Paleo-Indians on the East Branch

The second of two spring programs on the theme “Reading the Land” will be held Saturday, April 26 at 1 p.m., when Lynda Carroll will present an illustrated talk, “Arkville Underground” at the Historical Society of the Town of Middletown (HSM), 778 Cemetery Rd., Margaretville.

Admission is $2 for HSM members, $4 for non-members. For information on HSM programs, visit www.mtownhistory.org.

Lynda Carroll was part of a team of archaeologists and technicians from the Public Archaeology Facility (PAF) at Binghamton University who conducted a 2005 survey of a section of what would become the MARK Project’s Mountain Laurel Gardens housing development along Delaware County Route 36 (the Arkville Cut-Off Road).

The researchers uncovered numerous points, tools and cherts, along with evidence of fire pits where carbonized wood and nut fragments were dated to more than 3,000 BC. Carroll will interpret the discoveries as documented in a formal report on the project. An exhibit on PAF’s programs and projects will also be available for viewing before and after the presentation.

Lynda Carroll is a PhD candidate in Anthropology at Binghamton University and is a coordinator for their Public Archaeology Facility's Community Archaeology Program. She has been a project director for over 30 Cultural Resource Management projects in New York, and has conducted research in Jordan and Turkey. She is currently teaching at SUNY Broome Community College.

Since 1972, the facility, its professional staff and a cadre of consulting archaeologists have provided cultural resource management services to clients throughout the Northeastern US, with a focus on New York and Pennsylvania. PAF conducts site evaluations, archaeological and historical architectural surveys, and data recovery for energy, communication, mining, housing and other State and Federally permitted developments.