South Ferry Artifact Exhibit Opens 3/18 at NY Transit Museum

Construction in New York City is always complex, but it raises particular concerns when it cuts through the most archeologically rich section of town. In February 2009 a new South Ferry subway station opened on the southernmost tip of Manhattan, a place where environmental, historical, and commercial interests collide. In order to build the station, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) was required to conduct an archeological review and excavation. This provided an extraordinary glimpse into the very place that the modern city has its roots, and the basis of an exciting new exhibit at the New York Transit Museum.

Where New York Began: Archeology at the South Ferry Terminal will be on view at the New York Transit Museum Gallery Annex and Store from March 18-July 5, 2010.

In addition to unearthing portions of the city's early infrastructure, excavations yielded over 65,000 artifacts, including ceramic sherds, shells, coins, tobacco pipes, and architectural materials. These pieces document 400 years of city life and embody the cycle of building, razing, and rebuilding that is a hallmark of New York City. Over 100 of these objects will be on view along with historic maps and photographs, and field images and video of the archeologists at work.

Among the most important finds of the excavation were pieces of two 18th century landmarks- the Battery Wall and Whitehall Slip. Stones from the Wall are on view, as are photographs of a section of the Wall that was reinstalled in the new South Ferry station. Whitehall Slip was built in stages from the 1730s to 1790s using landfilling and dredging. It allowed boats to dock and spurred the commercial and military use of lower Manhattan. Excavation of the Slip uncoverEd Stone, construction material, 19th century English ceramics, household goods, refuse, and animal bones, furthering our knowledge of the city's commerce and its residents' lifestyles.

A number of tin-glazed interior wall tiles were found at the site. Almost always decorated with hand-painted scenes, these were commonly used around fireplaces and at the bases of walls. Among those in the exhibit are tiles depicting a scene from the Crucifixion, Moses with the Ten Commandments, and a scene probably from the story of St. Jerome's lion. Each of these date from 1625-1800.

Attesting to both their popularity and fragility, 1,470 fragments of clay tobacco pipes were found on the project site. Though pipes are utilitarian objects, their design, decoration, and makers' marks can be seen as icons for the brief period of time in which each was manufactured and used. Many of the pipes uncovered at South Ferry were English or Dutch made and showed signs of use. These often intricately decorated pieces are very small, making their discovery during a large dig all the more remarkable.

Scattered among the thousands of objects in the landfill deposits are a handful that are clearly personal. A small glass bottle seal with the (possible) arms of Governor Benjamin Fletcher (circa 1690-1700) is the only object that can be attributed to a specific individual. The wine bottle seal's motif suggests it belonged to Fletcher, New York's governor from 1692-1697. A medal commemorating the taking of the Fortress of Louisbourg by the British in 1758 is a shoddily made copy of one commemorating the July 1758 British capture of the French Fortress of Louisbourg on Nova Scotia. Shoe buckles made of copper alloy from the 1700s, buttons from Revolutionary War-era uniforms, and the inner and outer layers of 18th century shoe soles are also on view.
Where New York Began: Archeology at the South Ferry Terminal will be on view at the New York Transit Museum Gallery Annex and Store from March 18-July 5, 2010. This also marks the grand reopening of the museum's retail store, which features a dynamic new design, new fixtures and lighting to better showcase the Museum's unique product mix.