May 20, 2002

Letter to the Editor

Safeguarding Our Buried Heritage

As a member of the Yorktown Historical Society I have written this message to share my concerns about Yorktown's cultural heritage. Since mid-September of last year Mike Anderson, a fellow member of the Yorktown Historical Society, and I started recovery efforts to locate, preserve and record evidence from an American Revolutionary War camp site used by General Rochambeau's French Army soldiers in 1781, on their way to defeat the British forces in Yorktown, Virginia, and in 1782 on their return. Permission to explore the site was granted by the property owners and efforts to document occupation were productive. All artifacts recovered were dated, their depth, location and soil composition recorded. This information will be utilized to help establish the Washington Rochambeau's Revolutionary War Route through Westchester. When completed, this "Heritage Trail" will acknowledge the considerable contribution General Jean Baptiste Rochambeau's soldiers made for American liberty and independence. Overlooked by many is how crucial the French support was to ending the American Revolutionary War.

After news of our recovery efforts were published we were disturbed to hear that many homeowners in our community were approached by relic collectors with metal detectors interested in accessing their property to retrieve buried artifacts from this period. Many homeowners who accommodated these people are not aware that well intentioned relic collectors are a threat to historical preservation, and are as lethal to a site as a bulldozer. Properly recovered artifacts are used to verify and expand written history. However, once artifacts are removed from their context by treasure seekers, that cultural information is lost. We would recommend to homeowners that permit access to their property to request to see all items recovered; that the Yorktown Historical Society or Yorktown Museum be notified; and to ask what will happen to the artifacts. We are pleased to note that many civic minded relic collectors have used their expertise to benefit history and through their efforts many historic battlefields, campsites and homesteads have been identified.

At this time the Yorktown Historical Society is attempting to collect data on Revolutionary War artifacts, such as buttons, coins, military utensils, musket balls et. al. that have been recovered in Yorktown. This information will be used to pinpoint, identify and record sites that were connected to the American Revolutionary War. This data will then be recorded and incorporated on to a topographical map. Upon completion of our efforts the Yorktown Historical Society, in collaboration with the Yorktown Museum, will display the artifacts and information associated with them.

In our quest for information regarding Yorktown's cultural heritage, we would appreciate hearing from those that might have information to share. Please contact me at 245©5153, or write a note describing your artifact(s) and mail it to the: Yorktown Historical Society, Box 355, Yorktown Heights, NY 10598. Attn: M. Doherty.

Monica Doherty, Trustee
Yorktown Historical Society