Uncovering East Windsor’s tribal history

Archeologists find artifacts from at least 4,000 years ago in the township.

By: David Pescatore
   EAST WINDSOR — People lived in East Windsor long before the municipal building was covered with dirt and long before the opening of Twin Rivers. They were here long before there even was an East Windsor, a United States or a New Jersey.
   People were here hunting and gathering at least 4,000 years before any of that, according to a plethora of prehistoric artifacts discovered last year on the site of the planned Riviera at East Windsor age-restricted community.

   Thousands of artifacts were unearthed last year from township land owned by Toll Brothers Inc.
   Anyone who has ever seen a National Geographic special has seen the results of an archaeological study. What those specials rarely show, however, is the failed attempts at gaining knowledge. On top of this, most don’t think of their back yards as once supporting prehistoric societies.
   "This whole area is archaeologically rich," said Carolyn Dillian, archaeologist with the Cultural Resource Consulting Group, which conducted the excavations.
   She said that the presence of artifacts has been known since the late 1930s, when local landowners and amateur archaeologists discovered American Indian artifacts on the land along what is now One Mile Road, near the Route 133 onramp. This survey provided little useful information at the time, and tells even less now.
   Several surveys were conducted in the area during the 1980s, centered on the proposed Route 92, which would have cut right through the area. These were done simply to identify the locations of artifacts, but not to excavate or evaluate the remains. Salvage excavations also were performed by volunteers with the belief that the complete destruction of the site was imminent, but the Route 92 plan was eventually scrapped.
   This work was done quickly and with little regard for accepted archaeological standards. Analysis of the artifacts is minimal, but the data gathered during the project provides a sample of the material from the site.
   Much of the site was in fact destroyed in the late 1980s in preparation for proposed development. Construction consisted of topsoil removal and grading, as well as the creation of a large detention basin at the northern border of the project area. Aerial photographs show that some 40 percent of the site was disturbed during the activities.
   The latest study began in June 2002. Toll Brothers Inc. owned the Windsor Hollow portion of the site since the 1980s and purchased the Nob Hill half in 1999. The total area contained three known sites that contained American Indian artifacts. Based on this prior knowledge, the state Department of Environmental Protection’s Historic Preservation Office required Toll Brothers to commission a survey of the areas to determine if there was still more to be learned from the sites.
   CRCG was contacted and asked to perform Phase IB and Phase II testing. The goal of Phase IB testing is to evaluate the depth of soil disturbance and the presence or absence of deeply buried, intact archaeological deposits. This was accomplished with the use of "shovel tests."
   Shovel testing involves digging 18-inch diameter holes at fixed intervals to determine the boundaries of artifact deposits. This process resulted in 780 tests over the three sites with 79 of the tests uncovering artifacts. Most were found less than 3 feet from the surface.
Site one
   Only one shovel test produced an artifact in the first site, which lies in the southern portion of the property within a soybean field.
   The shovel test revealed a flake of chert rock. The flakes are byproducts from the production of stone tools. Additionally, a piece of sandstone fire-cracked rock was found on the surface along with some more chert.
   "This is an open-field area," Dr. Dillian said. "There were some artifacts found on the surface, but nothing below the plow zone."
Site two
   The Windsor Hollow site lies on the northeast corner of the property along the Millstone River. Twenty-five shovel tests yielded artifacts in this area.
   "Based on the styles of spear points found, the artifacts are as old as 4,000 years," Dr. Dillian said. "There were many artifacts here, mostly spear points and fire-cracked rock."
   She explained that fire-cracked rock is typical of long-term settlements. As the aboriginal did not have metal tools or cookware, they would heat small rocks and drop them into a stew, thus heating the liquid.
   "If you do this long enough, you can boil water," Dr. Dillian said.
   The process is known as "stone boiling."
   She added that the site likely was occupied repeatedly by nomadic hunter-gatherers over hundreds or even thousands of years.
   Unfortunately, there were no intact associations of artifacts. They were just "scattered things," probably a result of the earth-moving done 20 years ago.
   "We did 20 5-foot-by-5-foot excavations and almost all of them were disturbed," she said.
Windsor Mill site
   Located behind the Windsor Mill Condominiums, the Windsor Mill site was the most prolific producer of prehistoric and historic artifacts. Fifty-three shovel tests revealed artifacts similar to those found in Windsor Hollow, as well as ceramics dating back 2,000 years.
   "This area was the most interesting in that we found intact storage and trash pits, as well as dense clusters of fire-cracked rock. We also found burnt walnuts and acorns. These people were gathering nuts, berries and roots, and probably hunting deer."
   Dr. Dillian said that the absence of human remains forced her to believe that this was not a permanent home for the inhabitants, but that it was probably used seasonally. The fact that some of the tools were found stacked would suggest that they were stored for the next season. The tools are heavy and probably would not have been transported between campsites.
   She would not rule out the possibility of permanent habitation, though, saying that the acidic soil could have caused the remains to decay. While possible, this is unlikely, especially since excavations unearthed small fragments of deer bone.
National Register
   With Phase IB completed, the project entered Phase II, determining which, if any of the sites qualified for the National Register of Historic Places. Qualification of a site would give it federal protection against development or disturbance.
   Under the criterion set by the National Register, a prehistoric site must have yielded or be likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history
   The first site failed in that there was a low frequency of artifacts and an absence of meaningful patterning. Further field work, it was determined, would be likely to produce only similar, and therefore redundant, information.
   The second site also failed based on the destruction of much of the site. The samples from Phase IB and the salvage expeditions of the mid-1980s were deemed sufficient for understanding prehistoric activities at the site.
   Evaluation of the Windsor Mill site determined that it was eligible for the National Register. It was determined that the site could yield additional information important to the study of prehistory in the area. In addition, the presence of undisturbed artifact deposits made it likely that full features, including hearths and storage areas, would be found.
   Since Windsor Mill qualified for the National Register, the DEP asked that Phase III data recovery begin. The task of the recovery was to obtain samples so that an accurate account could be made for others to consult as a compensation for the loss of historical information caused by construction.
   Also, with the artifacts have been removed, its National Register status would be "mitigated," and the area could be developed.
Excavation
   The main area of concern is a 450-foot-by-300-foot area on a high terrace over the river.
   "We tested the entire property to pinpoint artifact deposits and dug 150 5-foot-by-5-foot excavation pits. That gave us a large sample of the site. We found hearths, pits and plenty of artifacts," Dr. Dillian said.
   "We found a large amount of spear points made of argillite. They are yellow now, but they would have been a glossy black when fresh. Argillite is a metamorphosed stone that deteriorates quickly, so it is difficult to date, especially because of the acidic soil."
   She said that they were likely to be spear points because bows were not used in New Jersey 4,000 years ago. The discovery of "banner stones" supports the spear theory. Banner stones were used to balance the weight when using an atlatl, a leather pouch used to give the thrower greater force and accuracy.
   "Some say that the bigger pieces are knives and not spears. They may have been both. These large points were like the Swiss Army knives of history. They had many uses," said Dr. Dillian, who specializes in stone tools and has made them herself.
   "On a good day, I can make an arrowhead in about 20 minutes, so they could probably do it in about 15," she said.
   She added that the same points were used in warfare, but that there was no evidence of a battle in the area.
   "It is not uncommon to find traces of human blood on the tools," Dr. Dillian said. "But I know from experience that making these things is hazardous work."
   Pieces of pottery found on the site suggest that people used the area as recently as 2,000 years ago and Dr. Dillian said that smaller arrowheads are as recent as 800 years old.
   "It would appear that the people stopped using this area between 800 and 600 years ago. There were no glass beads or metal tools that would show European contact. There is also no evidence that they kept domesticated animals."
   She noted that evidence suggests that people were generally healthier as hunter-gatherers.
   "People became less healthy when they became farmers. The hunter-gatherers were taller and had less tooth decay, probably due to their varied diet. That could also be the reason that Native Americans have such a high rate of diabetes today."
   Dr. Dillian said that she believes that there could be more deposits of artifacts in the area, but that since none of the suspected areas are scheduled for development, no search would be conducted at this time.