Archaeology

WAS ARCHAEOLOGY IMPORTANT IN SLEEPY HOLLOW & TARRYTOWN?

Archaeology became important in Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown, only if an archaeologist started digging and found objects that were interesting. If an excavation became important, it was because archaeologists found several objects that were involved somehow in history.

WHY MAKE AN EXCAVATION HERE?

Everytime anyone decided to make an excavation here, they found something interesting. Some people made excavations here to satisfy their curiosity. Everytime someone made an excavation here, one out of every twenty were important. In our history there were only two excavations in Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow. They were the Requa and Philipsburg manor Dig.

WHAT WAS THE REQUA DIG?

The requa Dig was a site found in Tarrytown that was a holding of the Requa family who lived on the Philipsburg Manor from about 1720 to 1830. Philipsburg Manor formerly included the Lyndhurst property to the south. The Requa site is archaeologically important because it is the only intact tenant farm of the early colonial period to be excavated in the lower Hudson Valley. The excavation was in development during the years 1977-1984. It was called the Requa dig because there was a family that lived there from 1690-1727 or thereabouts. When archaeologists were digging, they found parts of their old house. They found that the Requa family lived there. Therefore, they named the dig after them. General Foods was willing to pay $1,000. This made the headlines on the Daily News on Wednesday, April 13, 1977.

These are three pictures. The one on the left is a picture of pots found during the dig. The one on the right is a picture of bottles found in the dig. The one in the middle is the same bottles at a different angle.

WHAT WAS THE PHILIPSBURG MANOR DIG?

The Philipsburg Manor Dig was a site from the mid-1700’s. It was at Philipsburg Manor. The artifacts told a fascinating story. Those of wood reflected the craft operations involved in ship and mill repair. Coppering and other woodworking enterprises were conducted on the site in the 17th and 18th centuries. The English and Continental ceramics that were found on the site were proof of the scope of world trade conducted by the Philpsburg Manor inhabitants. Also found were a few Indian fur trade items such as beads and knives usually bartered for pelts. Finally, numerous household items were excavated. They provided invaluable clues to the types of objects with which the original house was furnished and how it was built. The items included iron cooking vessels, fireplace kettles, earthenware containers, glass bottles, window glass, lead canes, locks, hinges, shutter hooks, clay smoking pipes, and brick brought to America from Holland as ship’s ballast.

Produced by Faride, Maria & Joycette

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Brennan, L.A. and Roberta Wingerson. Status Report on Requa House as of July 1, 1977.

Cohran Swanson, Susan, Green Fuller, Elizabeth. Westchester County: A Pictorial History. Norfolk: Donning Company, 1982.

Freedland Griffin, Ernest. Westchester County and Its People. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, Inc., 1946.

Information Received From: Status Report on Requa House as of July 1, 1977, L.A. Brennan & Roberta Wingerson