathes new life into a decades-old collection, underscores the merits of reexamining avocational archaeologists' collections and highlights the richness of coastal occupations by Pre-Contact period Native American groups.
The final paper was presented by Jesse Walker of AECOM, who provided a close look at site 28-SA-117, a Pre-Contact period archaeological site in Salem County along the Salem River. Mr. Walker compared the results from this extensively sampled site with other sites in the Salem River watershed to assess inter site connections, group mobility, and resource procurement in the watershed.
