| Date |
Articles and Descriptions |
|
June 27, 2024 |
An article in the Glastonbury Citizen, describing ongoing activities at the Hollister site.
Note: There are a number of articles from the Glastonbury Citizen on the Hollister
site going back to 2016.
|
|
March 23, 2024 |
This article, from /www.stuff.co.nz and titled Skull thought to be Hitler's is from woman ,
with a by-date of October 14, 2009, is from a New Zealand website, and
contains information on Hitler's skull, and which we became aware of because Nick
Bellantoni's name was mentioned in the article. While the facts in the article are well
documented on this page, this news link contains many other items centering on New
Zealand goings-on, and it's suggested that, having gotten this far, the reader of this
page might find the more-current news items in this link of interest. Scroll to near the bottom
of the page for "Stuff Shorts". Check It Out!
|
|
March 25, 2023 |
An article in CTPost titled "Freeman Houses, owned by two
of CT's first prominent Black women, to be restored by Bridgeport group". The
house are some of the last remaining structures of Little Liberia, one of the earliest
settlements of free people of color in pre-Civil War Connecticut history. The article
is a complement to the talk given by Maisa L. Tisdale, President and CEO of the Mary
& Eliza Freeman Center for History and Community, during the (Zoom) 2022 Annual Meeting,
which you can access by clicking
2022 Meeting.
|
|
March 3, 2023 |
An article in CT Insider titled "Museums still have hundreds
of Native American remains from Connecticut despite 1990 law". The summaary pretty
much says it all: "Three decades after Congress passed the Native American Graves
Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the remains of hundreds of Native ancestors
taken from Connecticut still sit in museums.
|
|
October 18, 2022 |
An article in UConn Magazine about a serendipitous archaeological
find at Two Wrasslin' Cats coffee shop in East Haddam in May, 2020 -- a tool using
a type of chert found in the Hudson Valley, and likely deposited there some 12,000 years
ago. Work has been going on at the coffee shop since the find was recognized.
|
|
March 7 2022 |
An article put out by NPR radio station WSHU on a rare
archaeological site was found on the grounds of the Two Wrasslin Cats Coffee House and
Cafe in East Haddam. Over 500 ancient items have been unearthed. "And so we've found 21
fragments of these concentrated in one area of the site indicating that between 11,000
and 13,000 years ago this was an area where people sat down and made several spearpoints
out of a few different types of material too," said David Leslie, who is part of the
archeological team.
|
|
February 13, 2022 |
Article in newstimes: "Revolutionary War site in Redding will soon have an audio
tour." The Connecticut Radio Information System, a nonprofit radio-reading service, was
recently awarded a $46,241 federal grant that will allow the organization to create an
audio tour of the Revolutionary War winter encampment at Putnam Memorial State Park in
Redding. Per U.S. Representative Jim Hines, "This site housed 3,000 Revolutionary War
soldiers in 1778 and 1779 and the encampment played an indispensable strategic role for
the Continental Army, allowing soldiers to protect the Hudson River Valley and Long
Island Sound." For an additional article, please click
here.
|
|
January 2022 |
An article in Connecticut Magazine about the Brian D. Jones
site in Avon and how the site has added to knowledge about the Paleoindian period in
Connecticut.
|
| (various) |
Articles about a discovery at the site of a house where
Benedict Arnold once lived. An unsuspected tunnel was found, using GPR analysis. The
articles also describe what they found and what also needs to be done next spring in
future excavations.
|
| (various) |
Articles about the discovery of 3 presumed Revolutionary
War soldiers' skeletons in Ridgefield.
|
|
November 10, 2021 |
An article in cnn.com on the finding of a 1,200 year-old
canoe in Lake Mendota in Madison, Wisconsin. The article describes how it was discovered,
recovered, and the steps being used to preserve it.
|
|
July 26, 2021 |
An article in theday.com about a wreathlaying ceremony in
Norwichtown at the tomb of Samuel Huntington, held by some historians to have been "the
first real President of the United States" for serving at the President under the
Articles of Confederation, which preceded the current Constitution of the United States.
|
|
July 9, 2021 |
An article in patch.com about a dig by Southern CT State
University archaeology students at the Henry Whitfield House in Guilford.
|
|
May 9, 2021 |
An article in CT Post about a projectile point found in the
backyard of a home in Monroe, uncovered while planting flowers, which appears to be between
1200 - 2700 years old, and part of the Adena culture.
|
|
April 26, 2021 |
An article in CT Insider about a discussion whether to count
the bodies in a Wallingford cemetery. Sarah Sportman advocates doing so, using Ground
Penetrating Radar. NOTE: In order to read this
article you need a subscription account with the New Haven register.
|
|
April 2, 2021 |
A Boston Globe article about a handful of Arabian silver coins
found in Rhode Island, and other random corners of New England may help solve one of the
planet's oldest cold cases. The villain in this tale: a murderous English pirate, Henry Every,
who became the world's most-wanted criminal after plundering a ship carrying Muslim
pilgrims home to India from Mecca, then eluded capture by posing as a slave trader.
NOTE: For a related article on the Arabian coins, in
the Fall-2018 FOSA Newsletter, please click
Fall 2018 Newsletter. Per Sarah Sportman, Brian Jones and the author of the
article spoke, and "it seems that our coin and the others were likely passed around New
England by members of Every's crew."
|
|
March 26, 2021 |
An article in Smithsonian about burrowing rabbits unearthing
a trove of paleolithic tools and fragments of a cremation urn on Skokholm Island in Wales.
|
|
January 5, 2021 |
An article about halting a project in Northampton, MA due to
discovery of 10,000 year-old artifacts, a situation not unlike the 12,500 year-old site
found in Avon, CT (the "Brian Jones" site), which is shown below (search for "12,500"). The
artifacts were found and removed by Archaeological and Historical Services Inc. of Storrs,
Connecticut, a company hired by the state of Massachusetts to investigate the site prior to
construction. |
|
November 29, 2020 |
An article from the Norwich Bulletin: The Walk Norwich Trails
are a series of historically themed walking trails designed to educate residents and
visitors about the rich history of Norwich by providing people with an interactive walking
self-guided trail complete with trail marker signs, interpretive signs, and self-guided
brochures. Self-guided trial brochures are
available at the outdoor information box at the Norwich Heritage & Regional Visitors'
Center located at 69 E. Town St. |
|
November 16, 2020 |
An article from the Hartford Courant about recent archaeological
discoveries on the grounds of the Webb-Dreane-Stevens Museum in Wethersfield. "This is
changing the narrative of Connecticut history," one historian said. Generations of families
have visited Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum to wander through the 18th-century dwellings and
learn about life in Revolutionary War-era Connecticut. But an archaeological dig at the
historical site, which was completed over the summer, has flipped the script on the
homesite's lineage. The dig revealed more than 100,000 artifacts, some substantial in size,
some tiny. This trove of stuff fleshes out what historians knew about life all the way back
to the 1630s, when English settlers first came to the place that the native Wangunk people
called Pyquag. Now called Wethersfield, it has been known for decades as the state's "most
ancient town." |
|
November 11, 2020 |
An article from hamlethub.com about the formation of an
advisory group to oversee the National Park Service's "American Battlefield Protection
Program" grant obtained this year by the Ridgefield Historical Society. Among the
advisory group's members is CT State Archaeologist Dr. Sarah Sportman. The impetus for
this new study was the discovery a year ago in Ridgefield of skeletons that may be the
remains of soldiers who fell in the battle. (Those skeletons' analysis has been delayed
by the coronavirus pandemic, but preliminary assessments suggested young men who were
hastily buried in the 18th Century.) |
| (various) |
Articles concerning the finding of the bones of what are
believed to be 4 Revolutionary War soldiers who were killed in the April, 1777 Battle of
Ridgefield, CT.
|
December 16, 2019, archaeology.com |
|
December 16, 2019, Ridgefield's HamletHub
|
January 3, 2020, Hartford Courant
|
|
January 7, 2020, Ridgefield Press
|
January 8, 2020, Ridgefield HamletHub
|
|
January 9, 2020, livescience.com
|
January, 2020, article in ASC Newsletter (starts at bottom page 1)
|
|
January 22, 2020, archaeology.org
|
January 10, 2020, popularmechanics.com
|
|
January 6, 2020, archaeology.org
|
February 17, 2020, patch.com
|
|
March 13, 2020, WSHU - National Public Radio interview
|
March 3, 2020, myrecordjhournal.com
|
|
February 29, 2020, theday.com
|
July 3, 2020, theridgefieldpress.com
|
|
| (various) |
Articles describing the discovery of the oldest archaeological
site (12,500 years old) in Connecticut, in Avon, CT. The site has been named in honor of
the late State Archaeoligist, Dr. Brian D. Jones.
|
December 11, 2019, Hartford Courant
|
December 15, 2019, dailystar.co.uk |
|
December 28, 2019, thevintagenews.com |
January 26, 2020, Hartford Courant< /TH>
|
|
December 28, 2019, thevintagenews.com |
December 13, 2019, nypost.com |
|
| (various) |
Articles relating to skeletons uncovered during excavations
at Yale New Haven Hospital in July, 2011.
|
| Articles relating to the passing of Dr. Brian Jones, CT State
Archaeologist.
|
|
March 22, 2019 |
An article from the New Haven Register about upcoming
excavations in France. The "Digging Into History: WWI Trench Restoration In Seicheprey,
France" program recently selected 15 Connecticut high school students to travel to the
small French village of Seicheprey, which was the site of the first German offensive
against American troops. The students will work side by side with 15 French students to
restore a section of the trenches once occupied by the Connecticut soldiers who fought in
that battle. |
|
August 5, 2019 |
An article from the Ridgefield Press about the
Seicheprey, France (see previous item above).
|
|
May 19, 2019 |
An article in the Hartford Courant about a man in East Hartford
who was removing old plaster and nails in his 17th-century home when he uncovered the
plaster wall and found what turned out to be a five-foot-long primitive battle scene
possibly from the French and Indian War.
|
| (various) |
Articles relating to a 17th century massacre in Connecticut,
which has been referred to as "Connecticut's Jamestown".
|
|
November 29, 2018 |
An article in thehour.com about archaeological work that's to
be done at the site of the Walk Bridge replacement in Norwalk, which archival documents
suggest might have been the site of a Native American fort hundreds of years ago. |
|
November 23, 2017 |
An article in wtnh.com concerning 1,200 year-old Native
American artifacts unearthed in Westbrook. |
|
October 27, 2017 |
CISION article (prweb.com) concerning on upcoming excavations
to occur on the campus of Lauralton Hall in Milford, CT. The college preparatory school
announced a pilot program, the Science of Archaeology, featuring an archaeological dig on
the School's campus. Students enrolled in the Science of Archaeology course will be
excavating the site of a former Victorian greenhouse on campus. The site was chosen based
on archival research and photographs provided by a 1934 aerial survey conducted by the
State of Connecticut. |
| (various) |
Articles relating to shipwreck finds on beneath the Black Sea,
in which a UConn Associate Professor of Archaeology (Avery Point) Kroum Batchvarov was
involved. Finds included a 2000 year-old cargo ship and several 4th-5th century BC other
shipwrecks.
Please Note: This work was being conducted under
the auspices of the Black Sea Maritime Archaeology Project (aka "Black Sea MAP") of the
University of Southampton in the U.K. To access a web site associated with this project,
please click Black Sea MAP .
|
| (various) |
Articles concerning forums given by FOSA member Dr. Don Rankin
concerning racism in America and mitigating it. For additional background on this talk,
please click here.
|
|
January 16, 2017 |
An article in the New York Times.com concerning the role that
metal detector users ("detectorists") can play in locating unsuspected archaeological sites,
though with the caveat the artifacts taken out of context could render them or the site useless
archaeologically. |
| (various) |
Articles in the Glastonbury Citizen by FOSA member Susan Motycka
titled the "Founding Fathers of Nayaug, Part I", "...Part II", "...Part III", and "...Part IV", which
include background history of John Hollister and the Lt. John Hollister Site in Glastonbury.
|
|
September 1, 2016 |
An article in the Glastonbury Citizen, describing both activities at
and some history on the Lt. John Hollister Site in Glastonbury.
|
| (various) |
Articles on a find in Windsor, signs of a cellar that had been
backfilled. The Hartford Courant reports that further investigation revealed eighteenth-century
artifacts as well as a few from the seventeenth century, including pottery, food waste, nails,
and clay pipes at a site thought to have been the home of Captain John Mason. In 1637, Mason
led English colonists, allied with Narragansetts, in the "Mystic Massacre".
|
|
March 4, 2016 |
An article in the Hartford Courant describing a talk to be given by Brian Jones
titled "Connecticut's Earliest European Settlers: Recent Finds from Glastonbury and Windsor."
|
|
November 25, 2015 |
An article in theday.com about Brian Jones, concerning his past
his responsibilities as CT State Archaeologist, and his related activities, both in the field
and in managing the collections which his office is responsible for.
|
|
November 19, 2015 |
An article in the Hartford Courant on a soapstone quarry in Peoples' State Forest in Barkhamsted,
discussing what was manufactured there. Even more interesting is the fact that the quarry itself was forgotten when
better materials became available, and then was subsequently rediscovered.
|
|
November 18, 2015 |
An article in TheDay.com on Gungywamp, which appeared on a
Science Channel episode. Dr. Jones voices some opinions on it and the theories of its
origin.
|
|
November 2, 2015 |
An article in the Hartford Courant on a "Walktober" event in
Canterbury at the Captain John Clark property that was led by Nick Bellantoni.
|
|
July 24, 2015 |
An article in the Hartford Courant on a week-long dig in
Windsor searching for remains of a 1633 trading post along the Connecticut River.
|
|
January 21, 2015 |
An article in the New Canaan News, discussing Brian
Jones' first 6 months on the job, what the State Archaeologist does generally, and related
subjects.
|
| (various) |
Articles on Nick Bellantoni's retirement and replacement by
Dr. Brian Jones.
|
|
June 25, 2014 |
A quick "Thumbs Up" from the Danbury News Times to Nick
Bellantoni and his volunteer helpers on excavations at St. Platon's Church in Danbury.
|
| (various) |
Articles concerning excavations going on
in New Haven for a new apartment complex. Local historian Rob Greenberg felt there might be significant
colonial artifacts in the apartment site which would be vulnerable to destruction. Nick Bellantoni has
agreed to work with the developer, to monitor activities, recover and record any artifacts encountered.
|
| (various) |
Articles describing various talks given by Nick Bellantoni on New
England vampire beliefs.
|
August 1, 2019 - Hartford Courant |
October 26, 2022 - New Haven Register
|
October 20, 2022 - patch.com
|
August 5, 2019 - Fox News Network |
August 5, 2019 - micetimes.asia |
October 31, 2022 - newsweek.com |
|
August 10, 2019 - USA Today |
November 13, 2019 - www.zip06.com |
|
September 19, 2019 - Connecticut Magazine |
October 1, 2021 - Film Daily
|
|
|
|
June 10, 2013 |
An article in "UConn Today" concerning the excavation of a mikveh
(Jewish ritual bath) at the site of the former Chesterfield Synagogue. Per the article, A mikveh is
an essential part of married life in traditionally observant Jewish households, and thr stone and
wood-lined structure from Old Chesterfield may be the only mikveh excavated outside a major North
American city. It is a unique find.
|
| (various)
| Articles concerning analysis of a time capsule unearthed in New
Haven containing Civil War and Lincoln memorabilia, as well as human bones, when the "Lincoln Oak"
tree fell over during a Hurricane Sandy in October, 2012.
|
| (various)
| Articles about an excavation in Danbury headed up
by Nick Bellantoni, searching for the burial site of American Indian Albert Afraid of Hawk,
once a part of Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show, so his remains can be returned to his original home
in South Dakota.
|
|
May 1, 2012 |
Reprint of an article from the Journal Inquirer about a dig lead
by Nick Bellantoni at the Pitkin Glass Works in Manchester, CT. The reprint itself is part of the Manchester
Historical Society's web site.
|
|
April 25, 2012 |
An article in the Danbury News Times, concerning archaeological
efforts hoping to unearth artifacts associated with the Battle of Ridgefield, which occurred on
April 27, 1777, one of only 2 battles which occurred in Connecticut during the Revolutionary War. |
|
December 26, 2011 |
An article in theday.com, on the possibility that remains of
abolitionist David Ruggles might exist in an unmarked grave in Yantic Cemetery in Norwice, CT. The
article describes activities, led by State Archaeologist Nick Bellantoni and involving the use of
Ground Penetrating Radar, to determine the location of possible burial sites from which DNA samples
might be taken. |
|
June 10, 2011 |
Article in theday.com about a dig undertaken by Kevin McBride
and students from the UConn Archaeological Field School launched a dig at the Denison
Homestead Thursday to seek evidence of a stockade and troops preparing to fight in King
Philip's War from 1675 to 1676.. |
| (various) |
Articles concerning the exhumation of the wanderer known as the
"Leatherman", an attempt (unsuccessful) to hopefully determine who he was. Talks that
Nick Bellantoni gave on this subject are also included.
|
|
May 16, 2011 |
An article in theday.com reporting on a talk Nick Bellantoni gave
in Montville, about the various archaeological results uncovered in Connecticut. A mastodon's
skeletal remains, tools left behind from the state's first inhabitants and graffiti from the early
18th century are just some of the finds by state archaeologist.
|
November 20, 2010
November 13, 2010 |
Two articles in greenwichtime.com concerning what happens when roads,
buildings, or other construction activities unearth human remains, which can often be located within
3 feet of the surface. The earlier article contains 6 images.
|
|
October 26, 2010 |
An article in the Connecticut Post, accompanied by 7 photos,
describing efforts -- ultimately unsuccessful -- to discover the remains of 24 soldiers (8 Colonists,
16 British) who died during a Revolutionary War battle in Ridgefield, near what is now the Casagmo
condominium complex. Ground Penetrating Radar, core-sampling auger, and metal detectors were used in
the search.
|
|
July 19, 2010 |
Article from theday.com The National Park Service's American
Battlefield Protection Program has awarded a $19,000 grant to the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and
Research Center to research details of the 1636-1638 battles between colonial settlers and Pequot
Indians at Fort Saybrook (Saybrook Point, Old Saybrook, CT.) The investigative team includes the
Office of the Connecticut State Archaeologist.
|
|
July 6, 2010 |
Article from the newstimes.com: State Archaeologist Nicholas
Bellantoni was called in after a tribal burial ground was found in New Milford, CT, when excavation
for an affordable housing complex began.
|
| (various) |
Many articles have been posted as a result of Nick Bellantoni's appearance on the History Channel's
MysteryQuest episode entitled "Hitler's Escape" both in conventional news media and in various
web sites. The Connecticut State Archaeologist was requested by the History Channel to travel to both
Germany and Moscow to study the remains which are said to be those of Adolf Hitler, although the
results of his trip throw this into some doubt. The articles are listed below:
|
| (various) |
Several articles exist on the apparent location of the crash site of Lt. Eugene Bradley in what
is now Bradley Field (named for him after he was killed in the 1941 crash) by Nick Bellantoni, using a
Ground Penetrating Radar device. The articles are listed below:
|
|
March 28, 2009 |
Article in newstimes.com about an archaeological dig in Ridgefield, CT, at a location believed to be
the site of a Revolutionary War encampment. |
|
March 2, 2009 (N/A) |
Article from UConn Advance on the possible closing of the Museum of Natural History / Connecticut
Archaeology Center and the Benton Museum of Art. NOTE:
That article is no longer available. The link points to wikipedia article on the Museum and
its closing. |
|
October 10, 2008 |
Article in the New York Times concerning efforts to gain Pequot War battle sites listed in the
National Register. |
|
June 17, 2008 |
Article in the Journal Inquirer on Nick Bellantoni: 20 years of digging through the past. |
|
February, 2004 |
Article in the Manchester Historical Society "Courier" on continuing archaeological activities at the
former Pitkin Glass Works in Manchester CT, supervised by Nick Bellantoni and with help from FOSA and
other groups. |
We've recently begun noticing on some of the articles referenced below
that users are being asked to fill out a survey before they can see the
article. These are Google Customer Surveys, a collaboration between the
newspaper and Google.