Fort Massapeag Archeological Site is a historic
archaeological site at Sunset Park in
Massapequa,
New York
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* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
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. It is believed to be the site of a
New Netherland trading post built in the mid-17th century to facilitate trade with local Native Americans, and possibly serve as a
wampum factory. It was first excavated in the 1930s by a team including
Ralph Solecki. It was declared a
National Historic Landmark in 1993.
History
In 1656,
Peter Stuyvesant
Peter Stuyvesant (; in Dutch also ''Pieter'' and ''Petrus'' Stuyvesant, ; 1610 – August 1672)Mooney, James E. "Stuyvesant, Peter" in p.1256 was a Dutch colonial officer who served as the last Dutch director-general of the colony of New Net ...
, the director of the
New Netherland colony (now
New York City) signed an agreement with
Lenape
The Lenape (, , or Lenape , del, Lënapeyok) also called the Leni Lenape, Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. Their historical territory includ ...
chief
Tackapausha, which included a provision that the Dutch would construct "A howse or A forte" for trade with Natives residing on
Long Island
Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...
.
[Cantwell et al, p. 138] Ralph Solecki, a professional archaeologist with a long interest in this site, believes this site to be the fortified trading post that was then built.
The trading post remained in operation until the Dutch turned New Netherland over to the British in 1664, and the land was sold by the Lenape to English settlers in 1694.
[Grumet, p. 224]
The area has long been known as "Fort Neck", and many people believed the remnant fortifications to be of Native construction, and possibly the site of a conflict between the English and Natives. The area came to the attention of archaeologists in the 1930s, when the Harbor Green development began, uncovering graves of Native Americans and the site of a village, which was destroyed in the process. The fort site itself was already well known to local collectors, and was significantly compromised by their activities. Solecki participated in an early excavation of the site, which formed the basis of his eventual doctoral dissertation.
[
The site was preserved from development and turned into what is now Sunset Park; a sign commemorating its significance stands near the junction of Fairfax and Gloucester Roads.
]
See also
*List of National Historic Landmarks in New York
This is a list of National Historic Landmarks and comparable other historic sites designated by the U.S. government in the U.S. state of New York. The United States National Historic Landmark (NHL) program operates under the auspices of the Nat ...
*
References
Sources
*
*
External links
"A National Landmark Nobody Knows About", by John Rather, May 8 2005, New York Times
* (Accessed September 2, 2007)
{{National Register of Historic Places in New York
National Historic Landmarks in New York (state)
National Register of Historic Places in Oyster Bay (town), New York
Archaeological sites in New York (state)