ARCHAEOLOGY COMMUNITY DISCUSSION NOTES
Prepared by Eymund Diegel December 2016 eymund at gmail.com
THE GOWANUS CANAL FIRST STREET BASIN’S SUPERFUND SITE IS AMERICA’S FIRST BATTLE GROUND WHAT RESEARCH IS AVAILABLE ? WHAT WILL THIS MEAN FOR DESIGN & PUBLIC ACCESS ?
DENTON’S MILL (OR FREEKE’S / LOWER MILL)
BATTLE SITE
27 AUGUST 1776 – THE BATTLE OF BROOKLYN – painted by Alonzo Chappel - 1858
http://www.nyhistory.org/exhibitions/battle-brooklyn
DISCOVER THE STORY OF YOUR BACK YARD
AMERICA’S FIRST BATTLEFIELD SITE PURCHASED FOR $ 73 MILLION BY TRUMP’S SON IN LAW TO BUILD CONDOS ON AMERICA’S FIRST VETERANS CEMETERY
225 3RD ST SITE AT THE GOWANUS CANAL
https://www.nps.gov/abpp/
http://www.dpaa.mil/
SHOULD AMERICA’S FIRST BATTLE FIELD SITE BE PRESERVED ?
SHOULD AMERICA’S FIRST VETERANS BE FOUND AND HONORED ?
WHAT RESEARCH HAS THE SUPERFUND ARCHAEOLOGY COMMITTEE BEEN DOING ? Studying detailed sites identified in the Superfund Team Hunter Research Archaeological Report Working with local schools to explore archaeological opportunities of Canal
https://quicksilver.epa.gov/work/02/122511.pdf
As the Remediation Process moves into the physical stage..
24 October 2016 – The Gowanus Canal Superfund Cleanup starts... Drew Angerer
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE DISCUSSION ISSUES THAT SHOULD BE STUDIED FURTHER ? Lutzen Germany - Military mass grave excavated in 2012 during a supermarket construction. The bodies are from the 1632 Thirty Year War Der Spiegel
• COMPREHENSIVE VISION • BATTLE COMMEMORATION • PUBLIC ACCESS PLAN
1781 Harbor Survey Map showing burial sites scattered around Gowanus Superfund Battle Site New York Historical Society
2014 - Brooklyn New School students studying Battle of Brooklyn geography photo by Ecorama
2011 Research Report by Superfund team established detailed areas for further community investigation…
Superfund Remedial Investigation - Hunter Research’s Archaeological Summary
MAIN HISTORIC SENSITIVITY AREAS – TIDAL MILL BATTLE SITES
How should we commemorate the 1776 Battle as the First Street Basin Restoration moves into the Design Stage ?
The buried 1st Street Basin
Battle of Brooklyn
Superfund Remedial Investigation Hunter Research’s Archaeological Summary
Where was main Battle Site of concern ?
1776 Battle of Brooklyn Site Approximate Location The buried 1st Street Basin
Battle of Brooklyn Sites dlandstudio / Gowanus Canal Conservancy SPONGE PARK PLAN
HISTORIC 1776 WAR OF INDEPENDENCE SITES
Brouwer’s Mill Bridge
Battle Site & Historic Dam
Denton’s Mill Battle Site Battle Site /Potential Second Burial Ground
1776 OLD STONE HOUSE BATTLE
Path to Freedom Study Area
Presumed 1776 Grave Locations
Veterans Monument
Marylander’s Burial Ground https://issuu.com/proteusgowanus/docs/0_2014_marylander_park_proposal_dra
for discussion
Potential Alternative Burial Ground
Old Stone House Battle Site
Original Stone House location
Old Stone House Battle Site
1766 RATZER MAP WITH 2016 STREETS BROUWER’S MILL BRIDGE
FIRST STREET BASIN SUPERFUND SITE
COLES MILL (BUILT 1770’S)
DENTON’S POND MILL DAM
Historical issues affecting planning & restoration design
FIRST STREET BASIN SUPERFUND SITE
Old Stone House Museum
FIRST STREET BASIN SUPERFUND REMEDIATION SITE
Battle of Brooklyn Sites
EVACUATION ROUTE
HOW DID AMERICAN TROOPS RETREAT ? BLOCKED BY ENGLISH
AMERICAN MARYLANDER TROOPS
BLOCKED BY HESSIANS
11 AM, 27 AUGUST 1776
Alonzo Chappel - 1858
AMERICAN TROOPS ENTERING VECHTE’S BROOK TO GET TO MILL DAM ESCAPE ROUTE
BURNT BROUWER’S BRIDGE DENTON’S TIDE MILL BATTLE SITE DAM TIDAL MARSHES
GOWANUS CREEK
OLD STONE HOUSE BATTLE SITE
Charles Blaskowitz – 1777 Map of the Battle of Brooklyn - Boston Public Library
6 AM – 27 AUGUST 1776
11 AM – 27 AUGUST 1776
THE TIDE IS LOW WHEN BATTLE OF BROOKLYN STARTS
THE TIDE IS HIGH WHEN AMERICAN TROOPS START RETREATING … DID THEY ALL SWIM ?
THE SALT MARSHES ARE DRY
Henry P. Johnston 1776 –Plan of the Battle of Long Island and the Brooklyn Defenses, Julies Bien Cartographer, 1878
ANOTHER ESCAPE POSIBILITY… John Rubens Smith – 1817 - Gowanus Road looking towards Denton's Pond - Guann's near Fort Swift, Brooklyn US Library of Congress (Note: Fort Swift was a War of 1812 fort and was on hill behind sail boat. The site is now Trader Joe’s)
THE MILL DAM
ANOTHER ESCAPE POSIBILITY… https://www.loc.gov/item/2011645495/
Bergen Hill
Bergen Home
Staat's Home
Denton Home
Denton’s Mill
Fort Swift War of 1812 (behind sails)
John Rubens Smith
1817 View of Denton’s Mill Pond and Dam
Gowanus Road
1847 view of Brouwer’s Mill (Charles Parson) (note: both tide mills rebuilt after 1776 War of Independence) Denton's Pond circa 1865 (James Ryder Van Brunt)
MILL DAM
Vechte / Cortelyou (Old Stone) House
Brooklyn Historical Society
4th Avenue & 7th Street
THE ARTIST Staat's House
Schoonmaker House
View of Denton’s Pond Mill dam circa 1860s from Park Slope (Brooklyn Historical Society)
A DIFFICULT RETREAT PATH
1776 BATTLE OF BROOKLYN JOHNSTON MAP
DRY MILL DAM PROVIDED MOST LIKELY RETREAT PATH NOT MARSHES COVERED BY 6 TO 20 FEET OF WATER
3D BATTLE OF BROOKLYN RECONSTRUCTION Flatbush Road American Fortifications
ESCAPE ROUTE OF MAIN AMERICAN TROOPS
American Camp
Brouwer's Mill Old Stone House
PORT ROAD
First Street Basin
Gowanus Creek
GOWANUS ROAD
Denton's Mill
ESCAPE ROUTE OF MARYLANDER 2014 - THOMAS PEYTON TROOPS With Diegel 1776 Mill adjustment
”The Americans.. came to the marsh [and a stone house], where [the main force] were obliged to break their order, and escape as quick as they could to the edge of the creek, under a brisk fire… During this interval, the main force retreated from our left into a marsh.” Mordecai Gist, Major General with Marylander Regiment, during the Battle of Old Stone House, 27 August 1776 As quoted in Washington’s Immortals, the Untold Story of an Elite Regiment Who Changed the Course of the Revolution By Patrick K. O’Donnell, 2016 www.patrickkodonnell.com
http://www.campaign1776.org/revolutionary-war/articles/mordecai-gist/
FREEDOM’S PATH: VECHTE’S BROOK TODAY ( UNDER 3 AVE BRIDGE )
VECHTE’S BROOK
1776 AMERICAN SOLDIERS CROSSING CREEK TO GET TO MILL DAM ESCAPE ROUTE
FREEDOM PATH WHOLE FOODS SITE
BATTLE DAM
1766 Ratzer Map of Battle Mill Dam site
2011 Balloon Aerial of Battle Mill Dam site
WHOLE FOODS SITE
BATTLE DAM
KUSHNER SITE
1766 RATZER MAP SHOWING DENTONS MILL BATTLE ISLAND
BATTLE DAM GOWANUS CANAL SOURCE:
KUSHNER SITE
https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47df-f437-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99
AMERICA’S FIRST SOLDIERS DIED HERE
BATTLE DAM
BATTLE DAM
27 AUGUST 1776 – THE BATTLE OF BROOKLYN – painted by Alonzo Chappel - 1858
Battle Mill
BATTLE DAM
31 July 2011 Gowanus Canal Conservancy / Public Lab Balloon Aerial
Battle Mill
HONOR OUR VETERANS
Burial Island Battle Dam
SUPPORT THE AMERICAN BATTLEFIELD PROTECTION PROGRAM
BATTLE MILL
BATTLE DAM New York Public Library Map Division
http://maps.nypl.org/warper/maps/11840#Export_tab
1880 Hopkins Wards Map showing the Denton’s Mill 1776 Dam Battleground Site. The bulge shows the Denton’s Mill Island mentioned as the soldier’s burial ground by 1909 Old Stone House Historian Georgia Fraser. The dam was gradually landfilled from 1865 onwards to make way for the East India / Gowanus Chemical Works (later HJ Baker Chemicals, makers of gunpowder and fertilizers). The mill dam was used as a footpath until the 1870s, and survives buried under about 3 to 4 feet of fill
BATTLE MILL
BATTLE DAM Proposed “Freedom’s Path” 1776 Battle Dam Commemoration Site This escape route was used by the survivors of the Maryland Regiment after their heroic actions allowed the Continental Army to retreat and fight another day. It was the highest casualty battleground of the 1776 War of Independence. It merits commemoration under the American Battlefield Protection Program through the construction of a public walkway and Commemorative Park 2014 Aerial, New York City Base Map, with Freedom’s Path Battle Dam overlay from 1880 Hopkins Wards Map (New York Public Library)
1880 Hopkins Map
1766 Ratzer Map with 1880 Hopkins Battle Dam Overlay
2014 aerial with 1880 Hopkins Battle Dam Overlay
REFERENCE MAPS Proposed “Freedom’s Path” 1776 Battle Dam Commemoration Site
HOW CAN WE COMMEMORATE THESE HISTORIC BATTLEFIELD EVENTS AS PART OF THE RESTORATION OF THE GOWANUS CANAL? PARK AT LOW TIDE
AMERICA’S PATH TO FREEDOM CONCEPT
PARK AT HIGH TIDE TIDE
NEW PUBLIC GREENWAY
ATE ATEMA FIRST STREET TIDE PARK CONCEPT
1905 (circa) The Red Hook Boat Morgue by Jenny Young Chandler, showing Salt Hay (Spartina) root mat remnants (highlighted in green) similar to the Freedom’s Path Battle Dam and Island where 1776 bodies were buried
COMMEMORATIVE VISUAL REFERENCES Marsh Grass (2012) by artist Jessica Dalrymple
Conditions on the Ground (2013) by artist Christina Kelly
http://www.discobikini.com/2013 /05/04/conditions-on-the-ground2/#more-1440
1 ST BASIN WHOLE FOODS
AMPLE HILLS ICE CREAM
NEW PUBLIC GREENWAY
ESCAPE ROUTE OF MARYLANDER TROOPS
OLD STONE HOUSE
PUBLIC SCHOOL
RELOCATED
1776 OLD STONE HOUSE
Battle Site
PROPOSED FREEDOM PATH GREENWAY
RESTORED FOURTH STREET BASIN
NEVINS STREET LINK
FIRST STREET RIGHT OF WAY
2016 - source: www.nearmap.com
Original Denton’s spring site
Water tunnel entry point
Remnant of old spring making plants grow
31 JULY 2011 “OVER MY DEAD BODY” BALLOON AERIAL (via GLAM / PUBLIC LAB)
29 November 2014 eymund@gmail research notes
Burials ?
Potential tunnel entry point by Gowanus Dredgers canoe (dangerous – loose rocks)
RUMORED 1776 BURIAL GROUND
Elevation of site is +/- 17 feet above mean sea level. If historical 1776 island was between 6 and 8 feet above mean sea level (to be above tidal flood lines) then grave remnants (if any) are +/- 12 to 14 feet down. This makes tunnel floor (at +/- 10 feet above water line) most promising archaeological excavation area
1776 GHOST MILL MEMORIAL For America’s First Veterans Cemetery / 1776 Environmental Education Center
The New Neighbors • Jared Kushner paid $73 million for site • Father in Law supports Patriotism
THE PATH TO FREEDOM
Jeff Kravitz
Andrew Harnik
REMEMBER OUR VETERANS 2013 Aerial by Sean Groszkowski
CONCEPT: MAKE GOWANUS GREAT AGAIN
REBUILD THE HISTORIC 1776 BATTLE MILL SITE & FREEDOM PATH ON OLD MILL DAM TO 4TH AVE
DRAFT FIRST STREET BASIN THOUGHT NOTES eymund at gmail.com DECEMBER 2016
DOCKS ? CONNECTIONS ? WATER MILL ? CLASSROOM ? CONNECTIONS ?
MEMORIAL BRIDGE ?
PLAYGROUND ?
WETLAND ? CONNECTIONS ?
2013 Aerial by Sean Groszkowski
WHAT SHOULD THE RESTORED FIRST STREET BASIN LOOK LIKE ?
INSPIRATION: FRANKLIN MEMORIAL PHILADELPHIA
LOCAL INSPIRATION: GOWANUS ART LAB
Gowanus Canal Superfund Site
Surviving area of island with possible 1776 battle casualties grave relics
OVERLAYS OF COMMUNITY MEMORIES ON 2011 GLAM / PUBLIC LAB GRASSROOTS AERIAL / GOOGLE AERIAL
Live Spring Denton or Freeke’s Mill
Original Tidal Mill Dam
What Questions does this community research raise ? What Actions should we take ?
WHAT ABOUT THE BODIES? FIRST STREET BASIN
POWERHOUSE ARTS CENTER SITE
SUSPECTED 1776 BURIAL SITE 2013 Aerial by Sean Groszkowski Skull by David Tennant
KUSHNER SITE
A history of burials..
Native 1776 Marsh Soils are at roughly 7 feet elevation (Mean Sea Level) Current Site Elevation is around 17 feet
15 October 2016 NearMap Aerial shows excavations in suspected Archaeological area – SHOULD DEEPER DIG SURVEY HAPPEN ?
A BATTLE WITH MULTIPLE CASUALTIES HAPPENED ON THE THIS SITE IN 1776 FIRST STREET BASIN SITE
POWERHOUSE ARTS CENTER SITE
IT IS ARCHAEOLOGICALLY SENSITIVE 27 AUGUST 1776 – THE BATTLE OF BROOKLYN – painted by Alonzo Chappel - 1858
KUSHNER SITE
THE SITE WAS RAPIDLY LANDFILLED WITH BETWEEN 10 AND 20 FEET OF FILL DURING 1870’S
SUSPECTED 1776 BURIAL SITE
THIS LANDFILL COVERED MANY 1776 BATTLE ARTIFACTS
HOW DO WE GET THERE ?
FIRST STREET BASIN
PROMOTING PUBLIC ACCESS TO PUBLIC WATERS
GOWANUS DREDGERS CANOE CLUB WATER ACCESS PROGRAM
CARROLL STREET CANAL SIDE PUBLIC RIGHT OF WAY
PROMOTING PUBLIC RIGHT OF WAYS ON PUBLIC LANDS GOWANUS DREDGERS CANOE CLUB WATER TESTING SCIENCE PROGRAMS
LEGAL PUBLIC RIGHT OF WAYS (NYC DEPT OF CITY PLANNING 2016)
PUBLIC SCHOOL
SCHOOL
THIRD AVE PUBLIC ACCESS
FIRST STREET RIGHT OF WAY
FIRST STREET BASIN PUBLIC RIGHT OF WAY
1886 Sanborn Map
Lets not Drain the Swamp.. Lets rebuild it greener..
Lets Build the 1776 Battle Memorial and the Path to Freedom
What do YOU think ?
"Aye, this is the ground, My blind eyes even as I speak behold it re-peopled from graves, The years recede, pavements and stately houses disappear, Rude forts appear again, the old hoop’d guns are mounted, I see the lines of rais’d earth stretching from river to bay, I mark the vista of waters, I mark the uplands and slopes; Here we lay encamp’d, it was this time in summer also." (a conversation between a Revolutionary War veteran and a young Union Army volunteer in the first year of the Civil War. Soldiers drill on a bright day in Fort Greene Park, and the veteran suddenly remembers the real fighting he took part in eighty-five years earlier on the same hills) Walt Whitman "The Centenarian's Story", Leaves of Grass, 1900 as quoted in Barnet Schecter's "The Battle for New York" 2010
These Battle notes, along with other historical research documents are available at the Proteus Hall of the Gowanus archive https://issuu.com/proteusgowanus
Proteus Gowanus (now Proteus Cumulus) is a collection of digital memories useful for planning the future of our neighborhood
You can find out more about the Gowanus Canal’s Battle History at the New York Historical Society
http://www.nyhistory.org/exhibitions/battle-brooklyn
Darby’s Patch Tom Boy Gowanus, Brooklyn, circa 1900 photo by Jenny Young Chandler From the Hall of the Gowanus Archive Darby’s Patch was the squatter settlement and later tenement housing that was built on top of the Denton Pond’s garbage dump that landfilled the Revolutionary War mill pond
Find out more about the Gowanus Superfund Site: http://gowanuscag.org/
contact eymund @ gmail.com for map data in these notes for your own research
This has become the archaeologist’s grandiose task: to make dried-up wellsprings bubble forth again, to make the forgotten known again, the dead alive, and to cause to flow once more the historic streams in which we are all encompassed, whether we live in Brooklyn or Montparnasse, Berlin-Neukölln or Santiago de Chile, Athens or Miami. This stream is the great human community of the Western world which for five thousand years has swum with the same flood tide, under different flags, but guided by the same constellations.
On this account archaeology is everybody’s concern and is not in the least an esoteric special branch of science. When we busy ourselves with archaeology, life as a whole has become our subject. For life is not an occasional affair, but a constant balancing on the point of intersection where past and future meet. Leonard Woolley, “The Ideal Archaeologist” as quoted on CW Ceram, “God’s Graves and Scholars, The Story of Archaeology, New York, 1968
The Public Laboratory for Open Technology and Science www.publiclab.org