Preservationists Are Finding Treasures

 In Long Island Sound

By Jan Howard

Many early Native American encampments as well as shipwrecks providing an overview of the maritime history of Connecticut lie submerged under Long Island Sound.

Underwater Archaeology of Connecticut was the topic of a slide program presented by Dr Nicholas Bellantoni, the state archaeologist, November 13 at the C.H. Booth Library, sponsored by the Newtown Historical Society.

Dr Bellantoni said it is important that archeologists specializing in underwater archeology, divers, historic preservation groups, private salvage companies, maritime museums, and local, state, and federal agencies work together as a team to identify historically significant sites and to put together a preservation plan.

He said it is important that artifacts not be destroyed. “If we lose these fragile cultural resources, we lose information. We lose part of our history,” Dr Bellantoni said. “We must use a proper archaeological plan.”

He said he is working with many individuals and communities to map and record the underwater sites and to add to the body of knowledge about the state’s history.

“We need to do mapping and collect artifacts,” he said. “We need to create a database and make records as well as we can. This is a new area for us.

“The technology is getting extraordinary, and sites will be even more threatened,” Dr Bellantoni said.

However, he noted, “Not every shipwreck is historically relevant.”

Dr Bellantoni said that once mapping is completed it might be possible to designate certain areas as underwater parks where recreational divers could enjoy history.

He is interested in working with recreational divers who are interested in identifying sites and receiving training in archeological techniques.

There is some controversy about preservation of underwater sites. Some private divers claim there is no legislation that protects underwater sites, but Dr Bellantoni said they fall under legislation enacted in 1989.

Some divers feel that government agencies are trying to shut them down, but Dr Bellantoni said he only wants to record and document artifacts that have been found. He assured a diver in the audience that the government has no intention of taking artifacts away from people who have located them.

The office of the state archeologist, created in 1987 by the state legislature, operates on limited funds. This year, Dr Bellantoni said, $15,000 was allotted by the legislature for his operating budget. “This is the first funds we received in 13 years,” he said.

Dr Bellantoni said when an area is to be developed an archeological survey is required. Because his funding is limited, he looks for consultants and other archeologists to get involved. 

“Archeological societies are helpful,” he said. “Between students and volunteers we find a way to get the job done.”

He is currently coordinating with the Department of Environmental Protection to get an archeological survey of state parks and lands. “We do what we can,” he noted.

He said federal agencies have archaeologists on staff. “They analyze satellite photos of the earth to find archaeological components. Even NASA hires archeologists.”

Dr Bellantoni is supervising dives and excavations at a number of sites in an effort to chart their locations and document the artifacts found. He showed slides of significant sites currently being explored.

Preservation

Dr Bellantoni said his office looks into preservation of historic sites of all kinds, including modern sites, such as Civilian Conservation Corp work camps and Nike missile sites. The shipwrecks in the Sound are of more modern vintage, also, he noted.

He described the use of side scanning sonar in locating a vessel that sank in 1919 near the mouth of the Connecticut River. “It is sitting 170 feet down with its masts still in place,” he said.

The vessel is a Coast Guard ship and so is the property of the United States government.

“It’s in pretty good shape,” Dr Bellantoni said. “It’s never been dove on and no artifacts have been taken.”

When the Iroquois pipeline was being built, four other shipwrecks were found off Milford.

“Maritime history is so important,” Dr Bellantoni said. “It’s how we traveled. We use other means now, so we forget how important it was.”

Conditions for diving in Long Island Sound are difficult, he said. The water is very dark and there could be several feet of silt and mud covering a work site. This makes a wreck harder to dive on, he said, plus divers can only stay down for a short period of time.

“We’re working with a database of hundreds of vessels,” he noted. “We want to document, map, and record them.”

Dr Bellantoni explained that ships were often built by family-owned businesses that didn’t share information on how they built their ships. “An archaeological review of the vessels will tell that,” he said.

 Underwater archaeological sites are set up in grids similar to the techniques used on land, he said. “We plot where the items are found. We need to interpret where the artifact is coming from on the wreck.”

Though there is currently no comprehensive chart available to locate and identify wrecks in the Sound, a 1635 Dutch map has been of some help.  “The map is important. It gives you a sense of the animal life and native peoples of that time.”

Native Americans were very comfortable on the Sound and had interaction with islands off the coast, Dr Bellantoni said. The Narragansetts used dugout canoes that could hold from 40 to 50 people, for fishing and for travel.

Pre-Historic Camp Sites

Dr Bellantoni said thousands of years ago the shoreline of Connecticut extended across Long Island Sound. Long Island Sound was only a fresh-water lake at that time, he noted.

Fifteen thousand years ago Connecticut was ice free, he said. The mountain of ice that had existed here during the ice age had receded. As the ice melted, the sea level rose so that there are now underwater sites of Native American camps that existed on what had been dry land.

Dr Bellantoni said during restoration of Hammonasset State Park’s beach years ago, there was dredging up to 68 to 70 feet into the Sound. “They hit a Native American campsite with pottery and arrowheads,” he said.

In Haddam, a site was found along the Connecticut River dating to 4,000 years ago. The riverbank had eroded, exposing the site. “We had to time the excavation with the tide,” Dr Bellantoni said. Though miles from what was then the coast, the site contained remains of shellfish, indicating the native people had traveled to the shore.

 Remnants of the late actor William Gillette’s early 20th century yacht Aunt Polly have been found in the Connecticut River. Though it is submerged during high tide, it is being used as an outdoor classroom for workshops on underwater mapping and documentation. Mr Gillette was famous for his representation of Sherlock Holmes.

In New London, construction activities have uncovered an old 18th century wharf under an accumulation of soil.  “The water was once out further,” Dr Bellantoni explained. “As you reuse land, artifacts and sites are buried.” A cannon was found as well as other artifacts, he noted.

Hikers found an exposed shipwreck at Old Lyme off the coast at the mouth of the Connecticut River. “The dune migrated and exposed the shipwreck,” Dr Bellantoni said. The excavators are trying to recover as many artifacts as they can, he said. “We document and take samples, because we can’t take it out of the ground.” The ship is believed to be a late 19th century barge that was built in Maine and used up and down the coast for transporting cargo.

Dr Bellantoni said artifacts of Native American origin have been found near the lighthouse on Faulkner’s Island off Guilford. “We saw the lighthouse keeper’s garbage. We loved that,” he said.

Somewhere between New York and Boston may be the site of Captain Kidd’s rumored treasure trove, Dr Bellantoni said. Supposedly, Captain Kidd left New York City on a sloop and traveled through Long Island Sound on his way to Boston, where he was captured. He was later tried and hanged for piracy.

“It’s never been found, but there’s a potential it’s here. I was shown seven possible sites for it,” he said. “It’s great folklore.”