SRAC "River, Rocks, and Time"

Getting ready to set up the East African Exhibit!

2012-01-27T09:58:00.002-05:00

SRAC lecture hall will house the East African Exhibit February 4th - 25th.

We have been working hard the last couple of weeks to get ready to unveil the East African Exhibit titled "Ordinary Objects - Extraordinary People" at SRAC. We have removed all of the furniture (including around 80 heavy duty chairs!) that we could and then curtained and draped everything else in earth tone/ desert tone colors so as to give the room a totally new "African" feel. The crates arrived last week - and we plan to be able to start putting the exhibit together when the creators, Bill and Betty Baumann arrive on Tuesday. They tell me that it will take around two days to get all of the exhibit set up...

The exhibit is the result of anthropological work done personally by the Baumanns with eight different

nomadic tribes in Eastern Africa. Sponsored by the Mennonite Central Committee, they worked with other anthropologists to record these tribes and their material culture for the very first time in history. In fact, Bill will tell you that the things that you see in this exhibit came from these tribes who donated and sold their items to him with the intention of recording their everyday life.

In return, Bill with the assistance of the Ford Foundation helped each tribe make a small cultural center on their own tribal lands for visitors and even the UN to be able to come in and learn more about these people. Bill told me that some of these centers are merely huts, but they are manned by a trained staff person who takes care of it while having the responsibility of teaching anyone who visits about his tribe and their way of life. The Ford Foundation continues to pay each tribe $200 to pay this staff person his annual salary.

When you come to the exhibit, you will see the 8 tribes represented with actual items they deemed to be representative of who they are and how they live. From clothing to basketry, to ornate headrests, to food containers, to regalia and beadwork, and so on that total over 350 items I am told in all. Along with this there are incredible photos and artwork, maps and even books that are part of the exhibit.

Bill also claims that because this was made by the tribes wanting to show their "ordinary objects" - that there are things in this exhibit that cannot be seen in any other museum in the world. As a result, this exhibit is the most comprehensive representation of these nomadic people that exists anywhere and is a must see for anyone trying to learn more about them and how they survive life in a harsh sub-Saharan desert environment.

After experiencing the exhibit, visitors will better understand why the exhibit is aptly named, "Ordinary Objects - Extraordinary People."

The exhibit will be open February 4th - 25th, Tuesdays through Fridays 1-5pm, Saturdays 11-5pm. A request of a $3 donation will be requested for the general public, $2 for seniors. All children students can attend the exhibit at no expense.

1853 Map of Chemung County Now at SRAC

2012-01-23T15:38:00.002-05:00

The Chemung County Map is Dated 1853

SRAC member Sandy Schamel recently donated a 5 foot map of Chemung County in 1853 to SRAC. It is now on display in our Exhibit Hall. She actually emailed me one day and it was hanging in our Exhibit Hall the next! We want to thank Sandy for her donation which is a wonderful addition to SRAC!

If you have something that you would like to donate to SRAC - please contact me - Deb Twigg at dtwigg@sracenter.org.

Books! Books! and more Books!

2012-01-23T09:04:00.002-05:00

I am proud to announce that SRAC has purchased some really great book titles to add to our HUGE selection of historical books available in our gift shop. The new titles include "The Old New York Frontier", "Wolves from Niagra (Butlers Rangers)", "Journals from the Expedition of Major John Sullivan" (includes maps on DVD), The Sullivan Expedition of 1779 (A genealogy resource), "Indians from New York Volumes 1, 2 and 3 (genealogy resources), "Early Athens and Old Tioga Point" by Louise Welles Murray, and the Congressional Hearings from the family survivors of the Wyoming Massacre.

Incredible amount of high quality books available at SRAC Gift Shop

It is commonly accepted that the history book selection at SRAC is the largest of it's kind in the region, so stop in today for yourself or for someone you know who is a history, Native American, or Archaeology buff and get a great book at the best prices around. Best of all - you can shop local and support your community!

SRAC Members:
In addition to all of the great books that you can buy at SRAC, if you are an SRAC member, we have hundreds of books that you can borrow from our lending library just for being a member!


SRAC members can borrow books from SRAC's lending library

Not a member yet? Use this link to join today! http://www.sracenter.org/join/

SRAC has Lead Article in NYSAA Newsletter

2012-01-22T09:56:00.001-05:00

My recently published article about the local site, Spanish Hill, which pushes current understanding of the region's prehistoric past, was recently published again as the lead article in the New York State Archaeological Society's Newsletter. We take this as a significant vote of confidence by the association, and appreciate their continued support in helping us get my current research out to professional and avocational archaeologists throughout the state. I appreciate any and all feedback!

Click here to open the pdf version or open the online reader by clicking the image below:

Open publication

SRAC Donates Educational Collection to Broome Community College

2012-01-22T09:26:00.002-05:00

SRAC's Don Hunt and Mike Sisto with Broome's Lynda Carroll with one of the 53 containers of artifacts.

(WAVERLY, NY) The Susquehanna River Archaeological Center has donated an educational collection of artifacts to Broome Community College. Broome's Anthropology Adjunct Professor, Lynda Carroll picked up the 53 containers of artifacts recently and will take them to the college to be used by her students in her Introduction to Anthropology class this semester.

SRAC's co-founder and executive director Deb Twigg stated, "The Center received the collection a few months ago and painstakingly cataloged the collection artifacts. We found that the collection provenance was questionable and not relative to our region of study. After much consideration as to what would be the best use for this collection, we decided to donate the collection to Broome Community College to enhance their students learning experience. It's my understanding that this collection will be the first artifacts that the college has for their students to work with. For that reason, we are proud to make this transaction in order to try to inspire young students to pursue the profession of archaeology." Carroll added, "This semester, students in BCC's Archaeology Lab Course will have the chance to sort through this great collection."

The Susquehanna River Archaeological Center is dedicated to education, research and preservation of the region's Native American archaeological and historical assets for the communities within the Twin Tier Region of southern eastern NY and northeastern PA. To learn more visit the Center at 345 Broad Street, Waverly, NY or on the web at www.SRACenter.org.

Eastern African Exhibit at SRAC in February 2012

2012-01-18T12:37:00.003-05:00

Bill Bauman adjusts an African headrest at the
"Ordinary Objects - Extraordinary People" Exhibit

(WAVERLY, NY) The Susquehanna River Archaeological Center (SRAC) in Waverly, NY will host “Ordinary Objects - - Extraordinary People,” an exhibit which invites people to experience the day to day struggles of nomadic life in the harsh sub-Saharan environment of Eastern Africa from Saturday, February 4th to Saturday February 25th. The exhibit will include hundreds of artifacts to include a Somali hut which the nomads transport along with all of their possessions on the backs of camels through the desert.

Philadelphia’s Betty and Bill Bauman, who with Sultan Somjee, a Kenyan anthropologist developed the exhibit which was sponsored by the Mennonite Central Committee. The goal was to prepare a representative group of indigenous nomadic herders from northern and eastern Kenya to share their material culture (essential everyday objects) and their experiences.

Maps of Africa pinpoint the area traversed by the tribes of the nomads as they eke out their existence in the harsh sub-Saharan environment. They navigate the desert from one watering hole to the next, staying for months at a time and then moving on to find a new source of water and food. Because all tribes are constantly traveling, all possessions must be portable. Dress consists of sandals, ornate beaded collars and simple clothing which is represented in the exhibit. Visitors will also see a Somali hut which is occupied by up to two adults and three children, and although are made to be transportable with branches thatched with raffia can last 25 – 30 years and can withstand wind gusts of 40-50 miles an hour. Simple utensils, ornate headrests, spears and throwing sticks, and beautifully created milk containers also adorn shelves of the exhibit, with many more artifacts to discover around each corner. Better yet, visitors will be invited to touch, smell and experience the exhibit with a hands-on approach not seen in many museums today.

SRAC’s Deb Twigg added, “We want people to realize that “Ordinary Object s– Extraordinary People” is a “city exhibit” that has travelled from Philadelphia to other large cities in the Midwest and Canada. We are fortunate to bring it to Waverly, New York for the month of February, which is also Black History month. Our hope is that our youth will get the opportunity to experience it while it is here. As a result, we will not be charging students to visit the exhibit and we urge the schools in our area to consider making a field trip to SRAC while the exhibit here.”

The “Ordinary Objects – Extraordinary People” Eastern Africa exhibit will be open during normal business hours at SRAC, Tuesdays through Fridays 1pm – 5pm and Saturdays 11am – 5pm. The Center is located at 345 Broad Street, Waverly, NY. For more information, call the Center at (607) 565-7960 or visit www.SRACenter.org.

Thank You Wennawoods Publishing!

2012-01-15T20:45:00.001-05:00

In 2011 SRAC received many great donations and we are thankful for all of you that support us year after year - without you - we couldn;t do what we do!

We wanted to remind you about the new book titles and artwork that we received in 2011 from Wennawoods Publishing's Ron and Kris Wenning! Stop in and see the new items and see why SRAC has the THE BEST selection of high quality, hard cover historical books in the region because of them!

Here's the newest title from Wennawoods now available at SRAC:

The HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA'S WYOMING VALLEY by William Stone

Beginning on a section of the North Branch of Susquehanna River about 100 miles west of New York City, The History of Pennsylvania’s Wyoming Valley is a long and complex story. Amid William Stone’s chapters and magnificent review of this river valley land called Wyoming, the history would not be complete without including the near 100 pages on over 10,000 years of Susquehanna River Indian history. The History of Pennsylvania’s Wyoming Valley ends with 30 years of intermittent bloody clashes leaving the surviving families to rebuild the once beautiful Wyoming Valley into the river valley it would become today. This is the valley's story.The History of Pennsylvania’s Wyoming Valley and the Battle of Wyoming are clearly some of the most fascinating times in early Pennsylvania history. This 18th century time in the Wyoming valley played out simultaneously amid several ongoing major events. Wrapped around the French and Indian War and the American Revolution was the little know Yankee-Pennamite Wars. With the French & Indian War pitting British interest against the French and Indians; and the American patriots struggling against the British for American independence, these little know Pennamite Wars wore heavy on the land along the Susquehanna River for 30 years as Native Americans, British sympathizers, and American frontier settlers all battled each other for control of this picturesque land valley called Wyoming. Scattered along the Susquehanna, both Loyalists and Patriots differed in their perceptions of the country and its future and this line between Patriot and Loyalist was not always sharply drawn. Imagine, Connecticut Yankees, fighting American patriot interests; Pennsylvania Patriots fighting British interest, and the Connecticut Yankees and Pennsylvania Patriots fighting each other for control of the Wyoming Valley. This tug of war between the Connecticut Yankees and the Pennsylvania Patriots, often pitted neighbor against neighbor, with circumstances frequently dictating ones choice. Whether you were a Loyalist from Connecticut who supported the British in North America or a Pennsylvania’s Patriot who wanted a new country, free of British rule; this struggle for independence in the Wyoming Valley was very difficult times at best for all. All this happening because of undecided land claims to the Wyoming Valley by conflicting grants from Charles II to both the British Loyalist of Connecticut and the Patriots of Pennsylvania of William Penn.

Visit other interesting chapters in the book about Francis Slocum and her capture by the Indians. Read how the Susquehanna land company was formed to help settle these conflicting land claims, only to lead to more turmoil. Learn how the Seneca and British rangers' massacre of settlers at the Battle of Wyoming helped fanned the flames of American Independence; and how General Sullivan’s retaliatory campaign of death and destruction by his troops through the Wyoming Valley into New York State because of the massacre at Wyoming, settled once and for all, the disputed ownership of this beautiful valley.The History of Pennsylvania’s Wyoming Valley was originally published in 1844 and republished in 1868 as Wyoming and its History. We have chosen to republish this book about the Wyoming Valley of Pennsylvania, as it was the scene of 30 years of some of the bloodiest mini-wars of the time, the Yankee-Pennamite Wars. We have chosen to leave out the poem Gertrude of Wyoming from the 1868 edition but included its most important part, nearly 100 pages of footnotes from the poem based on 1st hand information. This is the fascinating story of The History of Pennsylvania’s Wyoming Valley. 360 pp Hardback, Complete with Index, Notes from the poem Gertrude of Wyoming, Original Deed Info, and Sir William Johnson’s Diary,..............….$44.95

Scientists confirm tobacco use by ancient Mayans

2012-01-15T20:31:00.000-05:00

For more info visit: http://news.rpi.edu/update.do

Mass spectrometry detects first physical evidence of nicotine in Mayan container

Archaeologists examining late period Mayan containers have identified nicotine traces from a codex-style flask, revealing the first physical evidence of tobacco use by ancient Mayans. The study published in Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry reveals the flask is marked with Mayan hieroglyphics reading, "y-otoot 'u-may," ("the home of its/his/her tobacco,") making it only the second case to confirm that the text on the exterior of a Mayan vessel corresponds to its ancient use.

"Investigation of food items consumed by ancient people offers insight into the traditions and customs of a particular civilization," explains Jennifer Loughmiller-Newman from the University at Albany in New York. "Textual evidence written on pottery is often an indicator of contents or of an intended purpose, however actual usage of a container could be altered or falsely represented."

Many of the Mayan flask vessels from the Kislak collection of the Library of Congress examined in this study were filled with other substances, such as iron oxide used in burial rituals, making it difficult to detect the original content.

The most indisputable evidence of a container's usage is obtained when hieroglyphic text or pictorial illustrations on the exterior of a container is consistent with the chemical analysis of interior residues. For the current investigation, researchers analyzed samples extracted from the Late Classic Maya period (600 to 900 AD) using gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GCMS) and liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LCMS).

Nicotine—the signature alkaloid in tobacco—was identified as the major component of the extracts from one of the 150 vessels in the collection. The flask was determined to be made in southern Campeche, Mexico and dates to around 700 AD.

Prior to the current discovery, the only existing evidence showing a Mayan vessel to have the same content as indicated by hieroglyphic text was the identification of theobromine, an alkaloid found in cacao, more than 20 years ago.

"Our study provides rare evidence of the intended use of an ancient container," concludes Dr. Dmitri Zagorevski from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. "Mass spectrometry has proven to be an invaluable method of analysis of organic residues in archaeological artifacts. This discovery is not only significant to understanding Mayan hieroglyphics, but an important archaeological application of chemical detection."

Both Loughmiller-Newman and Zagorevski would like to see this technique used to analyze a greater variety of vessel types.

SRAC Receives $10,000 from the Allen Pierce Foundation

2012-01-03T13:04:00.001-05:00

SRAC received $10,000 from the Allen Pierce Foundation today. We want to thank the Foundation for their continued support since we were incorporated in 2005. Without them, SRAC would never have survived their early years and certainly would not have continued to grow so steadily in recent years. Foundations like these sometimes go unnoticed to the people in our communities - - but we can tell you personally that you would undoubtedly notice if they did not exist.

You just need to look around at your local museums and libraries and ask yourself how they can pay their bills every year - and without fail - there has been a foundation or two that have supported these things in your community.

Co Founders of SRAC - Ted Keir, Deb Twigg, and Dick Cowles

Thank you Allen Pierce Foundation - for all you do for SRAC and our communities!

Spanish Hill: The Search for More Answers

2011-12-31T08:05:00.001-05:00

Spanish Hill is a large glacial mound located in South Waverly, PA. It is just 1/4 mile east of the Chemung River (the western branch of the Susquehanna above Tioga Point), and just south of Waverly, NY and the New York state border.

Spanish Hill is private property - no trespassing.

Spanish Hill's shape has been referred to over the years as the shape of a sugarloaf - in that it rises some 230 feet to its summit, with steep sides and a flat top of about ten acres. Note that the Chemung River is to the west of the hill, and joins the Susquehanna only three or so miles south from this point. The Susquehanna then runs south to the Chesapeake Bay. Local historian and author, Louise Welles Murray may have said it best as she described the hill nearly 100 years ago:

Early photo of Spanish Hill, provided by the Tioga Point Museum

Spanish Hill: circa 1980's, courtesy of Spanish Hill.com

"Of many points of historic interest in our valley, perhaps none has attracted more attention or roused more speculation, from the earliest times to the present, than the mound called Spanish Hill. This prominence is due not only to its unusual position (isolated from the hill ranges and regions), but also to its odd outline, the remains of fortifications on the top, and its present name." - ~Louise Welles Murray -"History of Old Tioga Point and Early Athens -"1908.

Now covered with “No Trespassing “ signs, a large home and several out buildings, the site was once a favorite place for locals to take the steep climb to the summit for a Sunday picnic. The earliest of these would have picnicked on a beautiful flat lawn surrounded by strange earthen walls with an interior ditch that would later be erased by the plow of an overzealous farmer.

Earthen Enclosure
Apparently, the destruction of these fortifications was quite well known by locals as in 1870 Mrs. Perkins wrote in her book “Early Times on the Susquehanna ,” “Many now living remember the beautiful flat lawn of several acres on top of the hill (Spanish Hill) and an enclosure of earth 7-8 feet high, which was within a quarter of a century been leveled by the plow and harrow.” (Perkins, 1906:102)

But Perkins was not the only person to have recorded seeing these strange earthen walls – the earliest description known to date is that of Duke Rochefoucault de Liancourt, a French Traveler in 1795, who revealed that the name “Spanish Hill” was most likely derived from the fact that these fortifications existed. In route to Niagara, he saw the hill and thus wrote of it:

“Near the confines of Pennsylvania a mountain rises from the bank of the river Tioga (Chemung) in the shape of a sugar loaf upon which are seen the remains of some entrenchments. These the inhabitants call the Spanish Ramparts, but I rather judge them to have been thrown up against the Indians in the time of M. de Nonville. One perpendicular breastwork is yet remaining which, though covered with grass and bushes, plainly indicates that a parapet and a ditch have been constructed here.” (La Rochefoucald-Liancourt 1795:76-7)

The next earliest account is that of Alexander Wilson, celebrated ornithologist from Philadelphia who wrote in 1804:

“Now to the left the ranging mountains bend,
And level plains before us wide extend;
Where rising lone, old Spanish Hill appears, The post of war in ancient unknown years.
It’s steep and rounding sides with woods embrowned,
It’s level top with old entrenchments crowned;
Five hundred paces thrices we measured o’er,
Now overgrown with woods alone it stands,
And looks abroad o’er open fertile lands.
(Murray 1908:53)

In 1878 Spanish Hill landowner, Mr. I.P. Shepard of Waverly, NY presented a paper for the Tioga Point Historical Society in Athens, PA. In that paper, he created the following illustration with the help of Charles Henry Shepard, whose residence throughout a long life of eighty-seven years, was close to the hill and who remembered “distinctly” the “Spanish Ramparts” before the plow of a farmer nearly leveled them to the ground.

Map courtesy of SRAC/Cowles collection

Fortifications on Spanish Hill redrawn by Ellsworth Cowles from early sketch
“Mr. C.H.Shepard described these fortifications as consisting of an embankment with a trench, giving a height of four or five feet inside. When he was a boy and first visited them, about 1820 or 1825, large trees were growing in the trenches, showing that a long time had elapsed since they were used. The double lines in the diagram indicate portions still clearly defined, and were evidently made much higher to protect those portions of the hill that were easily assailable…The dotted line inside this angle, Mr. Shepard thinks indicated a palisade for greater security…” (Murray 1908:58)

Later the infamous 20th century archeologist Warren K. Moorhead, whose experience with earthen embankments included those discovered at Fort Ancient , Ohio made reference to these fortifications at Spanish Hill. In the “Susquehanna River Expedition” he recorded that a site further south of Spanish Hill, (Sugar Creek) showed, “…traces of a fortified hilltop, there being distinct traces of embankments. This being smaller than Spanish Hill, but it resembled same.” (Moorehead 1936:70)

But most significant to the research of the site and the earthen walls was yet another witness to the embankments, General John S. Clark later in 1878. Unlike the other observers, Clark was a seasoned surveyor and mapmaker from Civil War times, and as a result drew the most significant evidence relative to the earthen walls that exists today. The nearly 150 year old old survey depicts the enclosure as follows:

The information provided by Clark in the first portion of the survey (shown here) illustrates the cross section of the enclosure wall with the interior ditch clearly defined.

The second portion of the survey illustrates the massive size of ten acres that was enclosed running the entire edge of the summit. Why Clark placed posts in the embankment remains a mystery however, because no post molds were ever recorded to support this idea.
Unfortunately, after the enclosure walls (as reported by early witnesses) were erased from the summit by annual plowing and cultivation, some researchers began to question whether they ever really existed at all. Furthermore, the researchers that did accept that the enclosure did exist would consistently deduce that they were indicative of an ancient hilltop/ palisaded village site.

In fact, it wasn’t until the past decade when fresh eyes again reviewed these reports that any new discussions about the Spanish Hill site occurred. Specifically, the strange construction of the walls with the ditch on the inside of the wall became a point of interest, and when it was discovered in “Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley,” that author and ancient mound specialist E. G. Squier wrote, “the circumstances of the ditch being within the vallum (wall) is a distinguishing mark between religious and military works” things began to point in a totally new direction to explain what Spanish Hill actually was. Like Fort Ancient – some believe today that the enclosure on top of Spanish Hill had been mistaken to be a hilltop fort, and was actually a ceremonial space.

Unfortunately, the new information just didn’t jive with the current understandings of the region’s archaeological past and the idea that a ceremonial hilltop enclosure existed so far away from the Ohio Valley and what is believed by many as its counterpart, Fort Ancient in Ohio, is still unthinkable to many professionals even today. However, more and more evidence seems to be mounting that might someday overturn the current beliefs…

What We Know About the Fort Ancient Culture
Fort Ancient is a name for a Native American people that flourished from 1000-1600 AD who predominantly inhabited land in the region of Ohio and Kentucky. The Fort Ancient culture was once thought to be an expansion of the Hopewell and or Mississippian cultures, but it is now accepted as an independently developed culture of its own.

The name of the culture originates from the Fort Ancient, Ohio site. The fort is located on a hill above the Little Miami River, close to Lebanon, Ohio. Fort Ancient has earthen walls that are over 3 miles (5 km) long and up to 23 feet (7.5 m) high. The hilltop enclosure surrounds a plot of 100 acres (0.4 km). However, recently it was discovered that the southern “fort” was separately constructed much earlier than the much larger northern area of the site. Despite its name, most archaeologists do not believe that Fort Ancient was used primarily as a fortress by either the Hopewell or the Fort Ancient -- rather, it is becoming commonplace to accept that it was a ceremonial location again due to the construction of the ditches on the interior side of the enclosure walls.

Early historical records also indicate that only high ranking leaders or shamans actually used these spaces and that the other Native Americans would not climb to the summit of a ceremonial enclosure. Captain John Smith when exploring the Susquehanna River noted his experience at a ceremonial site, “This place they account so holy that none but priests or kings dare into it, nor savages dare go up in the boats by it…” and E. G. Squier stated in his “Aboriginal Monuments of the State of NY, Concerning Sacred Enclosures of North America,” “This sacred place, according to our authority, could not be approached by any but the magi or priests.” Coincidentally, Spanish Hill historian Louise Welles Murray also noted this strange behavior in her book “Old Tioga Point and Early Athens,” (1908) “Early in the last century, Alpheus Harris settled at the foot of the hill. An old Indian was a frequent visitor, but when asked to ascend the hill he always refused, saying a Great Spirit lived there who would kill him.”

The Fort Ancient people are also given credit for the largest effigy mound in the United States, Serpent Mound, in Ohio, and are believed to be responsible for hundreds of effigy burial mounds in the shape of birds, animals, and even “horned men effigies” found in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa.

Until recently, it has not been commonly accepted that the Fort Ancients would have populated the regions of Pennsylvania but more and more evidence is mounting along the Susquehanna River that seems to be irrefutable.

Disappearance of Earthworks/Evidence
Sadly over the past two hundred years – the majority of the earthworks recorded by 19th century researchers like Squier and others have been demolished. Many in fact would be amazed to see the 1881 map of “Ancient Earthworks East of the Mississippi” created by Cyrus Thomas on behalf of the Smithsonian Institute to record the sites that even then were disappearing at an alarming rate. Dots pepper not only the Mississippi River Valley but also New York and Pennsylvania. In fact, Spanish Hill was included in the 1881 map and was recorded as an enclosure.

Portion of 1881 map with Spanish Hill circled

Sadly, without the archaeological evidence of the enclosure atop Spanish Hill to accompany the historical records that remain, professional’s interest in the site has diminished, and as a result it is now private property with no access allowed for any research to continued.

Yet even with the demise of the ancient earthworks over the last century and less and less hard evidence to support their existence, some researchers have found new hope in yet another type of evidence. Ancient rock art has been found which many believe irrefutably reinstates the belief that the Fort Ancients had a presence along the Susquehanna River.

Safe Harbor Petroglyphs
Huge rocks in the Susquehanna River in Safe Harbor, PA show a striking resemblance to the Fort Ancient effigy mounds found hundreds of miles away throughout Ohio, Iowa, and Wisconsin. One of the most significant clusters of this rock art could be seen on the Big and Little “Indian Rocks” located at Safe Harbor, and were recorded by Donald Cadzow in 1934. Like the ancient earthworks, many petroglyphs have been lost. Fortunately, enough petroglyphs still remain to show that the same people or culture must have been responsible; for both the effigy mounds of the Midwest clearly have matching counterparts in the petroglyphs at Safe Harbor, PA (shown above.)

Common Fort Ancient Effigy Mounds
Below is a collection of effigy mound shapes, all found in just one county in Wisconsin.

Display at the Sauk County, Man Mound 100 Year Anniversary (of discovery)

Below is a collection of petroglyphs found along the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania at Safe Harbor.

Copies of the ancient petroglyphs on a gneissic rock named “Little Indian Rock” below the dam at Safe Harbor, Pennsylvania, drawn from plaster casts by Professor Porter in 1863 and 1864.
One of the most interesting and unique Fort Ancient mounds is the Man Mound in Sauk County, Wisconsin that measures 214 feet in length and 48 feet in width at the shoulders.

Specific to my interest was the man shaped figures from both mediums (Mounds and Rock Art) -

Early photo of the Man Mound –provided by Sauk County Historical Society

MOUNDS:

Other “Horned Man” Effigy Mounds in Wisconsin

ROCK ART

A unique character in the Fort Ancient belief system is referred to as the water spirit or water “panther.” The Fort Ancients believed that water spirits controlled the underworld and especially the waters and that they were hunted by the thunderbirds of the upperworld. “Earthmaker created the Waterspirits and the Thunders first among the spirits, giving the Thunders control over the waters of heaven and the Waterspirits control over those of the lower world.” Foster, Foster's Indian Record, vol. 1, #2,: p. 3, col. 2 Waterspirits were believed to be found in rivers, lakes and springs where they could make whirlpools and rough waters that could topple a canoe. For this reason, this particular petroglyph seems fittingly placed along a river that could be treacherous to navigate. “Waterspirits can be very dangerous, creating whirlpools that have sucked under many a canoe. In the deep water off Governor's Island in Lake Mendota, there lay a den of Waterspirits who caused great disturbances in the water and overturned canoes. The Waterspirit of Green Lake created whirlpools by swirling her arms up. Those who did not make the proper offerings would be sucked under.” Charles Edward Brown, Wisconsin Indian Place Legends (Madison: Works Progress Administration, Wisconsin, 1936) (Note that the Safe Harbor horned men found along the Susquehanna River are raising their arms up.)

An interesting side note is that many believe that the humanoid effigy forms that also take on thunderbird or water spirit qualities (i.e. horned men or thunder birds with human legs) represent shaman who had great spiritual powers or connections to either form. (Watch my video at a Man Mound and a Bird Man Mound a few years ago.)

Sites other than Safe Harbor have also shown evidence of the Fort Ancient water panther and belief system in Pennsylvania.

Parkers Landing Petroglyphs -Located on the east shore of the Allegheny River approximately 1.6 miles downstream from Parker City in Clarion County, Pa – Provided by Kris Wenning, SRAC Member

The rockart/effigy shown here was found near Clarion, PA along the Allegheny River, and is commonly accepted to be a water panther or water spirit of Fort Ancient origin.

Were the Fort Ancients in Pennsylvania and the Likely Creators of the Earthworks on Spanish Hill?
The truth is that even E.G. Squier noted that he had seen evidence that the Fort Ancients had travelled as far eastward as the Susquehanna River when he stated, “Some ancient works, probably belonging to the same system with those of the Mississippi Valley , and erected by the same people, occur upon the Susquehanna River, as far down as the Valley of Wyoming, in Pennsylvania. The mound builders seem to have skirted the southern border of Lake Erie, and spread themselves in diminished numbers, over the western part of New York State, along the shores of Lake Ontario to the St. Lawrence River. They penetrated into the interior, eastward as far as the county of Onnondaga where some slight vestiges of their works still exist. These seem to have been their limits at the north-east.” (Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley, E.G. Squier , page 1)

Archaeological Evidence at Spanish Hill and Surrounding Sites
Burial grounds near Fort Ancient were reported to be made up of stone graves such as those reported by Moorehead in his "Primitive Man in Ohio" shown here:

Drawing courtesy of Primitive Man in Ohio (Moorehead:1892)

Interestingly - these same type of stone graves have been found below Spanish Hill, and that info (with photos) have been reported to me by SRAC's own Ted Keir.

Fort Ancient Pot Found in Murray Farm Site

The archaeological evidence from this site and those surrounding it has been collected for hundreds of years. In fact, Warren K. Moorehead reported in the Pennsylvania Historical Commission’s “Report of the work of the Susquehanna Archaeological Expedition Conducted during the summer of 1916” the following: “Within a radius of forty kilometers of this place (Spanish Hill) there are at least twenty-five collectors of specimens. These men have searched the hills and fields for many years. It is quite likely that most of the objects left by the Andaste have been picked up.”

During Moorehead's expedition in 1916, his crew actually found a Fort Ancient pot in the Murray Farm site which is just a stone's throw below Spanish Hill, which was reported by PA's authority on pottery, Charles Lucy in 1951 as, "a double pot grit tempered, and decorated in cord-wrapped paddle designs on the rim and neck. It is similar to specimens found in the Ohio Valley and identified as Fort Ancient..." This pot went with the rest of the artifacts from that expedition to the Heye National Museum of the American Indian in NYC which was just breaking ground in 1916. Moorehead's "Susquehanna River Expedition" was funded by that Museum's founder, George Heye in return for all of the artifacts and skeletal materials found or bought during it.

SRAC's Fort Ancient axe found on top of hill

Sadly, this was the way of early archaeology in America - leaving sites in our region without the original archaeology that could give us clear scientific evidence of the people who lived here and created the sites like Spanish Hill...and clearly why I have had to work so hard trying to figure this all out...

The artifacts preserved today are quite sparse compared to what was found in Moorehead’s day, but there are ongoing efforts to preserve what can be located in order for more research to continue.

The Susquehanna River Archaeological Center (SRAC)
This research has been an ongoing passion. I began chronicling the research on SpanishHill.com in 2003, which lead to an article being published in the PA Archaeologist Journal in 2005. In doing the initial research on Spanish Hill for that article, it became evident that just as with the earthworks, the artifacts are slowly disappearing because of constant artifact collecting in the region by private collectors.

SRAC's slate amulet/tablet found below hill

In 2004, the search for archaeological evidence, located two of the largest known collections of private Native American artifact collections from Spanish Hill and the surrounding region that still existed in private hands. These collections (Keir and Cowles) were to be the foundation of a new nonprofit organization dedicated to the education, preservation and research of the Native American artifacts – The Susquehanna River Archaeological Center (SRAC). Teaming up with Ted Keir and Richard Cowles also brought together the knowledge of the region’s leading avocational archaeologists, along with a huge reference library that SRAC continues to build. This along with adding other private collectors to the SRAC board and membership allows the Center to have the most knowledgeable staff concerning local sites available, and the hope of keeping those important collections in
the region. SRAC also has a list of professional archaeologists and anthropologists from NY state and surrounding universities act as professional advisors allowing SRAC to continuously remain up-to-date about new finds, excavations, and research. SRAC is committed to maintaining a line of open communication between professionals and avocationals by sharing important information openly between the two. (The ongoing differences between professionals and collectors often make communication difficult.) As a result of these efforts, SRAC has been able to save artifacts that were found at Spanish Hill over a century ago, like the deep grooved ax shown here which was found by a private collector in 1897, and the blue slate amulet seen here, found in 1908.

To date SRAC houses thousands of local artifacts from sixteen different private collections with many artifacts originating from Spanish Hill; in fact, one whole case is dedicated to that site and it’s the most popular part of the exhibit area. The Center is a 501c3 with over 300 members and is open five days a week while being manned 100% by volunteers, many of which are collectors and students of the regional Native American past and archaeology.

The next step for the Center is to facilitate research with professionals and amateurs working together to start answering many of the questions surrounding Spanish Hill. The questions concerning the earthworks that once enclosed ten acres at its top, and the people who made them still need definitive answers. It is crucial that ongoing research continue in order to establish that the petroglyphs described here are of the same cultural origin as those earthworks recognized by Squier. In doing so, many answers to the questions of early Pennsylvania and New York and possibly Iroquoian prehistory may be uncovered. Researchers with backgrounds in Fort Ancient work are invited to join the ongoing investigation.

For more information concerning Spanish Hill, visit www.SpanishHill.com. Please note: Spanish Hill is currently private property and trespassing is not advised. SRAC is located at 345 Broad Street in Waverly, New York. To learn more about this article and SRAC, visit www.SRACenter.org or contact Deb Twigg at dtwigg@SpanishHill.com.

If you like the work we are doing please consider supporting our small non-profit at http://www.SRACenter.org/Donations/

Thank in advance for whatever you can do!

Mark Twain at SRAC - Tuesday, January 3rd

2011-12-26T12:43:00.001-05:00

"Mark Twain: “Known to Everyone – Liked by All”
Tuesday, January 3rd 6:30pm – 7:30pm
at SRAC, 345 Broad Street Waverly, NY

We live in "Mark Twain Country." The great American author spent 20 summers on a hilltop outside of nearby Elmira where he wrote many of his most popular books and stories. He was the first American celebrity—“the most conspicuous person on the planet”—and his fame and reputation transcend time and place. Mark Twain still matters. Let us be: “Proud to be where Twain remains.”

Lance J. Heidig has curated Cornell’s Mark Twain exhibition. He was born and raised in Waverly, NY.

An admission donation of $6 for adults, $4 for SRAC members (free admission for students!) is requested. Free admission to the SRAC exhibit hall is included in this donation. For more information, visit www.SRACenter.org , email info@SRAcenter.org, or call the Center at 607-565-7960.

Jewelry and Beading Class January 7th at SRAC!

2011-12-26T12:40:00.000-05:00

Jewelry and Beading Class
Sat, January 7, 11:30am – 1:30pm
SRAC, 345 Broad St. Waverly, NY

Mark Twain Presentation at SRAC January 3

2011-12-14T11:20:00.002-05:00

Teaching History and Making Memories at SRAC

2011-12-12T18:43:00.000-05:00

SRAC's Dick Cowles discusses early Native American contact and trade with the Europeans

(WAVERLY, NY) The Susquehanna River Archaeological Center (SRAC) hosted the 4th grade students in the Waverly, NY school system to a day of fun and learning at the Center recently. Approximately one hundred and twenty five students in all walked to SRAC from their school and were treated to a unique experience that the Center provides as a follow up to their curriculum on Native American history.

This year’s event included SRAC’s Ted Keir, Dick Cowles, and Jack Andrus who ran stations that the students rotated through on Hunting the Woolly Mammoth, Early Trade with Europeans, and Native American Children’s Stories. While attending each station, students touched actual artifacts found in the locality as they listened to SRAC’s staff who taught them about the Native American people who lived here hundreds to thousands of years ago. Cathy Hand, one of the 4th grade teachers in attendance told the children, “Before today we could only tell you about the Native American who lived here, but today you have seen and touched the actual evidence they left behind.”

SRAC's Ted Keir discusses early mammoth hunters

The field trip ended with the students broken up into teams and competing against each other in the SRAC “Stump the Chumps” contest where each team tried to come up with questions from each station that the others couldn’t answer. In the end, the winners were thrilled to take home actual net sinker artifacts that were donated personally by Ted Keir and in small drawstring bags embossed with “SRAC”. Keir stated, “Net sinkers are so common in our area and I have so many at home that I decided to donate some personally for this event today at SRAC. I hope that the kids that won these simple little stone artifacts that once were used as weights on fishing nets will be inspired to think about what life was like for the Native Americans in our area and that they continue to want learn more.”

Deb Twigg, SRAC’s executive director added, “Everyone at SRAC looks forward to the field trips that we put on and we all take the fact that we are creating a childhood memory for these kids very seriously. I want to thank Waverly’s 4th grade teachers for bringing the kids and letting us be a part of their Native American curriculum each year. We enjoy it as much as the kids do.”

Roger Kennedy, The Political History of North America from 25,000BC to 12,000AD

2011-12-06T12:14:00.001-05:00

Roger Kennedy, the former head of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History and former Director of the US National Park Service, is so eloquent that Walt Kelly based a "Pogo" character on him (the bear P.T. Bridgeport, whose speech balloons are circus posters).

Roger Kennedy's most driving current interest is the long-term effects of long-term abuse of natural systems, and he means seriously long term.Kennedy knows politics. For decades a major player himself in Washington DC, he has written redefining biographies of Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, and Aaron Burr. Kennedy knows history. Besides writing and hosting a number of television series on American history, he wrote Rediscovering America and Hidden Cities: The Discovery and Loss of Ancient North American Civilization.

And Kennedy knows natural systems. As a highly popular Director of the National Park Service, he pushed the whole Park System toward greater emphasis on science.Roger Kennedy also found the mountain in Nevada where The Long Now Foundation aims to build the 10,000-year Clock. In this talk he defines the continental frame of the Clock.

Click the following image to play the presentation - (wear headphones if possible - - the sound is not great!)

This Tuesday - "Life and Times of a PA Game Commissioner"

2011-12-02T07:56:00.001-05:00

Experience the history of game conservation and the Pennsylvania Game Commission at SRAC on Tuesday, December 6th from 6:30pm - 7:30pm. Dressed as an old time game refuge keeper, Bill Bower will depict the life and work of early game protectors. Bradford County is home to the lowest numbered game lands in Pennsylvania - SGL #12 located on Barclay Mountain. Sunfish Pond was once the site of a game refuge. Come and hear the stories of a refuge keeper.

In 1995 the Pennsylvania Game Commission celebrated its 100th anniversary. It was formed in 1895 when a law was passed authorizing the Governor to appoint six men to this new commission. These men were to be sportsmen and serve without salary and pay at their own expense. No money was appropriated to run this new commission, and many thought it would fail before it even got started.

The commission was very unpopular with some of the hunting public. No longer could a man hunt whatever or whenever he wanted. Now he had to obey certain laws and hunt only during the open season, and there were some animals he could not hunt at all. To say that these new game protectors were unpopular would be unjust; actually most were hated by the hunters. In the first year, 14 game protectors were shot at, seven were hit, and four killed.

The state's forests were all cut over and forest fires were a common thing. Gone were the elk, the bison, the passenger pigeon, and the beaver. The state's wildlife community was in deplorable condition and needed help, badly.

Today a Game Protector is called a Wildlife Conservation Officer. Although his job is still basically law enforcement, the type of work has changed drastically in the last 100 years.

Bill Bower is a retired Wildlife Conservation Officer for western Bradford County.

An admission donation of $6 for adults, $4 for SRAC members (free admission for students!) is requested. Free admission to the SRAC exhibit hall is included in this donation. For more information, visit www.SRACenter.org , email info@SRAcenter.org, or call the Center at 607-565-7960.

Jewelry Classes at SRAC Saturday(s) Dec 3rd and 10th

2011-12-02T07:46:00.001-05:00

There's ALWAYS something going on at SRAC!

Buy one get on free on all Exhibit Hall admissions til 2012!

Donated Painting Raises $2,000 for SRAC!

2011-11-29T08:19:00.001-05:00

Charles Durant Painting raised $2,000 for SRAC

Over a year ago, Lillian Warren came to SRAC and donated a painting to us to raise funds. The truth is that I wasn't sure that we could sell it to our demographic and set it on an inconspicuous shelf. ...I think I had $25 on it or something like that...

It wasn't until a good friend of SRAC - and artist in his own right - Albert White came in one day that changed the course of things...Albert took one look at the painting and said, "Deb you want to take that painting upstairs and research it on some pulp art websites - I think you'll find it."

After researching it - I did in fact find the painting - and not only that - but found out that it had been the cover of the October 1932 issue of the "Ace High Magazine" - !

October 1932 Ace High Magazine

Initially I contacted about 8 auction houses and several pulp and western art dealers acrossed the country but nobody would go above $1,000 for it and I just thought that I should keep trying...Over the past year there were times that I would hear from someone from Texas or that had interests in the JE Ranch, etc as well and I would ask them to share our painting with interested buyers...But nothing ever came of the efforts...

So last week I just decided that I would post it in eBay for the price I was willing to take for it ($2,000) and see what happened. To my surprise - I got the bid, and yesterday it sold for $2,000.

I cannot stress enough that we are blessed to have the good people that SRAC has around us. First Lillian donated this painting, and second, Albert could have just bought the painting for $25 and sold it himself - but he didn't - he was honest with me and guided me and in fact is the real reason why we ended up with $2,000 yesterday.

I want to thank Lilian and Albert publicly here for being so generous and well just great people - and I want to say that although I think that some people think that SRAC isn't in need of support because we always seem to have good fortune and successful reports - when the truth is that SRAC is truthfully less well off (financially) than any other museum in our region. We have no endowment money to fall back on, we have a mortgage to pay for, and we don't take state or federal funding.....At the same time we are open 5 days a week, give school field trips for free and host incredible events that cannot be seen anywhere else in the region...all with volunteer staffing.

So I want to thank EVERYONE who understands how hard we work to keep things going and supports SRAC and our mission to preserve the Native American archaeology of our region and to share the thousands of artifacts and our knowledge with our community. Without your continued support, we really could not do what we do. And to me - - this feel good story is the launch of the Christmas spirit for SRAC this year...

This Christmas - Help somebody if you can.

RARE 1898 Native American Portraits at SRAC

2011-11-28T17:32:00.001-05:00

We have 20 of the "Rinehart Indian Portraits" that were donated to us and are now on sale in the SRAC gift Shop!

In 1898 Frank A Rinehart set up a photo studio at the Trans-Mississippian Expo where he photographed many Native Americans who had participated in the Battle of Little Big Horn and Wounded Knee.

More than five hundred American Indians from thirty-five tribes attended the 1898 Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition in Omaha, Nebraska. American ethnographer James Mooney (1868-1921) of the U.S. Bureau of Ethnology hired Omaha native Rinehart to photograph the tribal delegates. The sheer number of Rinehart's exposition portraits ensures that they represent the most comprehensive collection of images of early-twentieth-century Indian leaders.

These reprints are from the original glass plate negatives. Don't miss your chance to own one of the 20 - some photos which are hyped to be the BEST of the Rinehart collection! At just $24.99 each - they would make a great Christmas gift! Each poster is 19 inches wide by 24.5 inches high, sealed in plastic w/ backing and accompanied by the above information. An example can be seen in the photo below:

Each poster is also etched with the persons name and tribe :

Act quick and get first picks - as we only have one of each of these items !

Thank you for supporting SRAC!

M.L Gore Painting on Sale by SRAC on Ebay

2011-11-26T13:23:00.001-05:00

SRAC just received an original - one-of-a-kind painting by one of the most famous painters in our area - M. L. Gore. It is of the Teton Mountains in Wyoming and we have placed it on eBay - so please help us get the word out to all of the local art collectors who might want to keep it local. It is huge (30 x 48 inches!) and in a beautiful oak frame.

To view and/or bid on the painting on eBay - use the following link:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150707414502

Thank you for supporting SRAC and our efforts!

Upcoming Events at SRAC!

2011-11-25T12:22:00.001-05:00

There's ALWAYS Something Going on at SRAC!

Buy one - Get One FREE Admission to SRAC's Exhibit Hall until 2012!

(SRAC members get in free everyday!)

SRAC Gold Refinery was a HUGE Success!

2011-11-21T13:25:00.001-05:00

Debbie Menio from the Gold Refinery tests jewelry for participant Mary Perry-Rogers at Saturday's event

Last Saturday SRAC held their Gold Refinery Fundraiser and it was a great event for everyone who participated! We had 21 people come in and take part in the event and the Gold Refinery paid out $4,210 before the day was over!

Mary Beth came in twice!

SRAC made money in three different ways throughout the day - 1.) we made 10% on all sales throughout the day and bonuses for the amount of people that came to the event 2.) people donated items for SRAC to cash in, and 3.) many people were so excited with their cash that they donated money to us on their way out the door! In the end - SRAC made over $1,000 for the event and had a great time all day long! (This was on top of what the Gold Refinery paid out to the participants!)

Participants literally walked in with small bags of items and walked out with cash and it was great to watch them get so excited about it. Let's face it - this is one fundraiser that is good for everyone and the people who participate get something (sometimes ALOT!) for taking part!

The event finished up with wine and cheese for the last few hours and we even got out some cards and many of us sat around playing cards for a few hours while they finished up assessing items. The steady flow of people through the door literally didn't stop until the event closed!

If you are involved in a nonprofit - I would strongly urge you to consider having this fundraiser event at your location. Email Debbie Menio at the Gold Refinery to get started today and tell her that you heard about it from SRAC and we get a cash reward for the referral!!

Safe Harbor, PA vs Barnesville OH Petroglyphs

2011-11-16T18:16:00.001-05:00

Today was just one of those days that was alot of fun...Some of you received an email from me with an awesome picture of Spanish Hill looking particularly eerie this morning....

Before I stopped at SRAC - I stopped at the post office where a huge package was waiting for me from Wayne May at Ancient American magazine. He had agreed to send SRAC books for our gift shop (which are in addition to many new titles including historical picture books on the Chemung Valley, Tioga County, Sayre and the Valley,) and I was very surprised at the amount of books that he sent to us and what great titles they were!

Once I got all of these priced and on the shelves, our book collection area in the gift shop was overflowing!

By then, it was 1pm already and then it was time to redo the layout of our gift shop with MaryAnn Taylor and Tom Vallilee who are both board members and were scheduled to volunteer today. We have gotten so much extra inventory in the past few months that we really needed to reorganize the whole area and move the table that we all love to sit and visit farther towards the front counter to give us space to show our inventory better. By the end of the day we were all bushed but the gift shop looks just GREAT!

By 4:30pm we were sitting around talking about things to include my latest research on Spanish Hill and during that conversation I went over to our gift shop book collection and picked up a book titled "Archaeology of Ohio 1896" by M. C. Read that we just received from Wayne May at Ancient American earlier today. I was looking for a copper spiral image but instead opened it up to this page of petroglyphs (ancient Native American art carved in stone) found near Barnesville, Ohio:

Those of you that read my latest article that was published in the SRAC Journal and Ancient American Magazine can appreciate what this is -as you can see it looks like we have more matches with those petroglyphs at Safe Harbor (shown below)

As those of you who read my article know, I found matches of many of the motifs in the Safe Harbor petroglyphs in mound shapes in Wisconsin - but with this book that we have now on sale at SRAC - I found yet more actual matching petroglyphs in Ohio as well!

Feet petroglyphs from both sites:

Petroglyphs from both sites showing "turkey tracks" beside a pointed line :

Petroglyphs from both sites showing motifs of buffalo tracks :

Petroglyphs from both sites showing motifs of faces :

Lastly - I wanted to point out the two different styles of feet carved in the Barnesville Track Rock:

M.C.Read states, "This is the forefoot of the bear, with the outside toe distorted and set outward at right angles."

Anyway - it is now 9:30pm and I am finishing up my day...but I just couldn't relax until I finished this up to share with you! As I have said so many times - there is ALWAYS something going on at SRAC - so make sure to check in once in a while!

Magazine with Spanish Hill Article Now Available at SRAC

2011-11-14T13:43:00.001-05:00

The Susquehanna River Archaeological Center SRAC isreporting that they have received extra copies of the “Ancient American Magazine”which contains the latest research concerning the local site referred to as “SpanishHill.” The author of the article is one of the co-founders of SRAC and localhistorian, Deb Twigg, who is considered to be the leading authority on thetopic.

Twigg explains, “The publisher of the magazine, Wayne May came to SRAC afew months ago from Wisconsin. Immediately I started to tell him about myinterest in the mounds in Wisconsin and a theory that I have been researchingabout the culture that made them and how they could have been the same peoplewho made the embankments on top of Spanish Hill. In the end, he asked me towrite an article for him on my research and it was published in the latestvolume this fall.” She continued, “The article is 6 pages long and includes alot of great pictures and a page telling people about the Susquehanna RiverArchaeological Center and what we do every day with a total volunteer staff. Tospread that news through a national magazine like this is pretty exciting forus.”

Ancient American Magazine is in its 18^th year inpublication and is concerned with the archaeology of the Americas before thetime of Columbus. Copies of the latestvolume with the Spanish Hill article by Twigg are just $7.95 while supplieslast. (Spanish Hill is private property, and trespassing is prohibited.)

"Life and Times of a PA Game Commissioner" at SRAC 12/6

2011-11-14T12:49:00.001-05:00

This Saturday (11/19) is SRAC's Gold Refinery Fundraiser

2011-11-13T20:48:00.001-05:00

As highlighted on Good Morning America, "The Gold Refinery" will host a fundraiser at the SRAC that will allow guests to walk away with instant cash for things that have any amount of gold silver or platinum while supporting SRAC at the same time.

The Gold Refinery has been highlighted on:

The Gold Refinery is one of the largest direct refinery brokers in the nation and a fully licensed, family run business. They are America’s pioneer in professionally organized and operated gold parties and fundraisers. They currently operate nationwide and in Canada and are rapidly expanding as the price of gold maintains its historic highs. The Gold Refinery deals in such high volume that it allows them to purchase gold at higher prices than jewelry stores or pawn shops. All gold is shipped directly to the refiner, melted and sold to various investors and institutions. As the party host, SRAC will earn 10% of all gold purchased just for hosting, and you could be amazed at the money you can make from things that are laying around your house gathering dust!

Three ways you can take part in this fundraiser:

1.) Visit SRAC on November 19th with your items, and have one of the representatives analyze and assess them. Then you decide if you want to sell them for the price they offer. If you decide to sell them, you get the cash immediately! SRAC will automatically get 10% paid to us from the gold refinery just for you coming to our event and selling your item!

2.) Drop off your items at SRAC or send them to us in the mail and we will put them in a special envelope and have the Gold Refinery representatives assess your items and send you the cash! Again, SRAC will automatically get 10% paid to us from the gold refinery just for you coming to our event and selling your item!
3.) Donate your items to SRAC and WE will have the representatives assess and donate the cash directly to SRAC!

Let's face it, virtually everyone has unwanted silver, gold or platinum laying around their house that they no longer want. So don't wait - gather up it up and do something good for yourself and SRAC this year! It's a great way to make some extra cash AND support a community organization!

Thank you for taking part in this event in whatever way you choose!
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call (607)727-3111 or email me!

Holiday Christmas Basket at SRAC!

2011-11-10T19:33:00.001-05:00


SRAC's Mary Keene stands next to the HUGE Family Christmas Basket!

With more that 40 items for mom and dad as well as for the kids, the Family Christmas Basket is worth a chance to win! With items donated together from the Red Door Thrift Store and SRAC, anyone could enjoy winning this prize for yourself if not for the ability to re gift many of the items in time for Christmas!

Chances to win the basket which is on display currently at SRAC are available at SRAC and the Red Door and are $1 per chance,$5 for 8 chances, or $10 for 20 chances. No purchase is necessary and all proceeds will benefit both the Red Door and SRAC equally. From bath towels to historical DVD's, Origami to toy trucks, and dolls to hurricane lanterns - there is alot to win and something for everyone!

Stop in SRAC between now and mid December and see for yourself why supporting two great nonprofit organizations in Waverly, NY can be a great way to spend your day!

JJ's Jigs Products now on Sale at SRAC!

2011-11-08T15:36:00.001-05:00

"JJ's Jigs" now on Sale at SRAC

Whatever your soul's out there quietly casting to, let's just call this fishing thing what it really is: Beautiful Magic! Young, old, guy or girl - anyone who has ever gripped a rod has been in that collective joy known to those who fish. This is precisely where JJ's Jigs shines! At the end of each leader loop, tippet, or perfect cast, a notoriously selective mouth has to open up and suck down the dinner your putting in the water for them. Time to serve up that gourmet supper, my friends, and JJ's Jigs has you covered with over fifty versions of "the secret sauce".

Our number one product is the legendary "Booger Jig". Our very own version of the "hair jig". What? You have never heard of the "hair jig"? It has only brought in more smallmouth, largemouth, striped bass, and walleye than any other artificial lure in history. Yet somehow the hair jig has become terribly underrated since the introduction of affordable rubber and silicone dressings. Only after that mean old cold front passes and the bass seem to all but disappear will anglers tie on the dependable hair jig from their "panic box".

Well, anglers from all over the U.S. and Canada have learned a thing or two from using JJ's Jigs when fishing for trophy gamefish. JJ's Jigs are virtually ALWAYS better than what your normally using! Yep! It's true! There's no need to wait for the fish to stop biting to throw a trusty JJ's Jig. If the fish are biting decent on a rubber worm or soft-plastic creatures on a jig, then you can bet your boat that the bite is AWESOME on a JJ's Jig. And when the fish are going crazy over everyone's rubber and soft-plastic stuff... you can bet your momma's boat that you are in for the the TIME OF YOUR LIFE when you tie on a JJ's Jig!

We specialize in creating and fabricating the finest, most innovative jigs and flies available anywhere - BAR NONE! Our sound philosophy with our handcrafted jigs and flies means this: "We understand that you, the customer, should be 100% satisified with any product you receive from us... Period!" This is a store for anglers ran by anglers. We have lengthy experience in freshwater and saltwater fishing.

At JJ's Jigs we don't offer our products for the sake of offering a variety or what is currently being pushed as "the lastest and greatest". We offer jigs and flies that have proven themselves by passing the test of the most critical judges of all - THE FISH! If you're planning on getting on the water to go after some prized gamefish, make sure you have a full selection of JJ's Jigs with you. Then get ready to catch some fish! With JJ's Jigs... YOU WILL!!

Countdown to Fundraiser Shows Promise

2011-11-07T11:02:00.002-05:00

SRAC is receiving donations of items to be traded for cash on Saturday, November 19th. From 11am to 7pm, representatives from the nation's largest gold refining business, "The Gold Refinery" have agreed to host a fundraiser at the SRAC that will allow guests to walk away with instant cash for things that have any amount of gold silver or platinum while supporting SRAC at the same time.The basket above was placed on our front counter just this past weekend and is a great example of how easy it is to support our efforts at the upcoming fundraiser.

For example - there are over 200 silver coins brought in by Ellen Sisco who has asked us to have them cashed in for her and to send her the cash - and in return - SRAC will get a finders fee for bringing Ellen's items to the event! In fact - SRAC gets a bonus if we get over 30 people for the event!

Other items were just donated to SRAC to have us bring to the event and get cash for! These include some bags of silver jewelry and a gold chain so far. All of the people who donate items to us will get a donation letter to claim the amount we get for their donated items for a tax deduction for 2011! Our hope is that by the time the upcoming event opens it's doors - we will have the basket chuck full of items and that we will have many people attending! So please take the time to consider taking part in this unique fundraiser for SRAC and make some cash for yourself while you do!

The Gold Refinery has been highlighted on:

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call (607)727-3111 or email me!

Feb. 2012: East African Exhibit

2011-11-05T08:17:00.001-04:00

East African Headrest

Plans are underway to empty SRAC's whole lecture hall and make it ANOTHER exhibit area for the month of February (Black History Month.) About 350 artifacts to include an actual mud hut will be the new exhibit that will celebrate the earliest tribes of East Africa. The Ordinary Objects Extraordinary People (OOEP) exhibit which has traveled to large cities acrossed the US and Canada is coming to SRAC for the whole month of February.

The first of its kind, this collection conveys the beauty, harmony and mastery of the harsh sub-Saharan environments by the nomadic tribes of Ethiopia, Somalia, Eritrea, Sudan, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. Bill and Betty Baumann - curators and facilitators of the Ordinary Objects Extraordinary People (OOEP) exhibit will also deliver two presentations during the month about the exhibit and the people that it represents and will also be on hand throughout the month for school field trips which SRAC will offer for free.

Stay tuned for more updates to come!

Make Cash While Supporting SRAC!

2011-11-05T07:15:00.001-04:00

Old coins, jewelry, silverware, watches, and even dental gold can be traded in for immediate cash at the Susquehanna River Archaeological Center at 345 Broad Street in Waverly, NY on Saturday, November 19th from 11am to 7pm. Representatives from the nation's largest gold refining business, "The Gold Refinery" have agreed to host a fundraiser at the SRAC that will allow guests to walk away with instant cash for their many things they can find around their homes and supporting SRAC as well.

DOWNLOAD A FLIER TO HELP US SPREAD THE WORD HERE!

The Gold Refinery is one of the largest direct refinery brokers in the nation and a fully licensed, family run business. They are America’s pioneer in professionally organized and operated gold parties and fundraisers. They currently operate nationwide and in Canada and are rapidly expanding as the price of gold maintains its historic highs. The Gold Refinery deals in such high volume that it allows them to purchase gold at higher prices than jewelry stores or pawn shops. All gold is shipped directly to the refiner, melted and sold to various investors and institutions. As the party host, SRAC will earn 10% of all gold purchased just for hosting, and you could be amazed at the money you can make from things that are laying around your house gathering dust!

Three ways to take part in this event:

1.) Visit SRAC on November 19th with your items, and have one of the representatives analyze and assess them. Then you decide if you want to sell them for the price they offer. If you decide to sell them, you get the cash immediately! SRAC will automatically get 10% paid to us from the gold refinery just for you coming to our event and selling your item!

2.) Drop off your items at SRAC or send them to us in the mail and we will put them in a special envelope and have the Gold Refinery representatives assess your items and send you the cash! Again, SRAC will automatically get 10% paid to us from the gold refinery just for you coming to our event and selling your item! (Call Deb Twigg @ (607-727-3111 for details on how to do this.)

3.) Donate your items to SRAC and WE will have the representatives assess and donate the cash directly to SRAC!

Let's face it, virtually everyone has unwanted silver, gold or platinum laying around their house that they no longer want. So don't wait - gather up it up and do something good for yourself and SRAC this year! It's a great way to make some extra cash AND support a community organization!

Thank you for taking part in this event in whatever way you choose!

Questions? email info@SRACenter.org !

SRAC Book Sharing Library Now Available

2011-11-01T14:32:00.001-04:00

SRAC's Ted Keir stands next to the new SRAC Lending Library

Over 100 books covering Native American history to regionalarchaeology fill the shelves of a new lending library at the Susquehanna River ArchaeologicalCenter (SRAC). The books are availableto all SRAC’s members to sign out and use for research and/or leisure.

The books have come from many sources including SRAC’s TedKeir who built his private library over many decades. Keir explained, “Over theyears when I saw a book about Native American Indians I would buy them. When I wasa teacher, I would even bring some to school for when I covered study hall for studentswho didn’t have anything to do.” Other sources include private book collectionsof other SRAC members to include cofoundersDick Cowles and Deb Twigg.

SRAC’s Deb Twigg added, “We are always looking for ways toenhance SRAC’s membership experience. Right now members get the SRAC Journalseveral times a year, discounts on every event, a free annual luncheon andother things all year long, and the lending library is another great additionto what we already offer to our membership who pay as little as $15 per year.”

For more information, visit www.SRACenter.org, call (607)565-7960, orvisit SRAC at 345 Broad Street, Waverly, NY.

Underground RailRoad at SRAC Tuesday, Nov. 1

2011-10-27T08:07:00.001-04:00

The Stage is Being Set for Night to Remember...

Lear Green would spend the last three years of her life in freedom in Elmira, NY.

Using actual historic records, teaching artist Vicie Rolling of "FRAMING THE PAST STORYTELLNG" will present "Lear Green" a young girl's story of growing up a slave and finding new hope through the underground railroad and freedom in Elmira, NY at the Susquehanna River Archaeolocial Center (SRAC) at 345 Broad Street, Waverly, NY on Tuesday, November 1st, from 6:30 – 7:30pm.

In over 38 years of teaching and performing Rolling has crafted a unique set of skills. These skills brought to workshops; readings and one woman show formats make stories come alive! Originally from New Jersey, Vicie lives in upstate New York. She has appeared regularly as a Motivational Speaker for regional and national conferences. Her One-Woman Shows have been staged at major fortune 500 companies as special events.

An admission donation of $6 for adults, $4 for SRAC members is requested, students attend for free. Free admission to the SRAC exhibit hall is included in this donation. For more information, visit www.SRACenter.org , email info@SRAcenter.org, or call the Center at 607-565-7960.

Fused Glass Ornaments & Jewelry Class Nov. 12

2011-10-26T14:12:00.000-04:00

Bone Spearhead Found In Mastodon May Rewrite Prehistory of North America

2011-10-24T19:16:00.003-04:00

The University of Copenhagen reports a new and astonishing chapter has been added to North American prehistory in regards to the first hunters and their hunt for the now extinct giant mammoth-like creatures – the mastodons. Professor Eske Willerslev’s team from the Centre for GeoGenetics, University of Copenhagen, has in collaboration with Michael Waters’ team at the Center for the Study of the First Americans, University of Texas A&M, shown that the hunt for large mammals occurred at least 1,000 years before previously assumed.
This new study concludes that the first-known hunters in North America can now be dated back at least 14,000 years. The results are published today in the internationally renowned scientific journal Science.

“I am sure that especially the Native Americans are pleased with the results of the study. It is further proof that humans have been present in North America for longer than previously believed. The “Clovis First” theory, which many scientists swore to just a few years back, has finally been buried with the conclusions of this study,” says Professor Eske Willerslev, director of the Centre for GeoGenetics at the Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen.

Spearhead found in mastodon

It is the finding and analysis of a tip from a man-made projectile point (spearhead) gathered from the remains of a mastodon that is behind the rewriting of North American prehistory. The spearhead, which itself was carved out from a mastodon-bone, was found at the Manis site in the state of Washington when archaeologists excavated a mastodon in the late 1970s.

However, 30 years would pass before a team of researchers was able to put a date on the spearhead and establish the identity of both the bone and the spearhead that had been embedded into the rib of the defeated mastodon. This was done through, amongst other things, DNA analysis, protein sequencing, advanced computer technology, Carbon-14 dating as well as comparisons with other mastodon findings in North America, for instance in the state of Wisconsin.

Clovis culture challenged

The first traces of the hunt for mastodons in North America have previously been attributed the so-called Clovis culture. Clovis culture dates back approximately 13,000 years and is viewed as a type of common culture ancestral for all Native American tribes in North America. (The photo here shows the point point still inside the mastodon remains.Click to enlarge.)

To read the full article from the University of Copenhagen website- click here.

Large Trade Pipe Collection Donated to SRAC

2011-10-24T15:54:00.001-04:00

(WAVERLY, NY) Fifty three trade pipes have been donated tothe collection on display at the Susquehanna River Archaeological Center (SRAC)located in Waverly, NY by Richard Jackson of Vestal, NY. The pipes will be usedto tell the history of early Native American trade as well as the use oftobacco. Tobacco smoking and clay pipes were introduced to Europeans by theNative Americans of South and North America. By the 17^th and 18^th centuries mass producedEuropean and American clay pipes became a trade item and were bartered back toNative American tribes. The pipes that were donated by Jackson represent manydifferent styles of pipes that were traded by the Europeans over hundreds ofyears.

SRAC’s cofounder and executive director, Deb Twiggcommented, “Dick has been involved with SRAC and the New York State Tri- CitiesChapter of Archaeology for many years. In his later years his health has kepthim from being as active as he would like, but he still tries to attend severalevents per year at SRAC. We are so proud to exhibit his collection as a part ofthe ever growing SRAC collection that now is comprised of 17 local collections.His collection will always be identified in his name, as we always recognizethe family that has donated the artifacts in our Exhibit Hall with their nameand photos and sometimes even a video of them describing the artifacts. The Jackson/SRACCollection began last year and it continues to grow as he adds more items as hechooses.”

SRAC is located at 345 Broad Street, Waverly, NY and the newcollection can be viewed during normal business hours.

Turn Your Old Gold, Silver, & Platinum into CASH and Support SRAC!

2011-10-18T08:54:00.001-04:00

DOWNLOAD A FLIER TO HELP US SPREAD THE WORD HERE!

The Gold Refinery is one of the largest direct refinery brokers in the nation and a fully licensed, family run business. They are America’s pioneer in professionally organized and operated gold parties and fundraisers. They currently operate nationwide and in Canada and are rapidly expanding as the price of gold maintains its historic highs. The Gold Refinery deals in such high volume that it allows them to purchase gold at higher prices than jewelry stores or pawn shops. All gold is shipped directly to the refiner, melted and sold to various investors and institutions. As the party host, SRAC will earn 10% of all gold purchased just for hosting, and you could be amazed at the money you can make from things that are laying around your house gathering dust!

Three ways to take part in this event:

1.) Visit SRAC on November 19th with your items, and have one of the representatives analyze and assess them. Then you decide if you want to sell them for the price they offer. If you decide to sell them, you get the cash immediately! SRAC will automatically get 10% paid to us from the gold refinery just for you coming to our event and selling your item!

2.) Drop off your items at SRAC or send them to us in the mail and we will put them in a special envelope and have the Gold Refinery representatives assess your items and send you the cash! Again, SRAC will automatically get 10% paid to us from the gold refinery just for you coming to our event and selling your item! (Call Deb Twigg @ (607-727-3111 for details on how to do this.)

3.) Donate your items to SRAC and WE will have the representatives assess and donate the cash directly to SRAC!

Let's face it, virtually everyone has unwanted silver, gold or platinum laying around their house that they no longer want. So don't wait - gather up it up and do something good for yourself and SRAC this year! It's a great way to make some extra cash AND support a community organization!

Thank you for taking part in this event in whatever way you choose!

Questions? email info@SRACenter.org !

Jewelry and Beading Class at SRAC November 5th

2011-10-17T12:42:00.001-04:00

Underground Railroad to be Discussed at SRAC November 1st

2011-10-17T12:14:00.000-04:00

"$150 REWARD. Run away from the subscriber, on Sunday night, 27th inst., my NEGRO GIRL, Lear Green, about 18 years of age, black complexion, round-featured, good-looking and ordinary size; she had on and with her when she left, a tan-colored silk bonnet, a dark plaid silk dress, a light mouslin delaine, also one watered silk cape and one tan colored cape..."

Lear Green would spend the last three years of her life in freedom in Elmira, NY.

Using actual historic records, teaching artist Vicie Rolling of "FRAMING THE PAST STORYTELLNG" will present "Lear Green" a young girl's story of growing up a slave and finding new hope through the underground railroad and freedom in Elmira, NY at the Susquehanna River Archaeolocial Center (SRAC) at 345 Broad Street, Waverly, NY on Tuesday, November 1st, from 6:30 – 7:30pm.

In over 38 years of teaching and performing Rolling has crafted a unique set of skills. These skills brought to workshops; readings and one woman show formats make stories come alive! Originally from New Jersey, Vicie lives in upstate New York. She has appeared regularly as a Motivational Speaker for regional and national conferences. Her One-Woman Shows have been staged at major fortune 500 companies as special events.

An admission donation of $6 for adults, $4 for SRAC members and students is requested. Free admission to the SRAC exhibit hall is included in this donation. For more information, visit www.SRACenter.org , email info@SRAcenter.org, or call the Center at 607-565-7960.

DrumBeats 2011 - A HUGE SUCCESS!

2011-10-16T20:26:00.000-04:00

We want to thank the hundreds of people who attended this year's 8th Annual DrumBeats Through Time - a free event that SRAC puts on in order for the community to celebrate our Native American heritage - past, present and future.

Pam Jacobsen attended the event and sent me a note after attending DrumBeats - "I also want to say thank you to all that made today at SRAC possible. The members were treated to a wonderful meal, great meeting and a some great prizes. Al Parker a Seneca Nation historian gave an awesome presentation...One of the most interesting history/life lessons I've ever heard.... So if you are not yet a member..become one. If you've never been to the SRAC in Waverly, you are missing out on the best thing to hit Waverly in the 40+ years I have lived here. There is something for everyone at SRAC. It was a Great Day!!"

To view a slideshow from the event - Click Here

SRAC "DrumBeats Through Time" THIS Saturday (October 15th)

2011-10-09T07:57:00.001-04:00

Last minute plans are underway at the Susquehanna RiverArchaeological Center (SRAC) in Waverly, NY in order to get ready for the 8^thannual free community event, DrumBeats Through Time to be held Saturday,October 15^th from 1-5pm.

Along with the nationally awarded Buffalo Creek Dancers performancefrom 3-4pm, there will be free admission to the SRAC Exhibit Hall, vendorsselling crafts and artwork, many private local artifact collections rarely seenby the public, and special archaeological exhibit titled “Time and Tradition”which is a professionally designed educational exhibit, created incollaboration with archaeologists from Binghamton University’s AnthropologyDepartment, and professional designers from the Roberson Museum in Binghamton. TheSeneca Historian Alvin Parker will also be sharing the history of the Senecapeople in a presentation at 1:30pm. SRAC’s Deb Twigg said, “This year’s eventwill be bigger and better with many new things we have never had before. Bestof all, it is free for everyone to attend and enjoy with family and friends. Weare just really proud to bring so many unique and exceptional events to ourcommunity.”

The SRAC annual membership luncheon meeting precedes thepublic event from 11:30am – 1pm, with the doors opening to the public from1-5pm. To learn more, visit www.SRACenter.org/eventsor call the Center at (607)565-7960.

Susquehanna Woodland Designs at SRAC

2011-10-02T15:01:00.000-04:00

Susquehanna Woodland Design’s Mike McGrath is a well respected artist who specializes in flintknapping,artifacts, arrowheads, and pottery reproduction and so much more. He hascreated replicas for many large venues including the Carnegie Museum and eventhe San Diego Zoo. Now McGrath has added the Susquehanna River ArchaeologicalCenter (SRAC) in Waverly, NY to his long list of customers.

SRAC gift shop visitors can purchase McGrath’s work includingreplicas of pottery, stone tools and arrowheads like those that were made and usedby the Native Americans in our region hundreds of years ago.

SRAC’s Deb Twigg said, “We are bulking up items in our giftshop before our DrumBeats event when the national award winning Seneca BuffaloCreek Dancers return on October 15th and of course for the upcoming holiday season.If you haven’t been to SRAC lately, you will be amazed at the amount of itemswe have for sale from kids learning toys, jewelry, rocks and minerals, pottery,eclectic gifts and a lot of art by local artists. Adding Mike’s replicas to thelong list of new items is exciting for us, because it can’t be found anywhereelse.” McGrath added, “I’m excited to bea part of the SRAC experience. Replica work is near and dear to the heart ofwhat I like to do with my flintknapping and primitive art skills. If you areinterested in arrowheads, artifacts, and flintknapping, I know you will enjoy mywork at SRAC.”

Twigg continued, “If people are looking for more ways tohelp our community as a whole– shop local. Studies show that even modestchanges in local shopping habits can generate substantial economic impact forour whole community, and SRAC is just one of the many great places to shop inthe Valley area.”

SRAC’s Gift Shop is open Tuesdays through Fridays from 1-5pmand Saturdays 11-5pm. To learn more, visit www.SRACenter.orgor call the Center at (607) 565-7960.

Native American Dancers just a part of SRAC’s Event on October 15th

2011-09-30T13:07:00.001-04:00

Kettle of Gold - A Boyhood Story of George Catlin, Famous 19th Century Native American Painter

2011-09-26T14:51:00.002-04:00

Kettle of Gold - A Boyhood Story of George Catlin, Famous 19th Century Native American Painter
DOWNLOAD FLIER TO SHARE HERE

Eileen Ruggieri -local storyteller and historian will present, “Kettle of Gold - A Boyhood Story of George Catlin, Famous 19th Century Native American Painter” at the Susquehanna River Archaeological Center at 345 Broad Street in Waverly on October 4th from 6:30pm – 7:30pm.

George Catlin (1796-1872) journeyed west five times in the 1830s to paint the Plains Indians and their way of life. Convinced that westward expansion spelled certain disaster for native peoples, he viewed his Indian Gallery as a way "to rescue from oblivion their primitive looks and customs." Catlin was the first artist to record the Plains Indians in their own territories. He admired them as the embodiment of the Enlightenment ideal of "natural man," living in harmony with nature. But the more than 500 paintings in the Indian Gallery also reveal the fateful encounter of two different cultures in a frontier region undergoing dramatic transformation.

A little known fact is that George Catlin spent most of his childhood growing up along the Susquehanna River in South Windsor. He went on to get an education in law, but soon discovered his passion in life was to paint. Ruggieri will share with her listeners the story of George Catlin's first encounter with a Native American as a boy growing up in Windsor and how profoundly that experience influenced the course of his life. He would later set out on a westward journey that would result in his becoming one of the country's most famous 19th century painters of Native Americans.

Ruggieri is coordinator of the Historic Windsor Advisory Committee, formed a year and a half ago by the Town of Windsor. This committee recently put out a book Windsor on the Susquehanna, A Vintage Postcard Book of Broome County's Oldest Town, which she edited. She is Vice President of the Old Onaquaga Historical Society and a longtime member as well. For the past three years, she has been on the Window on the Arts festival committee in Windsor, providing interesting local history programs and exhibits for this special day in September.

An admission donation of $6 for adults, $4 for SRAC members and students is requested. Free admission to the SRAC exhibit hall is included in this donation. For more information, visit www.SRACenter.org , email info@SRAcenter.org, or call the Center at 607-565-7960.

Jewelry & Beading Class at SRAC October 1st

2011-09-26T14:50:00.000-04:00

Local artisan Ellen Sisco creates jewelry from a wide variety of materials. Having worked with stones, metals, and beads of all kinds in her jewelry for 25 years, she conducts a popular class on basic beading techniques the Susquehanna River Archaeological Center (SRAC) at 345 Broad Stree, Waverly NY on Saturday, October 1st, from 11:30am – 1:30pm . Students will be provided with instruction and all the supplies they will need, including semiprecious stone beads, glass beads, metal beads, pearls and tools so that they may create their own gift, keepsake, or special piece. Beads in all colors of the rainbow are available, and Ellen has made a special purchase of unusual and beautiful semiprecious stone beads just for these classes. Learn to make necklaces, bracelets, earrings and other jewelry.

Just ask about any style you would like to try, and Ellen will teach you how to create jewelry to match your wardrobe, and to make things for the holidays; now you can make your own jewelry for Halloween and Christmas. The fee for this two hour beading class is $25. RSVP's are greatly appreciated by calling the Center at (607)565-7960 or by emailing info@SRAcenter.org.

Ancient American Magazine publishes article by SRAC's Deb Twigg

2011-09-22T13:36:00.002-04:00

The Ancient American Magazine recently released their September issue that includes an article by SRAC's Deb Twigg.

Twigg's article is entitled, "Spanish Hill: The Search for Answers" and examines the earthen embankments that once enclosed ten acres on the summit of the site. Twigg claims, "the embankments seem to be identical to a site in Ohio and there is other evidence along the Susquehanna River that seem to relate to the same Mound Builder culture known as the "Fort Ancients."

SRAC members will be able to read the article in the latest SRAC Journal that will be arriving soon in their mailboxes. New members will receive a copy of the latest SRAC Journal as a part of their membership and can join today at:
http://www.SRACenter.org/join/

Non SRAC members are invited to order their own copy of the Ancient American Magazine by using the following link:
http://ancientamerican.com/backissues.html#cover92

Native American Dancers Return to SRAC Oct. 15th

2011-09-22T10:30:00.000-04:00

SRAC members should be receiving a postcard in the mail in the next few days asking you all to save the date of October 15th for our 8th Annual Membership Meeting and FREE "DrumBeats Through Time" event that we host with authentic Native American dancers - "The Seneca Buffalo Creek Dancers" and free guest speaker/presentation by the Seneca Historian, Al Parker who will tell us the Seneca History of our region. We also will have local artisans in vendor tents set up out front, and tons of great snacks all day long!

So if you get a membership postcard - use it as your invitation to the annual membership meeting which runs from 11:30am - 1pm October 15th, and non members are welcome to join in on the fun with the presentation and dancing later in the day FOR FREE! It is our way of saying thanks to all of you who support us throughout the year! Spread the word!

Not a member or want to renew your membership? Visit http://www.sracenter.org/join/ today!

SRAC Receives Tioga County Seniors Grant

2011-09-21T15:08:00.002-04:00

The Susquehanna River Archaeological Center recently wasawarded $1,000 from the Tioga County Seniors Foundation. The grant was awarded in order to fund SRAC programs and speakers geared towards the senior community for the following year.


To learn more visit: http://tcseniorfoundation.com/

The goal of Tioga County Seniors Foundation is to enhance the quality of life of senior citizens living in Tioga County, New York. This is accomplished through grants awarded to agencies that provide support for the needs, interests, safety and comfort of the county’s senior population. Since 1982, a total of $1,465,827 has been awarded to grant requestors. Typically, grant awards are made to those applicants providing direct services to senior citizens. For example, over the last 10 years Senior Citizens Foundation has contributed $85,420 to the libraries in Tioga County to support librarians’ requests for items such as large print books and books on CD. Senior Citizens Foundation also gladly supports the requests of the eleven senior citizen clubs located in Tioga County. These clubs often become the main link to other people and services for our many aging citizens. Since the year 2000, Senior Citizens Foundation has put $86,300 into the activities of the senior citizen clubs found throughout Tioga County. To learn more about the Tioga County Seniors Foundation visit http://tcseniorfoundation.com/ .

SRAC's Deb Twigg stated, "We want to thank the Tioga County Seniors Foundation forsupporting SRAC and our efforts again this year and look forward to bringingmore and better events and special programming for the seniors in our area because of their support."