Very old money

Archaeologist to present important Minisink find Goshen — In 1982, local archaeologists started innovative work on the Hansen rockshelter in Minisink. A preliminary report on this site has just been completed, 25 years later, and will be presented for the first time. Presenter William Sandy is a contract archaeologist who has excavated sites throughout the region. An expert on the recovery of seeds and small artifacts, he made a remarkable discovery at a Minisink site: fossil crinoids fashioned into beads. At 1,650 years old, they may be some of the oldest money in New York. Sandy will make his presentation at the next meeting of the Incorporated Orange County Chapter of the New York State Archaeological Association, to be held at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 15, in the community room of the Goshen United Methodist Church, 115 Main St. The chapter will also discuss how local cultural resource management regulations are bringing modern archaeology to Orange County. They will talk about the future of black dirt archaeology, including continued chapter work on the conservation and the interpretation of important sites like the Dutchess Quarry caves and Hansen rockshelter. n 50 years of accomplishment In recent years, archaeologists have made remarkable discoveries at black dirt sites in the towns of Minisink, Wawayanda, and Warwick. This area along the Wallkill River in Orange County is famous for the abundant remains of extinct Ice Age fauna and a variety of important native American sites. The year 2008 marks the 50th anniversary of the Incorporated Orange County Chapter of the New York State Archaeological Association. Archaeologists working in the black dirt area, and everyone concerned with New York history, are indebted to the chapter for its groundbreaking work. In 1962, with the guidance of state archaeologist Dr. Robert Funk, the chapter began its work at Dutchess Quarry Caves in Goshen. That work gained nationwide attention for its discoveries of very early people. For more information, contact the chapter at 60 Decker Drive, Middletown, NY 10940; e-mail: ioccnysaa@gmail.com; or visit: http://ioccnysaa.blogspot.com.