Small Project, Big Questions: Unusual Finds from the Yale Lock Factory Site, Newport, New York

Summary

This is a paper/report submission presented at the 2020 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Recent excavation in advance of road culvert replacement yielded unusual finds adjacent to the ruins of the National Register listed Yale Lock Factory in Newport, central New York State. Proposed construction plans limited the survey to an area less than 520 square meters (0.13 acre), but more than 4000 artifacts were recovered including 15 quartz crystals locally known as Herkimer diamonds and five cowrie shells. Given the presumed industrial nature of the site- the first factory built by the Yale family, famous for their lock designs- these personal and possibly symbolic or ritual objects were unexpected finds. Archival research suggests that the objects may be associated with two free African-American people documented living in a nearby household. Cowrie shells and quartz crystals are relatively rare in New York archaeological contexts, and work at the Yale Lock Factory led to more questions than answers regarding the site's early occupants and activities.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• 2020 SHA General Sessions   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2020

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 815