Minisink Archeological Site, also known as Minisink Historic District, is an

archeological site An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology an ...

of 1320 acres located in both

Sussex County, New Jersey Sussex County () is the northernmost county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Its county seat is Newton.Pike County, Pennsylvania Pike County is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 58,535. Its county seat is Milford, Pennsylvania ...

.John R. Wright, "Archeology in the Minisink Today"
''Spanning the Gap'', Vol. 25 No. 2, Summer 2003, National Park Service It was part of a region occupied by

Munsee The Munsee () are a subtribe and one of the three divisions of the Lenape. Historically, they lived along the upper portion of the Delaware River, the Minisink, and the adjacent country in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. They were prom ...

-speaking

Lenape The Lenape (, , ; ), also called the Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. The Lenape's historica ...

that extended from southern New York across northern New Jersey to northeastern Pennsylvania. The Munsee were speakers of one of the three major language dialects of the Lenape Native American tribe. This interstate territory became the most important Munsee community for the majority of the 17th and 18th centuries.

History

The area has supported human habitation for 10,000 years. The site's archeology has been studied for more than 100 years, since the discovery in 1900 of Native American burials, and Indian and European artifacts. Since the late twentieth century, researchers have concentrated on trying to understand Native American cultures rather than simply retrieve artifacts and antiquities. "Today, Minisink remains one of the most extensive, best preserved, and most intensively studied archeological locales in the Northeast." The site was declared a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

in 1993. Excavations at the site have helped reveal historic interactions between European and Lenape people in Munsee country. Hundreds of early stone tools recovered at the site, along with remains of fish and fruit, indicated a more diverse diet than previously expected by researchers."Historical Marker Dedicated in Smithfield Township: Minisink Hills"
Monroe County Historical Association. July 2010, Web. March 2011 Two

100-year flood A 100-year flood, also called a 1% flood,Holmes, R.R., Jr., and Dinicola, K. (2010) ''100-Year flood–it's all about chance 'U.S. Geological Survey General Information Product 106/ref> is a flood event at a level that is reached or exceeded onc ...

s, one in September 2004 and one in April 2005, caused severe erosion to one of the contributing archeological sites, 36Pi04 (Manna Site) located at the confluence of the Raymondskill Creek and Delaware River. Approximately 20% of the site was compromised during the floods. The National Park Service is collaborating with the

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist ministe ...

Department of Anthropology to stabilize the banks as well as conduct archeological research and field schools at the site.

References

External links

Minisink Valley Historical Society
{{Authority control Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area National Historic Landmarks in Pennsylvania National Historic Landmarks in New Jersey Geography of Pike County, Pennsylvania Archaeological sites in New Jersey Archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Native American history of New Jersey Native American history of Pennsylvania National Register of Historic Places in Sussex County, New Jersey 1900 archaeological discoveries Archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey Former Native American populated places in Pennsylvania

History

See also

References

External links